Phonics
Phonics instruction is a way of teaching reading that stresses the acquisition
of letter-sound correspondences and their use in reading and spelling.
(National Reading Panel, 2000)
Phonological awareness: general appreciation of the sounds of speech as distinct from their
meaning
 Phonemic awareness is a finer-grained sensitivity; an understanding that words can be divided
into a sequence of phonemes
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
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Phonics presumes a working knowledge of the phonemic composition of words
Prior to 2000, most reading programs took PA for granted
If students lack PA they cannot generalize their phonics instruction
o Difficulty blending, sounding out new words, as well as, retaining words already
learned
When PA is integrated into programs, reading and spelling growth of typically developing and
at-risk students is accelerated
Approaches to Teaching Phonics (National Reading Panel, 2000)
o Analogy phonics Teaching unfamiliar words by analogy to known words (e.g., recognizing a
segment of a known work in an an unfamiliar word – student knows the word cost and uses
knowledge of –ost to read frost; “If I know cat, I know mat”)
o Analytic phonics Teaching students to analyze letter-sound relations in previously learned
words to avoid pronouncing sounds in isolation – whole word to parts of words
o Embedded phonics Teaching phonics skills within instruction in txt reading. This approach relies
on incidental learning.
o Phonics through spelling Teaching students to break words into phonemes and to choose
letters for those phonemes.
o Synthetic phonics Teaching students explicitly to convert letters into sounds (phonemes) and
then blend the sounds to form recognizable words. – from part of word to whole work
Systematic instruction using a synthetic phonics approach has been shown
to be a valid evidence-based practice to improve reading skills in students
with and without disabilities (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Types of Phonics Programs
o Direct Instruction
o Rule-Based
o Strategy-Based
Content of Decoding Skills
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Consonant sounds
Consonant digraphs (/th/, /sh/, /ch/, /wh/, /ph/)
Consonant blends (/bl/, /st/, /sl/, /dr/, /str/)
Short vowels in CVC words
Vowel digraphs (/oa/, /ee/, /ai/, /ea/)
Silent e rule
Vowel diphthongs (/oi/, /ow/, /aw/)
R-controlled vowels (/ar/, /ir/, /or/, /er/)
L-controlled a (/al/)
Other variant vowels (/igh/, /ough/, /augh/)
Evidence-Based Phonics Intervention Programs
(What Works Clearinghouse)
Early
Intervention in
Reading
Lexia Reading
Peer-Assisted
Learning
Strategies
(PALS)
Early Intervention in Reading (EIR)® is a program designed to provide extra
instruction to groups of students at risk of failing to learn to read. The
program uses picture books to stress instruction in phonemic awareness,
phonics, and contextual analysis, along with repeated reading and writing.
In grades K, 1, and 2, the program is based on whole-class instruction, with
additional small group instruction provided to struggling readers. In grades
3 and 4, the program consists of small group instruction for 20 minutes,
four days a week. Teachers are trained for nine months using workshops
and an Internet-based professional development program.
Lexia Reading is a computerized reading program that provides phonics
instruction and gives students independent practice in basic reading skills.
Lexia Reading is designed to supplement regular classroom instruction. It is
designed to support skill development in the five areas of reading
instruction identified by the National Reading Panel
www.lexialearning.com
Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a peer-tutoring program.
According to the developer's website, it is designed to be incorporated into
the existing curriculum with the goal of improving the academic
performance of children with diverse academic needs. Teachers train
students to use PALS procedures. Students partner with peers, alternating
the role of tutor while reading aloud, listening, and providing feedback in
various structured activities. PALS is typically implemented three times a
week for 30 to 35 minutes. Although PALS can be used in different subject
areas and grade levels, this intervention report focuses on the use of PALS
to improve reading skills of students in kindergarten through third grade.
http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/pals/
Sound Partners
Wilson Reading
System
Sound Partners (Vadasy et al., 2004) is a phonics-based tutoring
program that provides supplemental reading instruction to elementary
school students grades K–3 with below average reading skills. The
program is designed specifically for use by tutors with minimal training
and experience. Instruction emphasizes letter-sound correspondences,
phoneme blending, decoding and encoding phonetically regular words,
and reading irregular high-frequency words, with oral reading to
practice applying phonics skills in text. The program consists of a set of
scripted lessons in alphabetic and phonics skills and uses Bob Books®
beginning reading series as one of the primary texts for oral reading
practice. The tutoring can be provided as a pull-out or after-school
program, as well as by parents who homeschool their children.
(http://www.wri-edu.org/partners/sound-partners.htm
Wilson Reading System® is a supplemental reading and writing curriculum
designed to promote reading accuracy (decoding) and spelling (encoding)
skills for students with word-level deficits. The program is designed to
teach phonemic awareness, alphabetic principles (sound-symbol
relationship), word study, spelling, sight word instruction, fluency,
vocabulary, oral expressive language development, and comprehension.
Students engage in a variety of activities in the classroom, including
hearing sounds, practicing with syllable and word cards, listening to others
read, and reading aloud and repeating what they have read in their own
words. The program is designed to help children master new skills, with
reviews reinforcing previous lessons. This program was designed for
students in grade 2 and above. Fundations®, a related program not
reviewed in this report, was recently developed with the same principle for
students in kindergarten through third grade. In the single study reviewed
by the WWC for this report, only the word-level components of Wilson
Reading System® were implemented.
www.wilsonlanguage.com
For more information on phonics instruction:
o http://www.readingrockets.org/atoz/phonics_decoding
o Videos and information on strategies and the research behind phonics instruction;
Teaching actvities and parent information sheets are also available
o http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/topicarea.aspx?tid=01
o What Works Clearinghouse provides a list of reading interventions and the results of
the evaluation of their efficacy.
o http://treasureforteachers.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/guide_phonics.248212507.pd
f
o Phonics teaching guide from the NSW Department of Education and Training Learning
and Development. This is a guide full of information and appendices – Appendix 9 has
excellent take and use ideas for teaching phonics to students.
Archer, A. L., Gleason, M. M., & Scanlon, V. L. (2003). Decoding and fluency: Foundations for
struggling older readers. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 26, 89-102.
Ehri, L. C., & McCormick, S. (1998) Phases of word learning: Implications for instruction with
delayed and disabled readers. Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning
Difficulties, 14, 135-163
Lovett, M. W., Lacerenza, L., & Borden, S. (2000). Putting struggling readers on the PHAST track:
A program to integrate phonological and strategy-based remedial reading instruction and
maximize outcomes. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 458-476.
National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the national reading panel: Teaching students to read:
An evidenced-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its
implications for reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups. Bethesda, MD: National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
(www.nationalreadingpanel.org).