Phonics

What is it??•Phonics is an

organized program where letter/sound correspondences are directly taught

Phonic Elements• 44 sounds in English

Language

• 26 letters

• English = very irregular

• Spanish = very regular

Teaching Phonics• Instruction should be

systematic (building gradually from basic elements to more complex patterns)

• Instruction should be explicit (making sure kids understand key points)

Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction:• Significantly improves Kdg.

and 1st grade children’s word recognition and spelling

• Is effective for children from all social, cultural and economic levels

• Is particularly beneficial for struggling readers

Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction:• Is most effective when

introduced early

• Is not an entire reading program for beginning readers

• Can be used effectively with whole class, small groups or individual students

Phonics is

Systematic

Teaching Sequence• Single consonants

• Begin with letters that are highly regular (eg., f, l. m, n, s, v, z)

• Don’t add “Don’t add “buhbuh” at end of sound” at end of sound!

• Short vowels • a = apple• e = elephant• i = incense• o = octopus• u = umbrella

C-V-C words can now be read

Sequence (con’t)

• Blends - 2 consonants blended together ( eg., bl, dr, tr, fl, st, etc.)

• Long Vowels - easy to learn and reinforce with

C-VCe words ( rate, bite, hope, tube, etc.)

Sequence ( con’t)

• Digraphs – 2 letters that make a unique sound (sh, ch, th, ph)

• Diphthongs – complex sounds formed by shifting form one vowel sound to another ( oi, oy, au, aw)

• R-controlled vowels-– /ar/ /ir/– /or/ /er/

/ur/

The Most Useful Phonic Generalizations

Adapted from Clymer, 1996.

Pattern Description Examples

Two sounds of c

The letter c can be pronounced as /k/ or /s/. When c is followed by a, o, or u, it is pronounced /k/ - the hard c sound. When c is followed by e, i, or y, it is pronounced /s/ - the soft c sound.

catcoughcutcentcitycycle

Two sounds of g

The sound is associated with the letter g depends on the letter following it. When g is followed by a, o, or u, it is pronounced as /g/ - the hard g sound. When g is followed by e, i, or y, it is usually pronounced /j/ - the soft g sound. Exceptions include get and give.

gategoguessgentlegiantgypsy

CVC pattern When a one-syllable word has only one vowel and the vowel and the vowel comes between two consonants, it is usually short. One exception is told.

batcupland

Final e or CVCe pattern

When there are two vowels in a one-syllable word and one of them is an e at the end of the word, the first vowel is long and the final e is silent. Three exceptions are have, come, and love.

homesafecute

Phonic Generalizations (con’t)

CV pattern When a vowel follows a consonant in a one-syllable word, the vowel is long. Exceptions include the, to, and do.

gobe

R-controlled vowels

Vowels that are followed by the letter r are overpowered and are neither short nor long. One exception is fire.

carfor birthday

-igh When gh follows i, the i is long and the gh is silent. One exception is neighbor.

highnight

Kn- and wr- In words beginning with kn- and wr-, the first letter is not pronounced.

kneewrite

Phonics is

Explicit

Types of Approaches• Synthetic = explicitly

converting letters into sounds and then blending them together to form words

• Analogy= teaching unfamiliar words by recognizing onsets and rimes

Onsets and Rimes• Onsets- the initial part of

a word that precedes the vowel.

• Rime- the part of the word that rhymes or shares the same letter pattern

Onsets and Rimes• Builds upon syllable

approach to teaching reading in Spanish

• Stresses pronounceable syllables

• Word families-an, -at, -ell, -eg, -ill, -ip, -og, -ot,-ub, -ug