Introducing Phonics

What is phonics? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, phonics is the "science of sound" and "a method of teaching beginners to read and pronounce words by learning the phonetic value of letters, letter groups, and especially syllables."

Phonics is different than phonemic awareness. Begin to Read defines phonemic awareness as "the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds - phonemes - in spoken word."

Phonics instruction is the foundational layer of reading. Students need to be able to recognize the letter or group of letters, and know what sound is associated with the letter(s). During phonics instruction, students learn the long and short sounds of the vowels. The students also learn that some consonants make two sounds. Additionally, students are taught that the letter q always has a helper, just like a queen. As a result, students are taught to say "qu" then the sounds "kw." Finally, students are taught that "x" is found at the end of words, and that the sound made by "x" is "ks." Younger students will see the letter x at the end of words most frequently. They are specifically taught that "x" is a rule breaker, but are only taught the rule breaking example of x-ray. However, the ruler breaker, x-ray, is not included in the daily phonics instruction.

Students are taught the phonics cards through a scaffolding strategy which uses three levels of scaffolding.

1. Students are taught the phonics cards through echo reading. In echo reading, the students mimic or echo what the teacher said.

2. Once students are able to predict, I begin training the students to proceed through the cards in a choral reading fashion. The students are reading the cards with me, not after me.

3. Once the students have mastered choral reading with me, I challenge them to choral reading without me.

References:

Begin to Read. (1996-2015). What is Phonemic Awareness? Retrieved from: http://www.begintoread.com/articles/phonemic-awareness.html

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phonics?src=search-dict-box