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Phonics Instruction I

Lesson Objective

In this section, we’ll continue to examine how students become readers, specifically how letter
knowledge, mastering conventional spelling patterns, and other skills move them closer to
comprehension and fluency. We’ll also review some more phonics terms that you’ll need to know.

Previously Covered

Students who have gotten the hang of phonemic awareness and basic phonics concepts are more
likely to become successful readers than students who haven’t. Specifically, we spent some time
familiarizing ourselves with how word study relies heavily on solid letter knowledge and the
distinctions among implicit and explicit phonics, analogy phonics, analytic phonics, synthetic phonics,
embedded phonics, and phonics through spelling.

Back to Basics: Letter Knowledge

For students to become good decoders (and, later, fluent readers), it’s imperative that they have solid
letter knowledge. Knowing which phoneme corresponds with the grapheme t, for example, should be
automatic. Conversely, when presented with a phoneme, such as /f/, students will be able to match it
to the letter f. With more advanced letter knowledge, that student would also be able to match the /f/
phoneme with the letters gh, as in the word enough.

Fostering Letter Knowledge

While kindergarten is the likely time that teachers begin working on letter knowledge, the methods
can take a variety of forms. In addition to many commercial products, including software, oversized
inflatable letters, and letter cards, teachers also use writing as one way of helping students gain
knowledge of letters. Early writing may take the form of scribbling or drawing images that resemble
letters, but with support students at this age should begin to write or draw letters.

Writing words as they sound can help children get a tighter grasp on the phoneme-grapheme
connection. The physical act of writing may be harder for some students than others due to
differences in motor-skill development rates, but instructors can use letter blocks or letter cards like
the ones below to facilitate easier word construction.

Letter Cards

Assessing Letter Knowledge

Of course, assessing the student’s mastery of any skill is important. There are many rubrics for letter-
knowledge assessment available, and instructors also use more informal approaches. For example, the
teacher may hold up a series of letter flashcards and ask the student to identify the letter on the card. The
teacher may also ask the student to produce the phoneme that matches the letter on the card. Performing