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readers the basics of grapheme-phoneme relationships. Students then learn to blend these patterns
into words.

Some key words attached to this method are systematic and explicit—you’ll hear these a lot when
studying phonics instruction. Successful modes of instruction are deliberate and measured—
systematic. They are also clear and to the point—explicit.

In the classroom, a teacher may determine a group of letters to teach the students, for example, “b,”
“a,” “t,” and “c.” This instruction may take different forms, but notice that one component is already in
place: explicitness. Nothing is left to chance here—the teacher has set a definite course of action.
Teaching these letters may take a variety of forms: songs, oral games, chants, call-and-response
activities, and so on.

Once the students have learned these sounds--/b/, /a/, /t/, and /k/--the
teacher will systematically explore simple words that employ these
phonemes. Cat and bat are obvious choices, and the students will
readily blend these phonemes to produce those morphemes.

Another hallmark of synthetic phonics instruction is practice. The
students will regularly be asked to practice the phonemes and
graphemes that they are learning. The teacher will systematically employ
writing exercises, customized reading texts, and other methods to
ensure that the students get enough rehearsal time with their new skills.

Techniques

You should also be familiar with various techniques used by the teacher and the students in phonics
instruction, including blending and segmenting.

Blending

Once students know a group of phonemes, they can combine these to form words. This is called
blending. Remember that teachers will be explicit and systematic in presenting groups of phonemes,
so they will retain a certain measure of control over the blending technique.

Segmenting

Students (or teachers) practicing segmenting will break a word down into the phonemes that
comprise it. For example, segmenting the word tap would entail drawing out the phonemes /t/, /a/,
and /p/. Teachers and students can demonstrate how to segment the word "tap" by moving each
letter away from the others while saying the sound that corresponds to it. Tying the phonemes to the
graphemes via one-to-one correspondence boosts the phonemic awareness skill of segmenting up to
a phonics application.

Decoding

More closely associated with reading, decoding means using phonemic knowledge and prior
knowledge of spelling conventions to read a word. Experienced readers decode at a rapid rate, but
early readers use blending to slowly decode words, usually one at a time.