What is Phonics? Jackie Euler, Joanie Abel, Quinci Driskell

Phonics A method of teaching reading based on the sounds of letters, groups of letters, and syllables. Decode words to read Spell words to write

3 Strategies for Phonics Instruction Explicit Instruction Contextual Instruction Combined Approach

Explicit Instruction Explicit phonics instruction is instruction in which the teacher directly tells students the expected outcome, overtly models the skill, and provides students with many opportunities to apply the skill.

Contextual Instruction Includes learning with meaningful or functional contexts. Morning message Language experience charts Storybook reading Anytime when the teacher notices phonic elements within a text

Example of Morning Message Lisa is the leader today. Lisa likes lollipops.

Combined Approach Using phonics instruction in which both explicit instruction and contextual experiences are used.

Conclusion Contextual Instruction is more prevalent in a preschool classroom Explicit Instruction is used in primary school settings Combined instruction wasn't observed much.

Whole-to-Part Phonics Instruction Building on what children know to help them know more. "Whole-to-parts phonics capitalizes on children's knowledge of language and children's ability to recognize words holistically to teach them to recognize a large body of print words quickly and easily in context via shared reading with predictable text."

"The Great Debate" Phonics Approach vs. Whole Word Approach Dr. Jeanne Chall Published book, Learning to Read: The Great Debate, published in 1967 Learning to read is a developmental process. Phonics is a more effective teaching method. Whole Word approach has merits in early reading. Combined Approach

Researchers Agree on: The benefits of reading to children. The first print words children learn to recognize--their names, environmental print-- are read holistically, not letter by letter. Early readers read better in context than outside of context. Early readers comprehend print written with familiar language better than print written with unfamiliar language.

Whole to Parts Phonics Instruction Looks like this....... Predictable Story Shared Reading Partner Reading Favorite Words Highlight Sounds Pocket Chart Grouping

Predictable Text is a story with natural language where print and pictures are redundant. Read to children as a read-aloud for comprehension and enjoyment. Shared Reading is the teacher pointing to the text of the story word by word, reading reading slowly enough that children can see the connection between print and speech. Partner Reading is children taking turns reading to each other while teacher circulates among the children, teaching one-to-one matching. Favorite Words are written by the teacher. Highlight letters in words representing onsets and rimes, or a syllable. Sounds - Tell children the word and the sounds represented . Pocket Chart Grouping - Teacher (modeling) and students collaboratively group words where like letters have been highlighted.

Whole-to-Parts Phonics instruction DIFFERS from traditional Parts-to-Whole instruction: It grounds instruction in letter-sound correspondence in meaningful content. It builds on the spoken language children already understand rather than on letter-sound correspondences they don't yet understand. It teaches the parts of words after a story has been read to, with and by the children rather than before the story is read. It uses print words children have learned to recognize via shared reading rather than print words children may not yet recognize. It teaches letter-sound correspondences using using units of spoken language familiar to children (i.e., onsets, rimes, and syllables rather than units of speech unfamiliar to children (i.e., phonemes). Yet, LIKE traditional phonics instruction, whole-to-parts phonics instruction is explicit, systematic and extensive.

The timing and teaching of word families by Francine R. Johnston

all have the -at sound and letters What are Word Families? Words that have common sounds and letters at, hat, fat, cat, rat, bat all have the -at sound and letters “Rhyme” because they have a common “rime” Focuses on being able to read and spell It is not studying rhymes

Why Study Word Families? Easier to break apart the onset and rime (c-at) onset/rime (c-a-t) sound it out (ca-t) unfamiliar parts Strengthen students abilities to recognize and spell words Helps students develop the skill analogy to read unfamiliar words Student knows “house” and can use -ouse to read “mouse” and “blouse” Vowels are easier to pronounce inside word families Rimes make up many words

Word Families When students recognize families they can use their analogy skills to recognize words, read words that are unfamiliar and chunk sounds together for spelling -ark -ight Bark Light Park Night Dark Right Sharks eat fish. The sun is bright. The sound “sh” is spelled S-H, The sound “ark” is spelled A-R-K Shark is spelled S-H-A-R-K

What does this vowel sound like? Vowels sound the same inside word families not across Cat, hat, rat Ray, say, play Determining if the sound is a “short” or “long” vowel is not important Vowel sounds vary across dialects Published phonics programs do not reflect regional pronunciations “tail” vs “tay-ul” “creek” vs “crick” “route” vs “root” Vowel sounds are affected by the letters around it l-controlled vowels Chalk, call r-controlled vowels Car, chart

37 different rimes are used to make up 500 primary level words -ack -ail -ain -ake -ale -ame -an -ank -ap -ash -at -ate -aw -ay -eat -ell -est -ice -ick -ide -ight -ill -in -ine -ing -ink -ip -it -ock -oke -op -ore -ot -uck -ug -ump -unk

When Should we Study Word Families? Stage and sample spellings What the child knows and confuses What the child is ready to study Emergent Pan = STU, wet = SMB Words are made of letters, but letter to sound consonant correspondences are lacking or incomplete. Study alphabet if needed and beginning consonant sounds. Plan language play with rhymes. Early Letter Name pan = PN, wet = YT bug = BG, chin = JN Initial and final consonants are represented consistently, but medial short vowels are missing. Start with one word family at a time and then compare word families with the same vowel. Letter Name pan = PAN, bug = BOG chin = JEN, trip = CHRP Short vowels are used but are generally inaccurate; some blends and digraphs are in place. Compare word families with mixed vowels and include words with blends and digraphs. Within Word Pattern PAN, BUG, CHIN boat = bote, boate steam = steme, steem float = flote, flowt Short vowels, blends, and digraphs are correct for the most part. Using but confusing long vowel patterns. Compare and contrast short and long vowel patterns. Occasionally explore word families.

Initial consonant elements need to be in place Timing is everything Helps children solidify, sort out confusions and gain new understandings Initial consonant elements need to be in place Awareness of vowel patterns will come easier

Early Letter Name Stage Emergent Stage Not ready to deal with and master spelling of word families Should spend more time focusing on consonant sounds Complete word sorts that work on this skill Early Letter Name Stage Phonological sensitivity to the “vowel” is present Good time to introduce word families that contain the same vowel -at, -an, -ap, -ag Vowel is part of rime chunk Learning to manipulate and spell this

Using short vowels, but confusing them Letter Name Stage Using short vowels, but confusing them Very ready for word family study Can compare rimes with different short vowels -ag, -og, -ug, -ig Should begin comparing families to avoid just memorizing Activities should have students actively find the rime for a word and what vowel defines that rime

Within Word Pattern Stage Short vowels are under good control Starting to include silent letters in words with long vowels Do not need much work on word families Word study should focus on patterns that cut across phonograms CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern CVC should be compared to long vowel patterns CVCe pattern (male) CVVC pattern (mail)

One word family at a time! How Should we Study Word Families? One word family at a time! No specific order when teaching word families Short a families are common in primary reading- good starting point Short-vowel rimes tend to be easier When choosing a family to start learning, pick one that is in some of the students readings or books you will read to the class

To Stabilize children’s sense of rhyme Why only 1 at a time? To Stabilize children’s sense of rhyme Provide visual support that rhymes not only sound but also can look alike Reinforce initial sounds Challenge students to listen for and attend to the sounds through various activities Have students compare/contrast 2 or more word families (of similar vowels) After introducing a few individually at length, same vowel word families can be introduced in sets of 2 or more (depending on students) It is OK to change it up