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

2. 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. 3 Strategies for Phonics Instruction
Explicit Instruction
Contextual Instruction
Combined Approach

4. 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.

5. 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

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

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

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

9. 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."

10. "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

11. 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.

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

13. 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.

14. 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.

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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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)

26. 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

28. 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