This page highlights key instructional practices to keep in mind when implementing Structured Literacy. Effective phonics instruction should be explicit, systematic, and follow a gradual release model—I do, We do, You do—to ensure all students feel supported as they learn. Strong routines, clear expectations, and consistent behavior management help maximize learning time. Teachers should keep lessons brisk and engaging, offer frequent opportunities for student response, and use a balance of specific praise and corrective feedback to guide learning. With clear modeling, guided practice, and meaningful application, instruction becomes more effective and impactful.

Phonics instruction should be taught with explicit instruction because it provides clear, direct teaching of letter-sound relationships, helping students understand how words are built. This method leaves no room for guessing and supports all learners, especially those who struggle with reading. By modeling, guiding practice, and giving immediate feedback, explicit instruction ensures students develop strong decoding skills, which are essential for fluent and accurate reading.

Perky Pace

Explicit instruction expert, Dr. Anita Archer, provides the rationale and overview of explicit instruction and its benefit to students.

Elements of Explicit Instruction

Focus instruction on critical content.
Sequence skills logically.
Break dow complex skills and strategeies into smaller instructional units.
Design organized and focused lessons.
Begin lessons with clear statement of the lesson's goals and your expectations.
Review prior skills and knowledge before beginning instruction.
Provide step-by-step demontrations.
Use clear concise language.
Provide an adequate range of examples and non-examples.
Provide guided and supported practice.
Require frequent responses.
Monitor student performance closely.
Provide immediate affermative and corrective feedback.
Deliver the lesson at a brisk pace.
Help students organize knowledge.
Provide distributed and cummulative practice.

Instruction Must Be Interactive

A short clip from the elementary series instructional video featuring Dr. Anita Archer discussing the importance of interactive education.

The Magic is in the Instruction

To optimize our implementation of the Science of Reading to ensure that all students read accurately and fluently with good comprehension, we must draw from the Science of Instruction. In this session, Dr. Archer will discuss the critical variables in instruction: clear lesson purposes, structured lessons including demonstration, guided practice and checking for understanding, embedded formative assessment, active participation, effective feedback, and judicious practice. When these elements are consistently and effectively used, learning results.

Gradual Release-Using a gradual release model in phonics instruction is essential for building students' confidence and competence in reading. This approach begins with explicit teacher modeling ("I do"), progresses to guided practice with teacher support ("We do"), and culminates in independent student application ("You do"). By systematically shifting responsibility from teacher to student, learners develop a deeper understanding of phonics concepts and are better equipped to apply them independently. This structured method ensures that students are not only exposed to phonics rules but also have ample opportunity to practice and internalize them, leading to improved reading fluency and comprehension.

Having consistent routines during phonics instruction is important because it creates a structured, predictable learning environment that maximizes instructional time and supports student focus. Clear routines for each component—such as warm-up drills, sound-spelling practice, blending, and dictation—help students know what to expect and how to engage. Behavior expectations ensure students stay attentive and participate actively, while materials management routines (like having whiteboards, sound cards, or decodable texts ready) minimize disruptions and transitions. Together, these routines build efficiency, reinforce learning, and support student success.

K-HMH Into Reading Routines

1st-HMH Into Reading Routines

2nd-HMH Into Reading Routines

Providing both behavior-specific praise and corrective feedback during phonics lessons is essential for reinforcing effective learning behaviors and addressing errors constructively.

Behavior-Specific Praise

Behavior-specific praise involves explicitly acknowledging the precise behavior a student demonstrates, such as saying, "Great job blending the sounds in 'cat'!" This targeted form of praise helps students understand exactly what they did correctly, reinforcing positive behaviors and increasing the likelihood of their recurrence. Research indicates that behavior-specific praise is a powerful method for improving student behavior and academic success.

Corrective Feedback

Corrective feedback provides students with immediate, specific information about errors in their performance, guiding them toward the correct response. For instance, if a student mispronounces a word, the teacher can gently correct the error and model the correct pronunciation. This approach prevents the reinforcement of incorrect habits and supports the development of accurate decoding skills. Immediate corrective feedback is critical in phonics instruction as it helps students adjust their learning practices effectively.

Together, behavior-specific praise and corrective feedback create a supportive learning environment that fosters student engagement and accelerates reading proficiency.

Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction: Effective and efficient teaching. Guilford Press.

This book provides educators with practical strategies for implementing explicit instruction across various grade levels and content areas, emphasizing systematic, direct, and engaging teaching methods.

Barksdale Reading Institute & WETA. (n.d.). Reading Universe. https://www.readinguniverse.org

Reading Universe is an evidence-based, comprehensive resource designed to support teachers in delivering effective reading instruction. Developed by literacy experts and educators, it offers clear explanations of reading skills, videos, strategies, and tools grounded in the science of reading. It's especially useful for supporting structured literacy practices in the classroom.

Fisher, D. (2013, October 14). Gradual release of responsibility [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbFM3rn4ldo

In the video Gradual Release of Responsibility (2013), Dr. Doug Fisher explains a structured teaching model that shifts the learning responsibility from teacher to student. He describes four phases—focused instruction, guided instruction, collaborative learning, and independent practice—that help students move from watching the teacher model a task to working independently. Fisher emphasizes that these phases are flexible and should be adjusted based on student needs to build autonomy and confidence.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (n.d.). HMH Into Reading: Research evidence base. Retrieved May 12, 2025, from https://www.hmhco.com/research/hmh-into-reading-research-evidence-base

This document outlines HMHH Into Readings alignment with the Science of Reading, highlighting its structured literacy approach and evidence-based instructional strategies.

Lynch, E. (n.d.). The Literacy Nest. https://www.theliteracynest.com

The Literacy Nest is an educator-created website that provides resources, training, and support for teaching structured literacy, particularly with a focus on Orton-Gillingham instruction. Founded by Emily Gibbons, a certified dyslexia practitioner, the site offers lesson plans, blog posts, and tools for helping struggling readers and students with dyslexia.

Mednick, A. (2023, June 21). The Science of Reading: A phonics lesson plan template for small groups. CORE Learning. https://www.corelearn.com/science-of-reading-phonics-lesson-plan-template-small-groups/

This article by Allison Mednick, published on CORE Learning’s website, provides educators with a phonics lesson plan template grounded in the Science of Reading. It offers a structured approach for delivering effective small-group instruction, emphasizing systematic and explicit teaching practices to build foundational reading skills.