Short answer: with speech THEN print

• Starting with phonemes allows students to begin with speech, a naturally-developing skill (for most children)

• Developing phonemic awareness skills helps children to tune into the individual sounds in words. New learning is emerging about what makes phonemic awareness instruction effective. More information will be shared below!

• Using a sound wall with routines that bring focus to the articulatory gesture (mouth movements to produce phonemes) has a solid base of evidence behind its efficacy in helping students connect phonemes to graphemes (letter/s representing sounds). Also, it's fun! (And engagment is critical to learning - see the Active View of Reading).

Article: What is the Alphabetic Principle?

Article: How To Use Elkonin Boxes To Help Children Practice Reading Skills

Article: Meeting the Challenges of Early Literacy Phonics Instruction - good overview of look-fors for principals

Video: Elkonin boxes in Kindergarten

Article: "What Are Decodable Books and Why Are They Important?" Article with decodable series recommendations