Phonics

"Phonics is the relationship between the sounds of the spoken language (phonemes) and the letters of the written language (graphemes). Phonics is a system for learning how to read words.  The letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds, when placed in memory, are used to decode words," (Klein, et al, 2003). Additionally, "phonics is a method of instruction that teaches students the systematic relationship between the letters and letter combinations (graphemes) in written language and the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken language and how to use these relationships to read and spell words," (Honig, Diamond, & Gutlohn, 2018).

"English is an alphabetic language in which there are consistent, though not entirely predictable, relationships between letters and sounds. When children learn these relationships well, most of the words in their spoken language become accessible to them when they see them in print. When this happens, children are said to have 'broken the code,'" (Anderson et al., as cited in Blevins, 2017). 

"Systematic phonics instruction is effective in preventing reading difficulties among at-risk students and in helping children overcome reading difficulties," (Armbruster, Lehr & Osborn, 2001, as cited in Honig, Diamond & Gutlohn, 2018).

"That direct instruction in alphabet coding facilitates early reading acquisition is one of the most well-established conclusions in all of behavioral science," (Stanovich, 1994, as cited in Honig, Diamond & Gutlohn, 2018). 

Phonics instruction makes the biggest impact on beginning readers in Kindergarten and 1st grade and therefore should be taught in those grades.

Older struggling readers may require intensive intervention. Assessment data will be critical for pinpointing precise gaps. It is important that older struggling readers receive instruction that goes beyond simple phonics to include more advance morphological and orthographic knowledge. 

NOTE: Phonics instruction can begin as soon as students know the sounds of a few letters and should continue until students are able to decode multisyllabic words with automaticity. 

Prerequisites for multisyllabic word reading include mastery of single-syllable word decoding, the ability to pronounce common sound/spelling correspondences (especially vowel combinations), identify open and closed syllables, and to pronounce affixes in isolation. Multisyllabic word reading generally begins mid-2nd grade.

(Honig, Diamond, & Gutlohn, 2018).