Phonics is the instruction on understanding the connection between the letters of the alphabet (graphemes) and their sounds (phonemes). It is important to support literacy development because when students are learning to read, they use their knowledge of phonics to decode (sound out) words that they do not recognize immediately in text.
Introduce letter-sound correspondences in a sequence and only a few at a time. Teachers should begin with frequently used letter-sound correspondences that can be combined to make decodable words.
Introduce letter sounds that are auditorily and/or visually similar at different times to avoid confusion. Ex: b, d, p, and m, n
Use a strong cuing system to teach letter-sound associations. Ex: pictures, actions/motions, songs & rhymes
Progress from VC (short vowel, consonant) and CVC (consonant, short vowel, consonant) words to longer words with 4-5 letters that include blends and digraphs but continue to use one-syllable words throughout kindergarten and 1st grade.
Be sure to model the proper pronunciation of the sounds to avoid a mix up but be careful do not over-enunciate or extend sounds ("b-uh" for b).
Provide students will opportunities to practice reading decodable text including words with letter-sound patterns that have already been taught and limited sight words.