Saying the "P" Word: Nine Guidelines for Exemplary Phonics Instruction

Exemplary phonicsReading instruction that focuses on the alphabetic principle — the systematic, predictable relationship between spoken sounds (phonemes) and written letters (graphemes) — to allow readers to identify or “decode” words. instruction should build on a child’s rich concepts about how print functions and build on a foundation of phonemic awarenessThe ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in spoken words. . Effective phonics instruction is clear and direct and integrated into a total reading program. It focuses on reading words, not learning rules and may include onsets and rimes and invented spellingSound-based spelling where children create their own nonconventional spelling, based on their knowledge of the spelling system and how it works (e. . Exemplary phonics instruction develops independent word recognition strategies, focusing attention on the internal structure of the word and develops automatic word recognition skills so that attention can be devoted to comprehensionMaking meaning from something that is heard (oral comprehension) or from print (reading comprehension). .