Phonics is a popular term used frequently when referring to students learning to read.
Phonics is the ability of readers to correlate sounds with letters or groups of letters based on the alphabet. The 26 letters of our alphabet symbolize 44 English speech sounds.
Phonics differs from phonological awareness & phonemic awareness in that it involves the relationship between sounds and written symbols. Remember....phonological awareness & phonemic awareness focus on sounds in spoken words. As a result,
phonics focuses on teaching sound-spelling relationships & is connected with print. For the most part phonological & phonemic awareness activities are completed orally.
The primary goal of
phonics instruction in the classroom is to teach the most frequent sound-spelling relationships in order for the student to decode words. Decoding is a critical component of reading success~thus one of the reasons that strong
phonics instruction is imperative.
Phonics instruction is most effective when presented in an explicit manner. Research shows that explicit instruction is important for all children, but essential for struggling readers.
Excellent Phonics Sites
