The Role of Phonics in a Reading Program

Phonics instruction is not synonymous with reading instruction.

Phonics is an important tool that is part of the reading process. Three different kinds of cues are used when reading:

Visual (Graphophonic): Includes phonics and sight words. Does this word look right? Do the sounds match the letter combinations I see?

Structure (Syntax): Relies on the structure of the English language. Does the word fit within the context of the sentence, based on what sounds correct in English?

Meaning (Comprehension): The most important cueing system. Does the word make sense in the context of the sentence?

Phonemic awareness, including rhyming, blending and segmenting phonemes aurally, is essential to learning to read, and should be taught.

Balanced readers are students who use multiple cues (visual, structure, meaning) and are the most successful readers.

Students can learn to read without phonics instruction. Some students absorb needed phonics generalizations through their experiences with print. Others rely on other cueing systems to read in the early stages, but need phonics instruction for more advanced, independent reading and for spelling.

Students should be taught to use phonics interactively with meaning and syntax.

Students should be given opportunities to make links

… to see patterns in words
… to see relationships between words
… to use the known words to discover unknown word

Students should spend much more time actively involved with books (reading) than in phonics instruction.

Phonics rules are voluminous and have limited or no use. It is more useful to help students discover and use phonics generalizations.

Phonics instruction should be on-going and relevant to the needs of the students. Different students in each class have different needs and understandings, and should be taught according to those needs.

Reading, writing, and speaking are interactive and reciprocal. Phonics should be practiced through all three modalities (multi-sensory approach).

Phonics activities should be presented from easy to hard, from teacher-modeled to student-applied.

Most reading materials should not be contrived or controlled to match the phonics being taught. It limits the students’ opportunities for learning to become flexible readers.

Phonics must be taught as part of a program which seeks to help children learn to read and write meaningful texts that have some relevance to their own lives.

Students do not have to be taught every phonetic element, but only enough so that they can begin to make their own generalities about words.

The goal of phonics instruction is to encourage students to be independent processors of print.

The emphasis of any reading program should be on children, not programs.

Teaching phonics with a pre-packaged program is easy. Teaching phonics according to the needs of the children is more difficult but more meaningful.