According to recent studies, the reading skills of young students can improve significantly when they receive direct and strategic reading instruction. How do you decide the learning order of phonics rules and concepts for students that play a critical role in this area? It’s a daunting task unless you follow a specific curriculum that follows a suitable learning sequence. At the same time, your teaching skills have to be very precise. You must understand the correlation between each step, whether backward or forward, to be successful in your teaching. Nevertheless, let’s examine the common steps of a phonics program to gain an understanding.
Phonemic awareness
Fortunately, you come across high-quality phonics books online. However, they can prove effective when learners already have some fundamental knowledge about how letters and sounds work. When that is combined with exposure to a proper book, their reading progress can significantly improve. They can begin to recognize the meaning behind each sound and symbol, as well as the relationship between symbols and sounds.
Introduction to alphabet
Kindergarteners or preschoolers must learn the alphabet first, regardless of how many letters and sounds they already recognize. Once you teach them the alphabet, they can practice combining those symbols and sounds.
Distinction between vowels and consonants
When it comes to developing reading skills through phonics instruction, students need to not only identify letters and sounds but also understand the differences between vowels and consonants.
Exposure to CVC words
During their reading skill development, students are often taught CVC words. CVC can be expanded to mean consonant-vowel-consonant. An authentic CVC word contains consonants that sound exactly like themselves, while the vowel produces a brief vowel sound. Think of words like sip, cup, and bat, for example. A reliable phonics book uses pure CVC words to avoid any potential learning confusion.
Instructions around consonant digraphs
As they progress in their learning, students are introduced to the concept of consonant digraphs, such as th, ch, ck, and sh.
Time for consonant blends
After learning CVC words, digraphs, and others, you can make them practice blending consonants. They can be exposed to words like “band” and “snap,” etc.
A strategic path to long vowels
As the students continue to evolve, the books will reach a level where you can teach them “ea” and “oa” along with other vowel digraphs. Since it’s a slightly complex subject, you may need to use interactive activities to make the teaching process engaging and enjoyable.
Additional information
Students benefit when you teach them phonics rules on a daily basis. At the same time, you must monitor their growing skills. Ensure you also make them write while giving instructions. It helps reinforce their familiarity with letters. They can start to encode and decode them and their sounds faster. As the lessons progress, you can encourage them to integrate new words into their vocabulary.
All these are just a hint of what reliable phonics-based texts typically include or encourage teachers to follow. You can find many other elements in between them. Nevertheless, each step in the instructional program aims to reinforce the reading lessons to which the children are exposed. Students progress gradually in their reading. It requires considerable patience and practice. Nevertheless, you can trust the sequence followed in the phonics curriculum to be effective and rewarding.
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