Phonics Defined
Phonics is a critical component of literacy instruction that refers to the relationship between spoken and written words. In the CORE book and module materials, we are informed that good phonics instruction is intended to ‘become systematically aware of the relationship between letters or letter combinations and the sounds they represent’ (Flanigan et al., 2022). The primary goals of phonic instruction are ‘accruing accurate knowledge about sound-symbol correspondences and using it for word reading and spelling’. So, phonics instruction aims to assist the reader in reading accurately by teaching students how to connect spoken sounds and the written word (the relationship between phonemes, spoken sounds, and graphemes, the written symbols that represent a phoneme). The result is that students can read and spell because they have the phonics knowledge that allows them to decipher word formation.
Unraveling the Complexity
Part of what makes phonics such a challenge is the question of vowel patterns, which – as you will quickly deduce using the resources provided in this module and the CORE book – all follow their own unique rules and have a wide range of examples (Konerding et al., 2020). There are short vowels (cat, bed), long vowels (cake, kite), vowel teams (boat, team), diphthongs (coin, loud) and r-controlled vowels (car, bird) to name just a few. Spelling each pattern correctly is already an achievement, let alone having to differentiate between them! Therefore, once again, students need to be shown the ‘rules’ behind each.
Appropriate Phonics Strategies for Diverse Learners
Emerging English Learners (ELLs)
Another good strategy for ELLs is using visuals and gestures that bolster aural comprehension of phonetic principles. Pictures, charts, and hand movements can solidify the connection between sounds and written symbols (Li, 2021). It might help to demonstrate to a student that when she makes the ‘th’ sound in ‘thank you’, she can use her whole tongue, sticking it out. There are ways that teachers can be creative to help learners understand the pronunciation of a digraph as ‘th’.
Students with Exceptionalities
Cognitive operations are appealing as mnemonic devices since tangible items and multisensory strategies appeal to learners with exceptions: Start creating a song or chant about specific vowels’ sounds or spelling patterns. The students will learn both the auditory and kinesthetic modalities. A more congenial classroom requires intrinsically cross-modal learning (motion helps foster learning).
Students with Dyslexia
For dyslexic students, a strategy such as ‘structured explicit phonics instruction including phonemic awareness’ offers a great chance of success because it helps them decompose words into letters or phonemes and manipulate them (Li, 2021). As the authors put it, such a strategy involves ‘the presentation of short, precise, and organized sequences of syllables and words whose phonemes contain the sounds to be taught’ plus tools such as colour coding.
Сonclusion
Becoming a competent phonics reader involves learning the phonics code, mapping diverse vowel patterns, and applying individualized pedagogies to both beginning and struggling learners. When elements such as these are conceptualized as they are here, educators can be empowered to create inclusive phonics programmes that help all elementary school children access their literacy futures.
References
Flanigan, K., Solic, K., & Gordon, L. (2022). The “P” Word Revisited: 8 Principles for Tackling Today’s Questions and Misconceptions about Phonics Instruction. The Reading Teacher, 76(1), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2101
Konerding, M., Bergström, K., Lachmann, T., & Klatte, M. (2020). Effects of computerized grapho-phonological training on literacy acquisition and vocabulary knowledge in children with an immigrant background learning German as L2. Journal of Cultural Cognitive Science, 4(3), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41809-020-00064-3
Li, G. (2021). Superdiversity and teacher education : supporting teachers in working with culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse students, families, and communities. Routledge.
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