Letter – Sound Relationships
One part of learning to read
One part that serves the reader in his/her meaning making reading work!
“Avoiding Instructional Missteps in Teaching Letter-Sound Relationships“
Go read it. Bookmark it. Download it. Study it!
7 Pitfalls from the past . . .
How to teach phonics . . .
How not to teach phonics . . .
“Specific, Applicable Generalizations
Simplistic, broad generalizations or “rules” do not work. For example, if we say that silent e signals a long vowel sound all the time, then we have a lot of issues. But if the generalization is made more specific, it is more applicable. For example, the silent e pattern is consistent more than 75 percent of the time in a_e, i_e, o_e, and u_e, but only consistent 16 percent of the time with e_e.”
Details matter. The quote above came from #7 in the linked article. Perhaps you skimmed over that section. I believe it is probably one of the most critical sections. And in case you missed it, #7 is
7. Missing Essential Elements of Phonics Instruction
Teach Letter – Sound Relationships.
Check the research on teaching letter-sound relationships.
Check the instruction in your classrooms.
Then check the student learning.
What work with Letter-Sound relationships have your PLN’s been doing?
Arm yourself with knowledge!
How do you know what students understand about letter-sound relationships?
By their writing.
What do they use? How do they apply their knowledge?
Have you studied these? Utility of Phonics Generalizations
Resource - Full 
We need this conversation. I see kids confused when we teach phonics in “absolutes”.
Few teachers approach phonics instruction with a complete knowledge of this.
Valinda,
So true on so many levels. I still hear the old, “When 2 vowels go walking, the first one says its name” – That is true 45% of the time.
NO. NO. NO
However in “oa” the letter o says its name 97% of the time. “ee” also consistent. So, So, much that needs to be understood deeply by teachers!
And I agree. I’m the consummate rule breaker. No absolutes! Then I am searching for the exceptions!
Oh, so with you and our dear Mary on this stuff. In the early reader of my day: Come, Spot, come. Go home, Spot. Hmmmm…come doesn’t follow the rule, home does…..and it was taught to beginning readers right away, no wonder kids can be confused. I agree with you on all of this. Kids can’t be reading and going through the litany of rules to figure out the decoding part; what brain energy/attention is left for comprehending? If I could design a reading program it would not be phonics all the time for all. But, there are some helpful things for kids to know about, so that is a point. It is not “no phonics” it should be “phonics instruction that makes sense when needed.”
Janet
Spot on!
“phonics instruction that makes sense when needed.”
And the likelihood of ALL students needing the exact same thing . . .
should be slim!
🙂
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