Although it may seem quite modern, phonics instruction has been around since 1850! However, in recent decades there has been a stronger push for young learners to grasp these skills early on. It is likely that you were instead taught the ‘whole word’ reading method at school, but don’t worry if you are not familiar with phonics. We are here to provide teaching strategies and learning materials to help you.
Many educators now encourage learning phonics in the early foundation stage as it can help learners to get reading faster than the traditional ‘look and say’ method, where they are presented with the written words and given the pronunciation to memorize. However, the sight words should be learnt in this way because they do not follow the same phonics rules, e.g. the and said.
As with all methods of teaching, your student will benefit most if they are given different ways to learn. Therefore, phonics instruction should be complemented by other strategies that focus on the meaning of the text, syntax, or simply the enjoyment of reading stories together.