Phonics   So much more than "sound it out"  (Check the PRINTABLES-PHONICS  section for additional phonics materials.)

Phonics is often thought of as the way to figure out an unknown word.  It is an important strategy, but not the only strategy.  A "How to Help At Home" session is offered at the beginning of the school year to help parents learn all of the strategies needed to be a reading coach.  So, that being said, this section will be devoted to learning the various sounds that vowels and vowels combinations can make and how we work with those sounds in the classroom.

We generally spend 3 weeks on each sound.  The children are given lists to decode and sentences that contain the decodable words.  We also provide material at a variety of levels so that even the most proficient readers learn how to decode or sound out.  Our first grade also incorporates the following into our "phonics" curriculum:  Science, Social Studies, biographies, geography, poetry, writing,and maybe even a math concept or two if one fits in.

Click on the list to the left to see what we've done, our clue story, printables for additional help at home, and, of course, pictures.

When we try to sound out a word, the first thing we do is look at the vowel.  Then, there are 4 questions to ask. 

1.  Is the vowel all by itself?  If it is, the vowel sound is usually short.

2.  Is another letter taking control of the vowel?  Lazy e and 'r' are controllers.  (gh can be as in 'igh')

3.  Are the vowels best friends?  ai  ee  oa  ea (usually)  ay    ie    The second vowel lets the first vowel speak.

4.  Are the vowels family?  These vowels work together to create a new sound.  oo  ow  ou  oi  oy  au  aw  ue

There will soon be a chart that can be printed from Word for the questions to ask.  The goal is that the children learn to do this automatically. 

If the word cannot be sounded out, try a different strategy.

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