Literacy Development & Phonics for English Language Learners

phonicsorg on November 4, 2024

English Language Learners (ELLs) face unique challenges when developing literacy skills in a new language. The type of phonics instruction provided to ELL students plays a crucial role in their ability to read and write in English! So, how does phonics work for ELL students? 

In this article, we explore how students learn English as an additional language and what type of phonics instruction works best. Let’s consider the science behind it as well as some strategies for educators and parents to support kids’ literacy development.

Understanding Phonics for English Language Learners

Phonics instruction is essential for all early readers. It holds particular importance for ELL students. Research has consistently shown that explicit, systematic phonics instruction benefits English Language Learners because it helps them develop crucial skills like letter-sound correspondence and decoding to encourage reading proficiency.

Learning to read and write does not happen naturally. Kids need to be taught through direct instruction and lots of practice. Depending on the child’s native language, they may even have to learn an entirely new alphabet system (or orthography). Consider the amount of learning involved in adopting a Latin-script letter alphabet in addition to an alphabet of symbols (such as Chinese characters). It’s a long journey!

When this is the case, children not only need to learn a new language but must first develop new phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of a spoken language. This skill is fundamental for learning phonics and can be particularly challenging for English Language Learners, especially if certain sounds don’t exist in their native language.

ELL Phonics Challenges 

ELL students often encounter several obstacles when learning English phonics.The biggest challenges include: 

  1. Sound differences: English may contain phonemes that don’t exist in the student’s native tongue. For example, only about 8% of the world’s languages contain the /th/ sound (symbolized as θ and ð in the International Phonetic Alphabet). Similarly, many new phonemes can be challenging sounds to pronounce and practice.
  2. Alphabet familiarity: Students may need to learn a new alphabet system. A child who speaks a Latin-based language—such as Spanish—might carry over some phonemes from their native language (for example, /m/ and /d/ in Spanish and English) but may need to learn new letter-sound correspondences. For instance, in Spanish, ‘i’ is often pronounced /ee/ whereas in English, it’s the hard or soft /i/ sound.
  3. Vocabulary limitations: ELL students might lack a robust English vocabulary since they’re still learning the language. This can hinder comprehension during phonics instruction and early reading.
  4. Interference from native language: Students may apply phonics rules from their first language to English, which may contradict or confuse their literacy learning. 

To address these challenges, educators should use a multi-faceted approach. This includes providing explicit, systematic instruction of letter-sound relationships. It also suggests using visual aids to reinforce concepts and pre-teaching important vocabulary terms to support comprehension. Additionally, conducting contrastive analysis between English and native language sounds can help.

The Science of Reading and ELL Phonics Instruction

The science of reading emphasizes the importance of systematic, explicit phonics instruction for all learners, including ELLs. Research has shown that this approach is particularly beneficial for ELL students, as it provides a clear structure for learning the complex sound-symbol relationships in English.

A systematic approach to phonics instruction for ELLs should include:

  • Teaching letter-sound correspondences in a logical sequence
  • Providing ample opportunities for practice and application
  • Integrating phonics instruction with other literacy components (vocabulary, comprehension, fluency)
  • Regularly assessing progress and adjusting instruction accordingly

Additionally, ELL students can benefit from leveraging their first language skills when learning English phonics. Educators can help students make connections between their native language and English, particularly when there are similarities in sound-symbol relationships.

Encouraging English Literacy Development for ELL Students

Supporting ELL students in their literacy journey extends beyond phonics instruction. Here are some strategies to encourage overall English literacy development!

  • Incorporate culturally relevant materials: Use books, stories, and resources that reflect students’ cultural backgrounds to increase engagement and comprehension.
  • Encourage oral language development: Provide ample opportunities for speaking and listening in English through discussions, presentations, and collaborative activities.
  • Use technology: Use educational apps and software designed for ELL students to reinforce phonics and literacy skills.
  • Implement peer tutoring: Pair ELL students with native English speakers for mutual learning and language practice.
  • Involve families: Provide resources and guidance for parents to support their child’s literacy development at home.

Addressing Specific Phonics Challenges for Young ELLs

To effectively address common challenges in ELL phonics instruction, use these strategies that focus on both phonics and vocabulary development.

Tackle Problematic Sounds

Provide extra practice with English sounds that don’t exist in students’ native languages, using contrastive analysis and focused listening exercises.

Encourage Letter Recognition

For students unfamiliar with the Roman alphabet, dedicate additional time to letter recognition activities, incorporating multisensory approaches to reinforce learning.

Strengthen Sound-Symbol Relationships

Explicitly teach connections between letters and sounds, especially for irregular words, using visual aids and mnemonic devices to support retention.

Play With Word Families

Group words with similar phonetic patterns to help students recognize and apply phonics rules, facilitating pattern recognition and generalization. Don’t rely on word families, though.

Integrate Phonics in Context

Teach phonics skills within meaningful reading and writing activities, allowing students to apply their learning in authentic contexts.

Support Vocabulary Growth

Pre-teach important vocabulary before phonics lessons, use visual aids and realia when helpful, provide multiple exposures to new words, and encourage active use of vocabulary in speaking and writing activities.

Ongoing Assessments to Observe ELL Progress in Phonics

Regular assessment is necessary for tracking ELL students’ progress in phonics and overall literacy development. You can:

  • Use formative assessments to monitor ongoing progress and adjust instruction.
  • Implement running records to assess decoding skills and fluency.
  • Conduct regular phonemic awareness practices to ensure students are developing crucial sound discrimination skills.
  • Assess both isolated phonics skills and their application in connected text.

ELL Phonics Resources for Parents and Teachers

To support ELL students in their phonics journey, educators and parents can access various resources that exist. These include:

  • TEFL Organization: Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) helps people learn how to properly teach English to individuals who speak different languages.
  • TESOL International: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) provides professional development and resources for educators working with ELL students.
  • NCELA: The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) offers a library of resources and research on ELL education.
  • Phonics.org: A hub for phonics education reviews and resources that share expert insights on effective phonics programs and strategies.

By using evidence-based strategies and applying the resources available, educators and parents can support ELL students in developing strong phonics skills and overall literacy proficiency.
Want to stay informed on the latest developments in phonics instruction and ELL education? Follow along at Phonics.org! Our literacy specialists and educational articles help you navigate the world of phonics so that you can support your ELL students on their path to literacy success.

Phonics.org: The Ultimate List of Phonics App Reviews 

phonicsorg on October 14, 2024

The Phonics.org team is dedicated to helping parents and teachers navigate the many different phonics apps and programs for kids. Our literacy experts review and rate the popular programs available so that you can access honest, informed feedback from an educator’s perspective. Special thanks to children’s reading clinician, Jaymi Theissen, for all of the insightful reviews of phonics programs!

We understand the importance of choosing the right resources for your child’s literacy journey, which is why we created Phonics.org. Since the beginning of 2024, we’ve shared nearly 35 programs and apps—as well as their honest ratings—to give a well-rounded perspective on the best, the worst, and the decent learning apps you can play with your kids.

This comprehensive list compiles all our phonics program reviews and ratings, making it easier for you to find the best apps for your young learners. We’ll update this list monthly! In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to the Phonics.org Reviews Page for the latest updates we share!

The Phonics.org Rating Criteria 

Before we look at what all these phonics apps have to offer, here are the simple rating criteria that we use for each program review.

1. Quality of Literacy Instruction

The quality of literacy instruction is one of the most important ratings we look for. There are countless educational apps on the market today—but the question is, are they effective at teaching the right content? 

When assessing the type of literacy instruction for phonics apps/programs, we consider features and factors such as: 

  • Which aspect of literacy instruction does the app focus on? 
  • What kind of phonics instruction method is used?
  • Is there research to support the instructional methods used?
  • Are there independent efficacy studies to support the app’s effectiveness?
  • Is the literacy instruction accurate?
    • Accurate phonemes
    • Accurate letter formation
    • Accurate phonics concepts
  • Is there a logical scope and sequence? Do the activities follow the scope and sequence?
  • Do concepts move from easy to more difficult?
  • Is there an appropriate amount of repetition of important concepts?
  • Are there essential pieces of phonics instruction missing?

2. Usability

Usability relates to the user-friendliness, functionality, and navigation of the app or program. When vetting usability ratings, we consider factors including: 

  • Is the app easy to download and start playing?
  • Does the app have adaptive learning options?
  • Are the activities developmentally appropriate?
  • Is it easy to navigate the app?
  • Is the app accessible to diverse learners?
  • Are there any glitches/ads that interfere with learning?
  • Are there elements of tracking progress for parents/teachers?
  • If necessary, how easy is it to access answers from customer support?
  • Is it easy to sign up and/or cancel?

3. Engagement

Engagement rates how entertained and engaged players remain within the app or program. This answers questions like: 

  • Is the app fun for kids to play?
  • Is the app interactive?
  • Is it visually appealing?
  • Are the activities too difficult? Too easy?
  • Do kids want to keep playing the app over time?
  • What feedback mechanisms are used to motivate learners?

List of Phonics Apps for Kids (and Their Ratings)

Below are the apps and programs we’ve reviewed so far. Click on the app of your choice to jump to its summary with the option to explore the full article.

ABC Kids – Tracing and Phonics App

ABC Ride

ABCmouse

Blending Board

Chimp Fu

Duck Duck Moose

Duolingo

Endless Alphabet

Endless Reader

Flocabulary

Foundations A-Z

Hairy Letters

Homer

Hooked on Phonics

Jolly Phonics

Khan Academy

Lalilo

Letter School

Phonics Hero

Phonics Ninja

Pocket Phonics

Poio

Project Read.AI

Read Naturally Live

Readiculous

Reading Eggs

Reading Magic App

Reading Raven

Reading.com

Sesame Street – Alphabet Kitchen

Spelling Magic App

SplashLearn

Starfall ABC

Super Simple Songs

Teach Your Monster to Read

Wonster Words

ABC Kids – Tracing and Phonics App

The ABC Kids Tracing and Phonics app is a cute and fun educational app for pre-readers and early readers. It lacks literacy foundations and contains incorrect letter sounds.

Overall Score: 3

ABC Ride

ABC Ride is an engaging app that combines letter recognition with interactive gameplay. It offers a fun way for children to learn letter names and sounds.

Overall Score: 3.7

ABCmouse

ABCmouse offers a wide range of activities but falls short in providing quality phonics instruction. It emphasizes quantity over quality for new readers.

Overall Score: 2.2

Blending Board

The Blending Board app provides a simple tool for practicing phoneme blending. It offers a straightforward approach to an essential phonics skill.

Overall Score: 3

Chimp Fu

Chimp Fu is a highly engaging app that focuses on syllable instruction. It combines effective literacy instruction with fun gameplay.

Overall Score: 4.3

Duck Duck Moose

The Duck Duck Moose reading app offers basic phonics activities but lacks depth in literacy instruction. It may be suitable for very young learners.

Overall Score: 2

Duolingo

Duolingo’s Learn to Read ABC provides an engaging and user-friendly approach to phonics instruction. It offers a solid foundation for early readers.

Overall Score: 4.3

Endless Alphabet

Endless Alphabet is a visually appealing app that introduces vocabulary but lacks structured phonics instruction. It’s more suitable for entertainment than literacy learning.

Overall Score: 3.3

Endless Reader

Endless Reader builds on Endless Alphabet, offering sight word practice and simple sentences. It’s engaging but lacks comprehensive phonics instruction.

Overall Score: 3.2

Flocabulary

Flocabulary combines music and literacy instruction effectively. It offers a unique and engaging approach to learning phonics and vocabulary.

Overall Score: 4.7

Foundations A-Z

Foundations A-Z provides a structured approach to literacy instruction but may lack engagement for some learners. It offers comprehensive content with room for improvement in usability.

Overall Score: 2.7

Hairy Letters

Hairy Letters offers a fun and effective way to learn letter sounds and formation. It combines quality instruction with engaging visuals.

Overall Score: 4.2

Homer

Homer Learn and Grow provides a well-rounded approach to early literacy. It offers personalized learning paths and engaging content.

Overall Score: 4

Hooked on Phonics

Hooked on Phonics offers a structured approach to phonics instruction. It provides a solid foundation but may lack engagement for some learners.

Overall Score: 3.5

Jolly Phonics

Jolly Phonics is a comprehensive phonics program that combines multisensory learning with systematic instruction. It offers a well-rounded approach to literacy.

Overall Score: 4.2

Khan Academy

Khan Academy Kids offers a wide range of educational content, including reading instruction. It provides engaging activities but may lack depth in phonics instruction.

Overall Score: 3.5

Lalilo

Lalilo provides adaptive phonics instruction but may lack engagement and user-friendliness. It offers personalized learning paths for students.

Overall Score: 2.7

Letter School

LetterSchool focuses on letter formation and recognition. It offers engaging activities but lacks comprehensive phonics instruction.

Overall Score: 3.3

Phonics Hero

Phonics Hero provides a structured approach to phonics instruction with engaging games. It offers a solid foundation for early readers.

Overall Score: 3.7

Phonics Ninja

Phonics Ninja falls short in all aspects of phonics instruction and engagement. It is not recommended for literacy learning.

Overall Score: 1

Pocket Phonics

ABC Pocket Phonics offers basic phonics instruction with letter tracing and sound recognition. It provides a simple approach to early literacy skills.

Overall Score: 3.2

Poio

Poio offers an innovative approach to reading instruction through gameplay. It provides an engaging experience but may lack structured phonics instruction.

Overall Score: 3

Project Read.AI

Project Read.AI utilizes artificial intelligence for personalized reading instruction. It offers adaptive learning but may need improvements in engagement and usability.

Overall Score: 3

Read Naturally Live

Read Naturally Live focuses on fluency development but may lack engagement for some learners. It offers structured practice for reading fluency.

Overall Score: 2.8

Readiculous

Mrs. Wordsmith’s Readiculous offers a fun and effective approach to vocabulary and reading comprehension. It combines quality instruction with engaging content.

Overall Score: 4

Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs provides a comprehensive approach to early literacy instruction. It offers a balance of phonics, sight words, and reading practice.

Overall Score: 3

Reading Raven

Reading Raven offers a comprehensive approach to early literacy skills. It provides engaging activities for letter recognition, phonics, and early reading.

Overall Score: 3.3

Reading.com

Reading.com stands out as a top-tier literacy app, offering high-quality instruction, excellent usability, and engaging content for young readers.

Overall Score: 4.8

Sesame Street – Alphabet Kitchen

Sesame Street Alphabet Kitchen combines familiar characters with letter recognition and phonics activities. It offers an engaging introduction to early literacy skills.

Overall Score: 3.8

SplashLearn

SplashLearn offers a range of reading activities but may lack depth in phonics instruction. It provides an interactive learning experience for early readers.

Overall Score: 2.8

Starfall ABC

Starfall ABC offers basic letter recognition and phonics activities. It provides a simple introduction to early literacy skills but may lack engagement for some learners.

Overall Score: 3

Super Simple Songs

Super Simple Songs uses music to teach early literacy concepts. It offers an engaging and fun approach to learning letters and sounds.

Overall Score: 3.8

Teach Your Monster to Read

Teach Your Monster to Read offers a gamified approach to phonics instruction. It provides a structured learning path with engaging characters and activities.

Overall Score: 3.2

Wonster Words

Wonster Words focuses on vocabulary development with some phonics elements. It offers engaging animations but may lack comprehensive literacy instruction.

Overall Score: 3

Phonics.org Reviews & Ratings: Special Compilations and Recommendations 

On occasion, we also share “Top 3” or “Top 5” lists of various phonics programs based on topic, merit, or category. You can read these specific recommendations (or warnings to stay away from!) below:

These lists provide a quick overview of the best and worst apps we’ve reviewed, helping you make informed decisions about your child’s literacy education.

Subscribe to Phonics.org for More!

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When Do Children Start Writing Sentences?

phonicsorg on October 4, 2024

Learning how to write is a gradual process for children. If you’re a parent of a young student who’s learning phonics, you might wonder if their writing progress is on track. One big question parents have about their kindergarteners or early elementary schoolers is, “When do children learn to write?”

Writing fluently and accurately is the result of various foundational literacy skills that are developed over time. To help students build upon these skills to the level of writing full sentences, it’s important to understand how they get there. 

Let’s explore when children typically begin writing sentences fluently—and the developmental milestones it takes for them to get there. 

From Early Literacy to Writing Fluently

Before children can write sentences, they need to master several prerequisite skills. These core literacy abilities often develop during the preschool years and lay the foundation for what ultimately becomes advanced writing. They include:

  1. Letter recognition—Being able to identify and name the letters of the alphabet
  2. Phonemic awareness—Manipulating speech sounds in spoken words
  3. Fine motor skills—Physical abilities that enable the hand to hold and manipulate writing tools
  4. Basic vocabulary—Building an ongoing repertoire of words that are used in speaking and writing
  5. Transcription skills—Handwriting and spelling
  6. Composition—Forming ideas, thoughts, and words before structuring them into writing

In literacy development, none of these skills develop in isolation. Rather, they often overlap and reinforce each other throughout the learning process. For example, as young children learn to recognize alphabetical letters, they also learn to associate individual letters with corresponding speech sounds. They may also begin tracing these letters to learn how to write the ones they’re learning.

Stages of Children’s Writing Development 

Children typically start writing their first letters and words around age 4 or 5. However, every child’s transcription and spelling skills develop at their own pace. It’s inevitable for there to be variation in the timeframe in which these skills emerge.

Preschool Writing Skills

You’ll notice many preschoolers (ages 3-5) participate in “pretend writing” where they mimic the act of writing even if they’re not forming actual letters on the page. They’ll scribble on paper during imaginative play, pretending to write something. 

This phase is productive and meaningful! It shows that the child understands the purpose of writing and making connections to everyday life. It’s also helping them develop the fine motor skills necessary for actual writing.

When children are around 4 or 5, many will start writing some recognizable letters—usually, the first letter of their first name. This is an exciting time, too, as they start to see themselves as capable writers.

Kindergarten Writing Skills

In kindergarten (ages 5-6), many kids make significant progress in their writing abilities. At this stage, they typically start writing things like:

  • Their first name
  • Simple words such as ‘sun,’ ‘dog,’ ‘ball,’ etc.
  • Short phrases like, “I like cats”

During this time, it is important to directly teach writing skills like printing and spelling. Kids benefit from lots of encouragement as they begin to learn these important skills. At this stage, children may use invented spelling- using their limited phonics knowledge to spell new or unknown words. Encourage your child to write freely, even if the results are not always correct. 

At What Age Can Kids Write Sentences?

As a general guideline, many children begin writing simple sentences during their first year of formal schooling, typically in kindergarten. This milestone usually occurs around age 5 or 6, though some children may start earlier or later. 

First Sentences

A child’s first sentences are short and basic, usually reflecting the child’s immediate world and interests in some way.

Examples might include:

  • “I like cats.”
  • “The sun is big.”
  • “My mom is fun.”

These sentence-writing experiences are crucial for children to build confidence. They represent a big cognitive leap as kids begin to put words together to express complete thoughts.

Elementary School Writing Progression 

As children become more comfortable with writing simple sentences, they gradually progress to more complex structures. This often follows a pattern:

  1. Simple sentences (age 5-6): Short, straightforward statements that may lack context.
  2. Compound sentences (age 6-7): Joining two simple sentences with conjunctions like “and” or “but.”
  3. Complex sentences (age 7-8): Including dependent clauses with words like “because” or “when.”

This progression through elementary school isn’t fixed. No child becomes a brilliant poet once they learn to write complex sentences. In fact, children may move back and forth between these levels as they experiment with language and literacy. It’s all part of the process.

Factors That Impact Sentence-Writing Development

Why do some kids pick up writing easily whereas others struggle and need additional support? All kinds of things can influence a child’s writing advancement. Here are some notable factors.

Level of Exposure to Reading and Writing

Kids who grow up surrounded by healthy examples of fluent reading and skillful writing often develop these skills earlier. Reading aloud to your child exposes them to a nourishing variety of sentence structures and vocabulary, which they can then incorporate into their own thinking and writing.

Individual Development of the Child

Every child’s unique cognitive and motor skill development plays a role in their writing outcomes. Some children may have advanced language skills but struggle with the physical act of transcription, while others might be the opposite.

Educational Environment

The instructional methods a child receives at school and in other learning environments can influence when they begin writing sentences. Structured educational approaches that prioritize direct instruction in printing, spelling, and practice in sentence writing will be more beneficial to young learners.  

Home Environment

The level of literacy engagement in a child’s home environment significantly impacts their reading and writing development. Homes are where writing should be modeled and encouraged in meaningful (and accurate) ways. 

Ways to Encourage Your Child’s Writing Progress 

There are many ways to encourage your kids as they learn to write sentences. Creating a supportive environment that values writing is one of the most important things! It can make a big difference in not only your child’s progress but also their attitude towards writing. Here are a few tips to follow.

Practice Foundational Writing Skills Often

Make writing materials readily available and create opportunities for writing to encourage your child to practice their skills. Provide various writing materials and offer a range of tools like pencils, crayons, markers, and different types of paper. 

Make sure your child can hold a writing utensil properly using the tripod grip, even when coloring and learning to “scribble” pretend words. Practice correct letter formations when using writing utensils and when using manipulatives (like writing in sand or using a finger to write on a touchscreen tablet). 

Don’t Forget About Reading Together

Additionally, reading with your child exposes children to proper sentence structure and vocabulary, aiding their writing development. Make reading a daily habit! 

Choose a variety of books to introduce your child to different writing styles and formats. Discuss the stories together to aid in reading comprehension and fluency. You can also point out interesting sentences, drawing attention to how lines are constructed and what they mean. 

Start Spelling With Phonetically Simple Words

Encourage writing phonetically simple words. Usually, children start by spelling CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words such as ‘dog’. Using CVC words that are meaningful to your child is also important. Words like ‘mom’, ‘dad’, or ‘sis’ are easier to spell and can hold deep meaning for children. Ensure children are confident with identifying the letter sounds in the words before spelling practice.  

Fun Writing and Phonics Resources for Elementary Kids

To raise competent and curious writers, the goal is not just to teach kids writing skills. The goal is also about fostering a love of stories and self-expression through the written word.

Wherever your child might be on their literacy journey, Phonics.org has fun resources to help you support them. From articles on reading and writing instruction to honest reviews of the latest phonics apps, our literacy team is here to help parents and teachers find all the resources they need. Check out the Phonics.org platform for more and subscribe to get all the latest updates!

Basic Transcription Skills in Spelling and Writing

phonicsorg on September 20, 2024

Transcription skills are a big part of a child’s journey into literacy, playing a crucial role in both reading and writing development. As parents and educators, understanding these skills can significantly impact how we support young learners. Let’s explore what transcription skills are, how they develop, and why they’re essential for literacy.

What Are Transcription Skills?

Transcription skills describe the ability to convert spoken language into written form. In early literacy, these skills mainly involve spelling and handwriting. They are the basic tools that allow children to put their thoughts onto paper, forming the bridge between ideas and written expression.

1. Handwriting

Handwriting is important in transcription as it connects a child’s knowledge of letters and language to their writing abilities. The ability to print letters quickly and accurately frees up mental energy to focus on spelling. 

Proficiency in handwriting involves:

  • Correct pencil grasp
  • Proper letter formation using writing strokes
  • Developing legibility
  • Building writing fluency and speed

Note: For older students, keyboard typing is another (more advanced) form of transcription.

2. Spelling

Once handwriting skills become automatic, more cognitive energy can be spent on developing spelling skills. Spelling involves encoding spoken language into written form. 

Spelling requires:

  • Knowledge of how the English language and writing system works 
  • Understanding of the alphabetic principle—that letters and letter patterns represent language sounds
  • Phonemic awareness (the ability to segment words into individual sounds)
  • Phonics knowledge (how sounds are represented by letters)
  • Morphological awareness (understanding the smallest units of meaning in language)

The Importance of Transcription Skills in Literacy Development

Joan Sedita’s (2019) Writing Rope visually represents how five core writing skills or “strands” combine to produce skilled writing. These strands are:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Syntax
  • Text Structure
  • Writing Craft
  • Transcription 

The transcription strand is composed of handwriting and spelling. For young children who are just beginning to write, transcription often takes up a lot of their working memory. This leaves little room for generating ideas or organizing thoughts. As transcription skills become easier and more automatic, children can dedicate more mental energy to the content and structure of their writing, leading to more complex and accurate outcomes.

How Children Develop Transcription Skills

Transcription skills develop gradually through direct instruction and practice as children progress through their early years of phonics education. Initially, children focus on mastering the mechanics of writing, such as holding a pencil correctly and forming letters on paper. As they become more proficient, their attention shifts to spelling and the more complex aspects of writing.

Supporting the Development of Transcription Skills in Kids

To help children develop strong transcription skills, focus on the main aspects involved in learning.

1. Explicit Instruction

Provide direct, systematic instruction in phonics and spelling patterns. This approach helps children understand the logic behind English spelling.

2. Regular Practice

Consistent practice is key to developing fluency in transcription skills. Incorporate daily writing activities that focus on both handwriting and spelling.

3. Apply to Phonics Instruction 

Teach spelling and handwriting alongside phonics lessons. Encoding (spelling) reinforces decoding (reading) skills and vice versa. 

4. Multisensory Activities 

For beginners, introduce activities that use multiple senses in spelling instruction. For example, have children trace letters while saying their sounds, form letters in sand, or use manipulatives to build words.

5. Word Study

Use word sorting activities to help children recognize spelling patterns and word structures. This encourages better transcription skills and spelling proficiency. 

6. Leverage Technology 

While handwriting is important, you might want to consider introducing keyboarding skills as children progress. This prepares them for digital writing tasks and can support those who struggle with handwriting. More importantly, many standardized tests in school today require basic keyboard skills, even in early elementary classrooms. 

7. Expect Differentiation

Recognize that students may have varying abilities in spelling and handwriting, even within the same grade level. Some kids might pick up transcription early whereas others may require repetition and support, especially if they’re struggling with fine motor skills or phonics concepts. 

The Role of Handwriting and Composition in Transcription Skills

It’s important to note the significant role handwriting plays in transcription skills. Fluent handwriting allows children to focus more on the content of their writing rather than the mechanics. Moreover, the act of forming letters by hand has been linked to improved letter recognition and reading development.

As children develop their transcription skills, it’s crucial to balance this with composition instruction. Research suggests that a combined approach, teaching both transcription and high-level composing skills, is most effective in improving overall writing ability.

The Impact of Transcription Skills on Writing Development

Because transcription skills are not automatic, they must be mastered first before a child can eloquently write. Fluent transcription skills free up a child’s mental resources, allowing them to concentrate on expressing their ideas effectively. 

The long-term implications of handwriting and spelling instruction are huge. If students don’t develop fluency in transcription skills by grade 3, it can significantly limit their writing development in later grades. This underscores the importance of early intervention and consistent practice to ensure that transcription skills become second nature, setting the foundation for more advanced writing tasks as children progress through their academic careers.

Grade-Level Expectations

It’s important to understand grade-level expectations for transcription skills. While every child develops at their own pace, these standard writing milestones can help parents and teachers identify if a child is struggling and needs extra support. 

  • Early Grades (K-2): Emphasize basic handwriting development and phonetic spelling to build foundational skills.
  • Middle Grades (3-5): Focus on refining handwriting, enhancing spelling accuracy, and introducing keyboarding to prepare for digital writing.
  • Upper Grades (6+): Continue supporting handwriting and spelling while placing greater emphasis on keyboarding skills to facilitate efficient writing in various contexts.

These expectations help ensure that children develop the necessary transcription skills at each stage of their literacy journey.

Helping Kids Learn Handwriting and Spelling During Phonics Instruction 

Transcription skills form the basis of writing development. By focusing on these skills early, we can help children become more confident and proficient writers. As educators and parents, it’s crucial to provide explicit instruction and ample practice opportunities in both spelling and handwriting.

To learn more about supporting your child’s writing journey and for additional tips on developing transcription skills, visit Phonics.org! Our resources can help you nurture the essential building blocks for literacy in young learners.

Top 5 Reading Apps for Kids

Jaymi Thiessen on September 13, 2024

With so many educational apps available, it can be tricky to figure out which ones are high quality and which apps are merely entertaining. In this article, we explore the top 5 educational apps for literacy that have been highly rated by reading specialists.

All of the apps mentioned have been reviewed and rated based on the following general criteria:

  • Usability: Ease of use, adaptive learning options, accessibility for diverse learners, and customer support.
  • Engagement: Interactive, quality of visual graphics, level of entertainment, and player motivation.
  • Quality of Literacy Instruction: Research-based teaching methods, type of instruction, plan for phonics instruction, and efficacy.

Are you curious how other literacy apps measure up against this top 5 list? Check out the detailed reviews on other apps at phonics.org! 

1. Reading.com 

Reading.com is an educational app designed to teach early literacy skills through a research-based approach. It uses the efficient synthetic phonics method to teach children to blend individual letter sounds to read words. 

The Reading.com app also excels in providing a structured, sequential learning path for kids with the 99 lessons moving from easiest to most difficult. The app emphasizes interactive and engaging methods, including games, songs, and visual aids to maintain motivation. It features unique tools such as a sliding bar for blending sounds and delayed picture reveals in books to encourage word reading over guessing. 

Reading.com scores highly on all review criteria including usability, engagement, and quality of literacy instruction. It’s also highly rated by parents of early readers. Overall, it’s an effective and fun learning tool to use with your child as they learn how to read!

2. Jolly Phonics App

The Jolly Phonics app focuses on teaching letter names, letter sounds, letter formation, phonemic awareness, decoding, and encoding. It features well-organized lessons and games that emphasize phonics skills through a sequential, structured approach.

The app offers customizable settings, although some features may not always function consistently. Jolly Phonics provides engaging content through positive reinforcement, stories, actions, and songs. 

Watch out, though. While Jolly Phonics is initially engaging, the games can become a little repetitive. The app also doesn’t include practice with reading phrases or sentences for fluency and comprehension.

3. HOMER Learn & Grow App

HOMER is an educational app designed for children ages 2 to 8, offering a wide range of activities aimed at developing reading, math, social-emotional skills, creativity, and critical thinking. 

The app provides a personalized learning path, starting with an introductory quiz to tailor the content to each child’s developmental level. It features systematic instruction, progressing from simpler to more complex skills, although it could improve in transparency with parents and educators about the plan for phonics instruction.

The HOMER app excels in phonemic awareness instruction, introducing letter sounds accurately and providing practice with short vowels and sound articulation exercises. However, the letter formation instruction could be improved. While in-app texts are available to practice reading fluency some of the texts could be more easily read by early readers. 

Overall, HOMER Learn & Grow is a valuable tool for early literacy development. However, it could benefit from improvements in letter formation accuracy and early reading material.

4. Readiculous App

Readiculous is a literacy app that focuses on foundational literacy skills through a research-based approach.The app is user-friendly, featuring intuitive navigation and gameplay, though it has limitations such as a lack of repeatable instructions and customizable sound effects, which could be problematic for some users. 

The Readiculous app excels in visual appeal with delightful animations and engaging rewards. It effectively uses direct instruction for teaching letter names and sounds, uses a systematic approach to phonics, and incorporates phonemic awareness through blending activities. 

Overall, Readiculous provides a strong foundation in literacy skills but may benefit from enhancements in active engagement and instructional clarity.

5. Duolingo ABC App

Duolingo ABC is a cost-free and ad-free app designed for children aged 3-8. It’s aimed to build language and literacy skills in American English. 

It offers ten themed levels with clear lesson goals and a digital library of books that can be accessed anytime. The app is exceptionally user-friendly and engages young learners through charming graphics, interactive stories, and motivating rewards. 

The app employs systematic and sequential instruction, focusing on letter sounds, letter formation, and word reading. It uses various methods for spelling and enhances language comprehension with interactive features. 

However, this app could improve—especially in areas such as voice recognition accuracy, continuous blending practice, and the alignment of word-building activities with a child’s current skills. Additionally, incorporating more decodable books for early readers could enhance the app’s effectiveness. Overall, Learn to Read: Duolingo ABC offers a solid foundation for literacy development with room for refinement.

Final Thoughts: The Top 5 Reading Apps Rated by Phonics.org

Every child’s literacy education will set them up for life. Early reading education has an ongoing impact on their future social, emotional, and physical health! This is why choosing a quality literacy app for supplemental practice at home is so important.

Choosing an effective literacy app can be challenging, though. There’s an overwhelming variety of reading apps on the market today. Look for apps that are easy to play and developmentally appropriate for your child. You also want to look for apps with a high level of quality instruction that is backed by research.

Reading.com, Jolly Phonics, HOMER, Readiculous, and Duolingo ABC are all great apps to start with. Each app is engaging, easy to use, and implements high-quality literacy strategies with various degrees of success. 

If you’re looking for an app for your child, begin your search with these apps and start your child off on the right foot. See how other literacy apps compare with the other reviews at phonics.org. 

How Does Oral Language Support Children’s Writing? 

phonicsorg on August 30, 2024

How Does Oral Language Support Children’s Writing? 

KW: how does oral language support children’s writing

Oral language is an amazing human ability that young children develop naturally over time through listening and mimicking the people around them. Children typically learn to speak their native language with hardly any formal instruction. However, when it comes to literacy, formal instruction is crucial to children’s development—even for writing skills! 

One thing that is sometimes overlooked in early literacy development is how oral language skills connect to reading and writing abilities. The ability to speak, manipulate verbal sounds, and understand spoken language plays a significant role in a child’s writing progress. So, how does oral language support children’s writing? More importantly, what do parents and teachers need to know about the link between these two skills in order to support their students’ academic success? 

Speech as the Foundations of Language and Literacy

Oral language encompasses the ability to speak and comprehend spoken words. It involves skills like phonemic awareness, vocabulary, grammar, expression/inflection, sentence structure, and the relevant application of language in social settings. 

Children often begin to develop oral language from infancy, far sooner than when they begin to receive formal education. They go through several noticeable milestones.

  1. Babies start making simple sounds (or “cooing”) around 2 months old. Then, they often start babbling various consonant-vowel sounds (“babababa” or “mimimi”) around 4-6 months old.
  2. A baby may start saying their first words at 10-14 months old (such as “mama,” “dada,” “ball,” or “hot”).
  3. Toddlers around 2 years old begin putting together simple phrases or sentences (for example, “I want that,” “Doggy sit,” or “Mommy bye-bye”).
  4. As kids develop, their verbal language skills gradually become more sophisticated. Before the age of five, many English-speaking children can say most speech sounds except for more complex ones like /r/, /ch/, and /th/. 

All of these subtle yet powerful language milestones help lay the foundation for a child’s literacy development. Strong oral language abilities can contribute to strong reading and writing skills. 

How Speaking Translates to Early Writing Skills

Transitioning from speaking to early writing and reading is a major milestone in a child’s life. Language is the bridge that connects spoken words to words in print, whether in books or written on paper. This connection is crucial for developing writing skills. 

Vocabulary and Expression 

A rich vocabulary is important if children are to become effective writers. Kids who are exposed to a wide variety of words in everyday conversations are often better prepared to use words in writing. Storytelling and verbal dialogue can enhance children’s ability to express ideas coherently and creatively. 

Encourage your child’s vocabulary development by talking about a wide variety of topics. Use new words with them in context and answer their questions about unfamiliar words. You can also follow the common phrase, “Talk, Read, Sing!” that is a recommended motto for early language and vocabulary development. Make sure you engage in each of these things every day with your child for meaningful (and fun) vocab support.

Sentence Structure and Grammar

The grammar and syntax children use when speaking form the basis for how they write words and sentences. When kids hear and speak correct grammar verbally, they’re more likely to carry over these rules and practices when writing. 

Support children’s grammar for speaking and writing by modeling proper word pronunciations and grammatically correct sentences in conversations. Gently correct your child’s grammatical errors when they reach the age of more sophisticated speech. Additionally, you can play word games that focus on sentence construction.

Printing and Spelling

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and use the different sounds in spoken language. It plays a foundational role in learning to read and write. Phonological awareness is how people identify rhymes, syllabicate, differentiate specific phonemes, and emphasize spoken words when speaking. 

Segmentation is an important phonological skill related to spelling. It involves breaking a word into its individual sounds. Then children can connect the sounds to their associated letters to learn to spell. 

Help your child strengthen their phonological awareness skills and spelling skills so they can accurately manipulate and connect language sounds with writing. 

Learning and Organizing Information

Writing coherently is a way to organize ideas and stories. Children must have some level of knowledge of how ideas are communicated in speech before implementing them into writing. Help your students learn to sequence events, thoughts, expressions, and connections logically so they can develop strong organization in their writing.

Encourage children to retell stories from beginning to end, using their own words. Talk about the sequence of events in daily activities and see if your child can make meaningful connections between pieces of information.  

How Can Parents and Teachers Support Verbal and Written Language Development? 

There are many ways to equip children to become strong, literate learners. It starts with strong verbal language practice and becomes more robust with explicit phonics instruction. 

To cover the basics, here are some tips:

  • Have meaningful conversations with your child. Make a point to ask open-ended questions, encourage your child to express his or her thoughts, and get inquisitive about what your child means if something is unclear. 
  • Read aloud with your child. When kids are exposed to a literacy-rich environment, they develop positive attitudes toward reading and writing. Make reading time fun, enjoyable, and emotionally positive, letting your child be an active participant in read-alouds.
  • Model good listening skills. Show your child what it looks like to pay attention when others are speaking and how to practice active listening. 
  • Play phonics games together. Make phonics practice fun with some easy and simple at-home games. Phonics instruction supports transcription skills like spelling, which makes writing possible.
  • Practice oral rehearsal. Once your child begins practicing writing, encourage them to read their own writing. This helps kids catch any errors they made and reinforces the connection between reading and writing.

If your child is significantly struggling with oral language or with writing, one of the best ways you can support them is by seeking guidance from a professional. Speech, reading, or writing difficulties can sometimes be a sign of learning disorders that need to be addressed.

Phonics.org: Helping Kids Learn to Read and Write 

The special link between oral language and literacy shouldn’t be underestimated. When children are equipped with effective spoken language skills, they receive a solid foundation for becoming proficient readers, writers, and students for life. 

Helping kids develop their language and literacy skills requires time, patience, engagement, and proven instructional strategies. Whether your child is in school or learning the very first phonics concepts at home, it’s important to be intentional about their literacy development every day. 

Interested in learning how to give your child the best phonics education possible? Follow Phonics.org where we share expert-written program reviews, educational resources, and fun activities for academic success!

Phonics for EAL: Instruction Methods

phonicsorg on August 9, 2024

As one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, English continues to be an additional language learned by many. In 2021, more than 10% of public school children in the U.S. were English Language Learners (ELLs) and it’s predicted that by 2025, 1 in 4 students will speak English as an additional language. If you’re a parent or teacher helping students develop English literacy, how can you ensure your phonics instruction is clear and effective? 

Phonics for EAL (English as an Additional Language) aims to help students recognize, speak, read, write, and enjoy English in all forms, developing a better sense of how it can convey information and form ideas. Here are some of the instructional methods to be aware of when helping EAL learners!

Common Challenges in Phonics for EAL Learning 

First and foremost, phonics instruction helps children understand the English alphabetic principle—that the letters represent sounds and that these letters are combined to form words in print. But when someone has a different native language, switching to English involves a whole new set of complex rules, speech sounds, and pronunciations. Some of the most common challenges to help EAL kids involve practice in articulating new sounds, direct instructional methods, and time.

Interference With First-Language Phonology

A child’s original phonology can influence their ability to learn phonics in the English language. For instance, tonal awareness is a major component of Chinese Mandarin, meaning that specific pitch patterns can distinguish a word’s meaning, even if it uses the same phoneme (speech sound). The phoneme “ma,” for example, can mean “mother” or “horse” in Mandarin, depending on which tone is used. Additionally, there is no /th/ sound in Mandarin, which can make it difficult for native Mandarin speakers to learn English words such as ‘the,’ ‘think,’ or ‘that.’

Every language is different. The relationship between letters and sounds in English is not always predictable—which is why phonics must be explicitly taught. Some kids may be more accustomed to straightforward phonetic systems in their native languages, making English harder or easier to learn, depending on how similar their native phonetic system is. For example, children who are fluent in Spanish or French may have an easier time learning to speak and read English since these languages share similar graphemes (letters) and phonemes (sounds). 

Vocabulary Limitations

English language learners are learning an unfamiliar vocabulary, complicating their phonics instruction even more. Pre-teaching vocabulary and integrating phonics instruction with vocabulary development are essential. 

Inadequate Instruction

Many classroom phonics materials are designed for younger native English speakers and may not be suitable for EAL students. These materials can be perceived as childish and may not engage older learners who require more age-appropriate content. It’s important to have a deep understanding of systematic instruction that’s culturally inclusive, developmentally appropriate, and educationally supportive. You can reach out to a literacy expert or EAL teacher for help in this area if needed.

Limited Time and Resources

Schools often lack the resources and time that are required for age-appropriate phonics instruction particularly developed for EAL students. This can result in insufficient support for students who need more practice and individualized attention.

The Science of Reading for English Language Learners 

Over the years, the evidence for effective reading instruction has become clearer. Traditional teaching methods like whole language and balanced literacy have given way to more efficient methods—specifically, synthetic phonics. Although all of these methods have some merit, balanced literacy instruction—especially the 3-cueing system—has left many children struggling with fundamental reading skills. As a result, more schools have embraced the science of reading, which is a research-backed approach that has shown promising results. 

The science of reading focuses on developing basic skills from the ground up, as shown in the reading pyramid:

  • Phonological awareness
  • Phonics
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary
  • Comprehension

Systematic phonics instruction adopts a structured approach that gradually increases in difficulty, allowing children to build on what they already know. It also allows teachers to consider the child’s cultural background and language proficiency to deliver personalized instruction, meeting the student wherever they’re at. In this way, systematic phonics is vital for addressing EAL kids’ specific challenges in language and literacy.

Phonics Instruction Methods for EAL Learners

Phonics instruction is a method of teaching reading that stresses the acquisition of letter-sound correspondences and their use in reading and spelling. Keep in mind that English language learners are also learning to translate English vocabulary, so these methods also involve heavy emphasis on vocabulary. That said, systematic, explicit instruction must still carry the scope and sequence of these methods for EAL learners.

Contrastive Analysis 

In linguistics, contrastive analysis compares and contrasts two languages to identify similarities and differences. EAL teachers often use this method to see which elements overlap between English and the child’s native language—that is, to capitalize on the student’s primary language and linguistic resources in supporting their learning and development. This can also be used to spot or predict aspects that would prove problematic in second language acquisition by comparing the two languages. 

Vocabulary Integration 

Can kids learn vocabulary and phonics while having fun? Absolutely! Vocabulary and phonics instruction go together. True mastery occurs between learning words in as many contexts as possible and enjoying the process. 

To connect phonics instruction with vocabulary development, introduce fun visuals. This helps children understand the target letter-sound relationships. Play interactive games that help students identify and manipulate English speech sounds. In addition, incorporate read-alouds that capture students’ attention. Vocabulary words should be reused often, and new sounds should be taught with familiar words. 

The additional benefit of phonics instruction is that once kids ‘crack the code’ and can read words independently, they can teach themselves new vocabulary words! 

Digital Tools for EAL Instruction 

Many of today’s children are digital natives—they know how to use technological gadgets like smartphones and tablets. Some parents and teachers use educational apps to balance digital and traditional instruction methods.

Using language apps and online phonic programs to support EAL reading is a great way to support (not replace) English phonics instruction. Apps are fun, motivating, and immersive for kids. They can also be instrumental in teaching essential phonics, spelling, and vocabulary-building skills.

Assessment and Progress Monitoring 

What is not measured cannot be improved. When you accurately establish a child’s level of proficiency in English with ongoing assessments, you can determine their progress. They can also identify the areas they need to improve and the type of support required. When possible, work with reading experts who specialize in EAL. 

English Literacy Resources for EAL Phonics Instruction 

To become literate in English, proper instruction and encouragement are crucial. Remember that each child is unique and learns at their own pace, coming from a language background and cultural framework that is totally different. Tailored phonics instruction helps your child learn to read and write so that they can become confident, expressive individuals in the world today.
Want more phonics resources for English as an Additional Language? Explore Phonics.org for teacher tips, phonics program reviews, and insights from literacy experts!

When Should Kids Learn Phonics?

phonicsorg on July 26, 2024

Every parent and educator wants the best outcome for their students. At the beginning of their literacy journeys, children learn phonics: the building blocks of reading and writing. However, the instruction methods used must be proven to be effective so that each child is prepared for their academic journey ahead. But where do you start? When should kids learn phonics? 

In this article, we take a look at the science of learning phonics skills and at what stage of development children should learn these skills. 

The Earliest Phonics Concepts for Literacy Development

As a general norm, every child is likely to learn phonics at their own pace. However, there are common neurodevelopmental timelines that point to the best age range for children to begin learning early concepts. 

By definition, phonics is the method of teaching kids how to read by associating alphabetical letters with speech sounds. It’s the most fundamental literacy skill that helps children learn how to decode unfamiliar words in print and eventually become strong, fluent readers. 

Phonics education must be delivered in a systematic, explicit way so that children progress gradually in their literacy development. They need the simplest concepts broken down first—that is, letter recognition and letter-sound correspondences. Phonics connects two essential components of the English language:

Written alphabetical letters: Graphemes

Individual speech sounds: Phonemes

Before beginning to learn phonics, kids must have a basic understanding of verbal language. This includes:

  • Phonemic awareness— The ability to recognize, mimic, and manipulate the sounds of speech
  • A budding vocabulary— The catalog of verbal words a child knows and uses in communication)
  • Concepts of print— The understanding that books and other forms of print materials are used for reading, and that print is made up of symbols and letters that hold meaning

The earliest gateway into phonics instruction is a child’s interactions with books, language, and concepts of print in their social world. A child’s visual and auditory abilities also play an important role, as phonics instruction aims to connect these two processor parts of the brain.

Phonics Instructional Timelines According to the Science of Reading

According to the science of reading—a collective body of evidence that explains how the brain learns to read—phonics is a critical part of a young person’s literacy development. Countless research studies in the realm of neuroscience, child development, language, speech pathology, and education have concluded that phonics instruction is most effective when it’s implemented early, effectively, and consistently. 

Early Literacy Milestones

To answer the question of when kids “should” learn phonics, it’s helpful to consider the most typical early literacy milestones.

  • Ages 0-2: Children begin to recognize and respond to language sounds in their environment. They begin to use verbal cues and words to express themselves and communicate with peers.
  • Ages 2-3: Kids rapidly pick up on new words and continue to mimic the language of their environment. They start to recognize more complex sentences and rhymes as well as play with sounds in words.
  • Ages 3-4: Children begin to recognize some letters (such as the first letter of their name) and may start to connect certain letters with their sounds.
  • Ages 4-5: Children typically start to identify more letter-sound relationships and may begin to read simple words when they have a literate adult to directly teach them.

Phonics instruction aligns with these milestones, particularly from ages 3-5 when children become increasingly aware of the sounds in words and the letters that represent them.

When to Begin Phonics Instruction

Developmental experts and educators typically suggest that explicit phonics instruction should begin around age five. Kids typically begin learning the alphabet, letter sounds, and early CVC words in kindergarten (ages 5-6). As always, the right age can vary depending on the student, based on their cognition, previous experience with literacy activities, and their reading readiness. 

There are a few signs that hint at a child’s readiness for phonics instruction. These include: 

  • Showing interest in books and reading
  • Recognizing some letters and their sounds
  • Demonstrating phonological awareness (ability to hear and play with the sounds in words)
  • Understanding that print carries meaning
  • Asking questions about print materials (books, signs, letters, numbers, etc.)

As a parent or teacher, you’ll have to be flexible. Some kids might be ready to learn phonics as early as preschool, whereas others may need more time to develop their awareness and basic skills first. 

Where to Find Evidence-Based Phonics Materials 

Now that you know the importance of evidence-based phonics instruction, which programs and educational materials should you use? 

There’s no single answer to this question. Fortunately, there are several ways to make informed decisions about which materials you use. For example, effective phonics programs contain:

  • Systematic and explicit instruction
  • A clear scope and sequence
  • Regular assessment and progress monitoring
  • Opportunities for practice and application

When looking for a phonics program, consider the program’s research base and how well it aligns with other aspects of literacy instruction. 

You can also browse the expert reviews and phonics program ratings at Phonics.org, where we vet all the latest apps for usability, quality of instruction, and child engagement. 

Common Challenges to Overcome With Your Early Phonics Learner 

Whatever age your child begins to learn phonics, there are several challenges to be aware of. With an understanding of effective phonics methods and best practices for instruction, you can overcome these hurdles. Additionally, if your student significantly struggles or you notice them lacking basic skills for their phase of development, it’s always safe to talk with a reading specialist or doctor. 

Challenge: Phonics seems boring and mechanical.

Just because phonics instruction has to be systematic doesn’t mean it has to be boring. In fact, a lot of modern phonics programs today contain games, interactive challenges, songs, and engaging activities to keep kids interested and parents involved. 

Challenge: Focusing mainly on phonics will hinder reading comprehension.

The “balanced literacy” view of reading instruction tries to balance explicit instruction with independent, self-led instruction that uses context cues. While this approach has been used for decades, research shows that strong decoding skills are a better precursor to reading comprehension and long-term academic success. 

Challenge: I didn’t know my child’s reading instruction would require so much of my time.

While some children can learn to read without direct, supported instruction, research consistently shows that consistent explicit phonics teaching benefits the majority of children. This is especially true for children who are at risk for reading difficulties. Giving them proper guided instruction can and should take time. It’s a gradual process that doesn’t happen naturally or easily for many kids. However, the more you invest in your child’s learning now, the more you equip them for success.

Help Kids Learn Phonics at the Right Time 

Evidence points to starting formal phonics lessons around age 5-6, typically in kindergarten or first grade. However, every child is unique and the exact timing may vary,

The important thing is to introduce phonics in a systematic, explicit way once children show signs of readiness. Through this, you provide kids with a strong foundation for reading.

As a parent or teacher, your role is to support children’s literacy development. You’re not just helping a child learn to read; you’re opening up a world of learning and imagination that will serve them throughout their lives.
For more tips on phonics instruction and the latest phonics programs, check out our other resources here at Phonics.org. Together, we can help every child become a confident, capable reader!

Teaching Phonics for Writing Skills

phonicsorg on July 19, 2024

Phonics is the basis of reading instruction. But it’s also equally as important for kids to develop writing skills! Knowing alphabetical letter-sound correspondences is crucial for both reading and writing proficiently. The science of reading has shown that systematic, explicit phonics instruction is essential for literacy development—reading and writing included. Teaching phonics for writing in addition to reading is a pedagogical standard that should not be overlooked. 

In this article, you’ll learn why phonics instruction is important for writing, how it works, and what strategies you can implement when helping children become competent writers. 

The Connection Between Phonics and Writing 

If you’ve ever watched a kindergartener or first grader try to write a word on paper, you likely noticed they sound out the word phonetically, trying to figure out how it’s spelled. Through phonics instruction, they are learning how sounds correspond to alphabetical letters and put these new skills to work through decoding and encoding.

Decoding (for reading) is the process of combining sounds to sound out a whole word. For example, to read an unfamiliar word such as ‘flat,’ the reader would say each individual letter sound and then blend them to decode the word: ‘ffff-llll-aaa-t… flat.’

Encoding (for spelling) is a similar process but in reverse. Students break down spoken words into their individual sounds and then spell them out. If a child were to try to write the word sun,’ they would segment the word into individual sounds, and then match each speech sound (phoneme) to the letters (grapheme): /s/ /u/ /n/.

In reading and writing, phonemic awareness plays a crucial role. It’s the ability to recognize, identify, and manipulate individual speech sounds, all of which are necessary for blending sounds together or segmenting (breaking down words into parts). Whenever a child tries to read or write an unfamiliar word, they’re using phonemic awareness. 

Applying Phonics Skills to Writing

As students’ phonics skills improve, their spelling typically becomes more fluent and accurate. As transcription skills develop, students are able to connect new words into writing sentences, paragraphs, and eventually full stories. They spend less time struggling with basic spelling and can focus more on scribing their ideas. Additionally, an increased proficiency in spelling often leads to greater confidence in writing and a willingness to tackle more complex writing tasks. 

Before writing fluently, though, children must go through systematic phonics instruction that teaches them the simplest concepts and moves on to more complex rules. For beginners, phonics skills that apply to writing activities include: 

  • Letter-sound correspondence: Students learn the basics of how letters and letter combinations represent sounds. Again, this is fundamental to both reading and writing. This knowledge allows children to make informed choices when spelling words.
  • Blending and segmenting: Blending is when students combine individual letter sounds to decode words in print. Segmentation involves breaking words into their “parts,” with a knowledge of phonics rules. 
  • Phoneme manipulation: Confidently repeating, adding, deleting, and substituting word sounds while spelling helps children apply their knowledge to writing.
  • High-frequency words: Children who can recognize and spell common words automatically improve their fluency and accuracy when writing.

All of these phonics skills work together during writing development. Through systematic teaching and reinforcement, children build a strong foundation for both reading and writing.

Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction for Writing

Just like reading, learning to spell and write also requires systematic, direct instruction. This follows the principles known today as the science of reading. It also follows a scope and sequence that young students can follow to learn phonics foundations, patterns, and rules. 

When teaching phonics to build students’ writing skills, you’ll first prioritize strong letter-sound correspondences. As children grasp more phonics concepts, move into more complex rules. 

Instruction begins with single-letter sounds and then moves on to digraphs, vowel teams, and eventually more advanced spelling patterns. This progression equips students to develop a solid foundation. Include writing activities in phonics lessons to reinforce the connection between phonemic sounds and alphabetical letters. For instance, after introducing a new letter, have students practice writing multiple words that contain that sound.

Keep in mind that explicit instruction means you must clearly explain and model phonics rules in writing. Clearly show your learners how to use phonics knowledge to spell words, and then give them plenty of opportunities for guided practice. Encourage students to verbalize their thought processes as they write, reinforcing the encoding process.

Be consistent with these principles. To reinforce concepts, maintain a regular practice of activities including:

  • Multisensory techniques: Use sand trays or shaving cream for tactile letter formation practice and lighthearted spelling practice.
  • Word building: Use magnetic letters or letter tiles to build words on the whiteboard with the class or with your child at home. 
  • Chaining: Change one letter at a time in spelling practice to show the connection between words. For example, the words ‘tip’, ‘top’, ‘tap’ create a word chain. 
  • Dictation exercises: Start with individual words, then progress to phrases and sentences.
  • Interactive writing games: Play “Phonics Hangman” and other group writing games that focus on sounds and spelling patterns.
  • The Writing Rope: Similar to Scarborough’s Reading Rope, Joan Sedita’s Writing Rope highlights the “strands that weave together to skillful writing.” The Writing Rope can be helpful in phonics instruction, keeping your focus on the ultimate goals of writing in light of the science of reading.

A systematic teaching strategy makes phonics instruction for writing more engaging and effective, helping children repeatedly practice their phonics knowledge in writing contexts. Remember to adjust the difficulty level based on your student’s needs and progress.

Challenges in Writing Instruction 

Beginner readers and writers often struggle with several phonics concepts. For example:

  • Irregular spellings: You have to teach kids about irregular words that don’t follow regular phonics rules. These tricky words don’t follow regular spelling patterns that can be easily decoded. Examples: ‘are,’ ‘where,’ and ‘two.’
  • Homophones: One of the trickiest things for kids to learn is homophones—words that sound the same but mean different things and contain different spelling. Explicitly teach these words in context to differentiate between words that sound the same but are spelled differently (e.g., ‘their’ vs. ‘there’).
  • Silent letters: Words with silent letters can be hard for kids to learn. Introduce silent letters intentionally, emphasizing their importance in spelling despite not being pronounced (for example, ‘climb,’ ‘answer,’ ‘knife’).

Through these common challenges, follow an explicit instructional approach and always encourage a growth mindset with your students. Emphasize your confidence in your students’ development and their ability to master these exceptions as they grow into skilled writers.

Resources for Teaching Phonics to Kids

Effective phonics instruction is essential for developing strong writing skills. By implementing systematic, explicit phonics teaching for reading and writing, you help children become confident, capable writers. 

Use evidence-based strategies and phonics resources to make the learning process an engaging and effective part of your literacy instruction. To learn about the best phonics tools for the classroom and the home, check out the resources at Phonics.org! 

5 Findings That Prove Words Are Remembered in Phonological Memory

phonicsorg on June 27, 2024

To read fluently, the brain pulls from a large sight word vocabulary that we’ve built over time. Sight words make the reading process easy, automatic, and meaningful as we string together words we’re already familiar with. But how are sight words remembered? Furthermore, how does the brain store, process, and retrieve so many words from memory as we read? 

The fascinating answer has much to do with phonological memory. There have been many discoveries that prove how sight words are stored and what this reveals about reading development. In this article, we look at some of the most interesting findings that prove how our word-reading memory functions—and why it’s not based on visual memorization. 

How is Reading Fluency Developed?

Dr. David Kilpatrick, a renowned researcher in the science of reading, provides compelling evidence that sight words are not memorized as whole visual units as previously thought among educators. Instead, words are stored in our phonological memory, the part of the brain that processes speech sounds.

In his book Equipped for Reading Success, Dr. Kilpatrick explains the process of how words are remembered. In short, for children to become strong readers, they must develop three things.

  1. Alphabetic Principle — The understanding that alphabetical letters (and letter combinations) represent individual sounds in spoken language.
  2. Phonic Decoding Skills — The ability to apply knowledge of letter-sound relationships and effectively sound out (decode) unfamiliar words, letter by letter.
  3. Orthographic Mapping — The process of repeatedly connecting spoken words to the spelling of their written words, resulting in permanent word memory over time. Orthographic mapping relies on two things:
    1. Letter-Sound Proficiency 
    2. Phonemic Proficiency 

As Dr. Kilpatrick explains, “Oral words are made up of sequences of oral sounds. Written words are strings of letters designed to represent those sounds. A word’s pronunciation (phonology) and meaning (semantics) are connected in memory with the word’s spelling (orthography), so when the printed word is seen, the pronunciation and meaning are instantly accessed. There is no guessing or sounding out the word. The word just effortlessly pops into your mind.” (Equipped for Reading Success, p. 38-39).

What is Phonological Memory? 

Phonological memory refers to the part of our brain’s memory system that stores and retrieves speech sounds. 

It plays an important role in reading development because to read words, a reader must know how to match visual letters with the sounds they represent. Then, they must decode multiple speech sounds—each pulled from phonological memory—and blend them together to reveal the whole word. Their knowledge of the whole word is also stored in phonological memory. 

The letter sounds, pronunciation, syntax, and meaning of words all come from this phonological memory system, enabling beginner readers to sound out and comprehend words in print. Then, through orthographic mapping, this memory system stores the now-familiar words. Readers can easily recognize mapped words which then builds reading fluency. This is the “phonological filing system” as Dr. Kilpatrick calls it.

Proof That Words Are Remembered in Phonological Memory

In research on reading development, there’s plenty of evidence that word recognition is not based on visual memory alone. Rather, words are stored in phonological memory—the part of memory that relates to verbal language. In his book, Equipped for Reading Success, Kilpatrick illustrates examples of this evidence. Here is a summary of the key findings. 

1. We Can Read Different Fonts and Typestyles

As literate individuals, we can read texts in various fonts and styles that we’ve never encountered before. This is one of the simplest facts that demonstrate word-reading memorization is not visual.

For example, we can read:

  • Mixed-case words (sPeLLiNg ThAt’s LiKe tHiS)
  • Different fonts (serif, sans-serif, bold, skinny, bubbly, squiggly, etc.)
  • Capital letters (ALL CAPS LIKE THIS) and lowercase letters (all lowercase like this) in various contexts 
  • Different handwritings—from a doctor’s sloppy scribbles to a stranger’s unique print
  • Cursive and formal scripts

There’s no possible way a reader has been previously exposed to every style of text they will ever read. If words within an unfamiliar or hard-to-read piece of print have not been saved to visual memory, how can the reader decode them with ease? We know that most words are not stored in memory as whole visual units. No matter what font we read, our brains pull from phonological memory to decode new (and even barely legible) print styles. 

2. We Know That Visual Memory Differs from Word Memory

The field of cognitive science has discovered that visual memory and word memory operate differently in the brain. The average literate adult can verbally identify words in print faster than they’re able to name visual objects in pictures. For example, if you compare the speed at which adults would say words for everyday objects (“house,” “phone,” “car,” etc.) based on reading the word aloud or identifying the object in a picture, the word recall speed is faster in reading. 

Children with reading disorders have shown similar scores to proficient readers on visual memory tests, despite having significantly lower scores in word memory. If reading was dependent on visual memory for word recall, why would children score the same for visual tests but fail word-reading tests? This rules out a visual-based word memory. 

Even more surprising is the finding that deaf individuals—despite achieving normal visual memory scores and having no visual impairments—typically struggle to obtain expected reading proficiency for their age. It’s estimated that one in three deaf students graduates high school with a reading level at or below third grade (Center on Literacy and Deafness). This hints at the importance of verbal (phonological) language in the development of word-reading memory.

3. We Correlate Sight Words With Phonemic Awareness

Sight words include any word that a reader is familiar with and can recognize by sight, with no need for decoding. There is a lot of correlation shown between phonemic awareness and sight words, whereas there is very little correlation between visual memory and sight words. 

4. We Forget Words in Working Memory, Not Phonological Memory 

Think about a time when you were trying to explain something in a conversation but you forgot the specific word to describe something. You know the meaning of the word and the point you’re trying to make, and yet you can’t remember the actual word for what you’re saying. You might stammer, “What’s the word…? It’s on the tip of my tongue!” but your mind goes blank. 

This brief memory lapse does not happen when reading text that contains words we already know. For example, say you’re trying to remember the word “simmer” when verbally explaining the process of cooking something on the stovetop. You can’t remember the word that means not quite a boil but maintains cooking at a high temperature. Alternatively, if you were to read a recipe that stated, “Simmer on low for 20 minutes,” you’d have no problem recalling the word or what it means. 

Why would we forget words in working memory but not in phonological memory? Word recall is not set in working memory. It has to do with phonology and the process of orthographic mapping. 

5. We Have a Limited Capacity for Visual Memory 

Although it’s been previously assumed that whole-word memorization is a required process for reading, our brains cannot store so many visualizations—at least not accurately. Research on visual memory has found that human memory is incapable of storing more than 30,000 to 60,000 words for retrieval. 

When trying to remember a new address or phone number, what do you do? Most likely, you read the numbers and then repeat the string of digits either out loud or silently in your head. Quick, grab a piece of paper or your cell phone—write it down before you forget! If we could imprint text onto visual memory, this process would be much easier. We wouldn’t need to repeat the digits until we could offload them from our working memory. 

Consider the fact that all of the above examples reveal that we use “visual input” to process text initially. However, we do not use visual storage to “memorize” the visuals we see. Instead, we rely on our knowledge of phonemic awareness, phonological memory, and sight words. 

Understanding Phonological Memory: Help Children Learn to Read

Why does all of this matter? Knowing the role and function of phonological memory in reading development is crucial for effective literacy instruction. By understanding how words are decoded, remembered, processed, and retrieved, you can prioritize the necessary and effective phonics strategies when helping children learn to read. It’s highly advised you avoid whole-word memorization strategies–such as memorizing large lists of high-frequency words or “analyzing” the outer shape of a word–because these are common practices that are ineffective.

Learn more about evidence-based phonics instruction at Phonics.org where we explain reading science with practical applications for families and teachers. 

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