Back to the basics in reading? Yes! I work as a reading and writing interventionist in a middle school. We might tend to think at this age, our students should know all the vowel sounds, blends, digraphs, consonant clusters, vowel rules, etc. Well, they don’t (and for many reasons, which is a whole other blog post). 😂
Therefore, I’ve gone back to the basics. Yes, even in middle school! We all need a refresher every now and then, especially when it comes to the basics, right?! Phonics is an important building block for a strong foundation in reading, writing, and language arts. That’s why it’s essential to go back to the basics of phonics to gain a better understanding of how language works. As teachers, we know there are HUGE debates right now between leveled literacy and the science of reading. I find that incorporating both into my class is extremely beneficial for my students.
What Is Phonics?
Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing that focuses on the relationship between sounds and letters. It involves teaching students to recognize and use the sounds that letters and groups of letters make. This is an important skill for reading, as it allows students to decode words and gain a better understanding of them.
Why Is Phonics Important?
Phonics provides students with the fundamentals of reading and writing and helps them to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. This knowledge can be used to help decode unknown words and to increase fluency. Additionally, phonics can help students to spell correctly and improve their overall writing skills.
How Can We Go Back to the Basics with Phonics?
Going back to the basics of phonics can be done in a few different ways. One way is to review the sounds that each letter makes and the different combinations of letters that create a particular sound. Just today, we worked on digraphs and long/short vowel sounds. We practiced reading words out loud and breaking them down into individual sounds. Finally, have them practice writing words from their sounds, as this will help them gain a better understanding of how the sounds and letters work together.
Overall, phonics is an important building block for literacy skills. Going back to the basics with phonics can help your students to gain a better understanding of the relationship between sounds and letters, which will ultimately help them to become better readers and writers.
Until next time,
