Phonics Pillar : Definition

What is it? :

Why is it important? :

ELL Considerations :

Phonics can be defined as the relationship between letters and sounds in written
words (Stahl, 1992)

The ability to understand the alphabetic system

The ability to make letter/sound correspondence

The ability to decode unfamiliar words by understanding the relationship

between letters and sounds in written words

Beginning readers need systematic instruction to be able to decode words that

are visually unfamiliar to them

In order to be able to make meaning from the text, students need to be able to
decode unfamiliar words with ease

Phonics instruction instructs children on how to break the code which enables
students to decode unfamiliar words

Students who have learned to read in their native language will have an
advantage in learning the alphabetic code

Students who have not learned to read in their native language may have a
difficult time learning the alphabetic code

Students whose native language follows a different alphabetic code may struggle
to learn the rules of the English alphabetic code

Students may be unfamiliar with new vocabulary so even if they are able to
decode the word, they may not be able to make meaning from it.

Phonics Pillar: Theoretical Foundations

There is no one right way to teach phonics. (NRP, 2000)

Phonics should build on a strong foundation of phonemic awareness, concepts

of print, and focus on detecting patterns (Stahl, 1998)

Phonics instruction should teach students to be strategic by demystifying the

alphabetic and orthographic code (Stahl, 1998)

Phonics instruction in only one part of a balanced literacy program.

Provide additional work on English phonemes that are not present in the
students' native language.

Focus on differences between phonetic patterns in L1 and L2 to help bridge the

gap for ELL learners

Use cognate words in the native language as synonyms when teaching

vocabulary. (August, 2006)

Important Phonics Research :

ELL Considerations :

Phonics Pillar: Characteristics

Indications of skillful readers

using phonics :

Indications of challenged readers

needing phonics skills :

ELL Considerations :

Students can match letters with corresponding sounds

Students can decode unfamiliar words easily and with low levels of frustration

Students are able to make meaning from what they are reading

Students are able to spell phonetically

Phonics assessments like PALS assess skills in alphabet knowledge, sound

knowledge, word recognition in context and isolation, and spelling (PALS,
2007)

Difficulty matching letters and sounds

Decodes very slowly (letter by letter)

Difficulty reading/spelling phonetically

Guesses at words based on initial letter/sound

Does not apply previously taught phonetic patterns while reading

Teachers need to be aware of students cultural and linguistic backgrounds

ELL students may need to be explicitly taught phonemes that do not exist in L1

English vowel sounds will be difficult for most ELL due to the differences in
the alphabetic/orthographic code differences between L1 and L2

Phonics Pillar: Strategies

Supporting phonics at school :

Letter/sound/word sorts

Use manipulatives such as magnetic letters, picture cards, sound boxes to

reinforce phonics instruction (ex: during a Making Words lesson)

Connect phonics instruction to an authentic reading/writing experience

Have students re-read their writing and bring attention to whether each sound
they read is written down

Evidence based approaches to phonics instruction:

o Spelling based phonics instruction such as words their way or word
study are developmentally based.
o Analogy based phonics instruction teaches children to read unfamiliar
words by comparing them to similar words that they know how to read
(ex. If I can read /able/, I can also read /fable/, /stable/)
o Embedded phonics instruction occurs in the context of guided reading.
o More traditional forms of phonics instruction included synthetic
instruction (teaching children how to pronounce/blend sounds) and

analytic instruction (students are taught a sound and

Supporting phonics at home :

Have lots of print material (books, magazines, etc.) at home

Point to a letter and have your child tell you the letter name and sound it makes

Encourage your child to write notes and read together. You can talk about how
each sound you say has to have a matching letter(s) when we write

Connect the letter/sound that your child is working on at school with

words/objects you see at home

Have your child write familiar words using shaving cream, sand or magnetic
letters

Read together!

Print rich classroom environment

Use physical manipulatives whenever possible

Additional time and practice

Pre-teach unknown vocabulary so the student is learning that reading is not just
putting letters together but making meaning from what is read

At home, continue reading/writing in L1 as well as L2

Play with letters in names using magnetic letters. Try to come up with other
words that start with the same sound as his/her name

Read together!

ELL considerations :

Phonics Pillar: Strategies

Sequence for Phonics

Instruction :

Retrieved from http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/au/au_what.php

August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.). (2006). Developing literacy in second-language

learners: Report of the national literacy panel on language-minority children
and youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Irujo, S. (2007). What does research tell us about teaching reading to English
language learners?. The ELL Outlook. Haverhill, MA.
Stahl, S. A & Duffy-Heser, A. (1998). Everything you wanted to know about
phonics (but were afraid to ask). Reading Research Quarterly, 33(3), 338-355.
References :

Stahl, S. A (1992). Saying the p word: Nine guidelines for exemplary phonics
instruction. The Reading Teacher, 4(8), 618-625.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the
National Reading Panel.
Invernizzi, M. (2007). Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS). [Measurement
instrument]. Retrieved from https://pals.virginia.edu/.