Ready4Reading Evidence Portfolio
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2017; Castles et al., 2018; Duke & Mesmer; Ehri et al., 2001; Ehri, 2005; Foorman et al., 2016; NICHD, 2000; Stahl, 2011).
In practice, what does such an approach to phonics instruction entail? The hallmark of systematic phonics instruction is that it directly teaches sound-spelling correspondences in a clearly defined scope and sequence that builds upon prior learning and moves from straightforward to more complex tasks (NICHD, 2000). Explicit phonics instruction teaches sound-spelling correspondence directly. It involves: 1. Establishing a clear lesson purpose and goals 2. Segmenting tasks into small chunks 3. Providing explicit instruction that employs modeling and “think alouds” that draws students’ attention to essential text features 4. Utilizing guided practice and scaffolding 5. Providing opportunities for students to receive feedback and adapt their learning accordingly (Archer & Hughes, 2011; Hughes et al., 2017; Piasta & Hudson, 2023). Through these high-level explicit teaching practices, teachers gradually release greater and greater independence to students as they engage in the learning activities at hand. Among various benefits, research particularly points to how this instructional model may be especially effective at reducing cognitive load and the resulting stress this can place on learners ’ working memory (Clark et al., 2012; Smith et al., 2016). Within the context of this overarching approach, research shows that effective phonics instruction should explicitly and systematically address the following (Castles et al., 2018; Ehri, 2021; Ehri, 2022; Foorman et al., 2016; Hudson et al., 2012; NICHD, 2000): • Phonological Awareness. Research shows that the ability to identify and manipulate different sounds within words (i.e., syllables, onsets/rimes, and phonemes) is predictive of word recognition, reading, and spelling performance (Hogan et al., 2005; Gillon, 2018; Mues et al., 2022). • Phonemic Awareness. Phonemic awareness refers to “the ability to notice, think about, and manipulate the individual phonemes in spoken words” (Foorman et al., 2016, p. 41) and is one of the strongest predictors of later reading outcomes (Carovalas, 2019; Clayton et al., 2020; Erbeli et al., 2018; NICHD, 2000; NELP, 2008). Orthographic mapping is impossible without the ability to discriminate and manipulate phonemes (Lindsey, 2022). While the ability to 1) recognize a word that starts with a specific sound, 2) isolate a phoneme within a word, 3) sort words based on similar phonemes, 4) blend phonemes to form words, 5) segment words into phonemes, and 6) delete phonemes from words — all contribute to reading. Achievement, blending and segmenting have been shown to be most critical to decoding, spelling, and reading (Brown et al., 2021; Ehri, 2014; NICHD, 2000; Schuehle & Boudreau, 2008). Literacy experts recommend teaching students to detect sounds in words by monitoring mouth positions as they say sounds and using mirrors (Boyer & Ehri, 2010). Data also support having students “ play with sounds ” through activities involving pictures, letter tiles, rhyming, and music as a
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