In my previous post, Alphabet Knowledge, I discussed the importance of students knowing the names and sounds of letters. Alphabet knowledge is key for transitioning into phonics instruction (Pfeiffer & Pavelko, 2023). To understand phonics, you must understand two terms that go along with it:
Phoneme: the sounds that letters or combinations of letters make
Grapheme: the visual representation of those sounds (i.e., the written letters) (Rickenbrode & Walsh, 2013)
Phonics is the phoneme-grapheme connection. This is much more difficult in English because some letters have multiple sounds and some sounds have multiple spellings (Vadasy & Sanders, 2020).
It is a significant achievement for many kindergarten students to learn the letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds. Now we are introducing digraphs, vowel blends, silent 'e', and other unique spelling patterns. How should we be teaching phonics?
Phonics instruction needs to be explicit (Exley & Cundell, 2024)
Practice should include a mixture of new skills with review (Lane et al., 2025)
Show students how their mouth will look or move when making a sound (Mesmer & Kambach, 2022)
Use a scope and sequence (Mesmer & Kambach, 2022)
In my classroom, I have a tool that I like to pair with phonics instruction. It is called Secret Stories (The Secret Stories, n.d.). You hang the Secret Stories on your wall for students to easily access during reading and writing. Each poster contains a spelling pattern that you can teach your class about using its corresponding story. The kids love the stories and get so excited every time we learn a new one. I have seen gains in both reading and writing since bringing the Secret Stories to my classroom.
Exley, B., & Cundell, K. (2024). Experiencing phonics: When student-centered learning and explicit instruction weave together. Practical Literacy: The Early & Primary Years, 29(3), 34-36.
Lane, H. B., Contesse, V. A., Gage, N. A., & Burns, M. K. (2025). Effect of an instructional program in foundational reading skills on early literacy development of students in kindergarten and first grade. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.607
Mesmer, H. A., & Kambach, A. (2022). Beyond labels and agendas: Research teachers need to know about phonics and phonological awareness. Reading Teacher, 76(1), 62-72. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2102
Pfeiffer, D. L., & Pavelko, S. L. (2023). Evidence-based guidance for alphabet knowledge across service delivery models. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(6), 1157-1167. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_PERSP-23-00053
Rickenbrode, R., & Walsh, K. (2013). Lighting the way: The reading panel report ought to guide teacher preparation. American Educator, 37(2), 30-35.
(n.d.). The Secret Stories. Secret Stories. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://thesecretstories.com/
Vadasy, P. F., & Sanders, E. A. (2020). Introducing grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs): Exploring rate and complexity in phonics instruction for kindergarteners with limited literacy skills. Grantee Submission. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10064-y
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