Phonics
"...by the time students who were taught phonics reached age seven, they had a reading age 28 months ahead of what would be expected. Some were so advanced they could read as well as the average 13-year-old."
Dr. Marlynne Grant
According to the ELA/ELD Framework
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Phonics and Word Recognition (RF.K–5.3)
Phonics and word recognition standards include knowledge of letter-sound and spelling- sound correspondences, knowledge of word parts (syllables and morphemes), and recognition of irregularly spelled words.
As readers, individuals use this knowledge to decode and identify words in written language. In other words, the phonics and word recognition reading standards are taught (along with print concepts and phonological awareness) so that students have the knowledge and skills to access language that has been recorded in print, including words they have never before encountered in print.
Notably, as writers, individuals also use this knowledge to encode language into print. Indeed, decoding and encoding rely on much of the same underlying knowledge (Joshi, and others 2008-09; Moats 2005-06).
Systematic and Explicit Phonics instruction:
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focuses on teaching beginning readers about letter-sound and spelling-sound correspondences
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significantly improves students' reading and spelling
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improves students' ability to comprehend what they read
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is beneficial for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status
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is effective in helping to prevent reading difficulties among students at risk
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is beneficial in helping students who are having difficulty learning to read
