The third of the ‘Big Six’ is phonics. Phonic knowledge is what we know about letter-sound patterns, linking sounds with letters and other forms of the alphabetic principle. Phonetic knowledge is what we know about pronouncing individual sounds.
(Ref: Munro, J.K. 1998 – Assessing and Teaching Phonological Knowledge. ACER)
The goal of phonics instruction is to help children to learn and be able to use the Alphabetic Principle. The alphabetic principle is the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Phonics instruction helps children learn the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Phonetic instruction involves teaching the correct pronunciation of individual sounds.
Children’s reading development is dependent on their understanding of the alphabetic principle – the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. Learning that there are predictable relationships between sounds and letters allows children to apply these relationships to both familiar and unfamiliar words, and to begin to read with fluency.
(Ref: Reading Rockets – https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-topics/phonics-and-decoding)
Reading Rockets is a public media literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.
Reading Rockets uses research-based strategies — to spread the word about reading instruction and to present “what works” in a way that parents and educators can understand and use.
