Reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do to help foster a life-long love of reading. Studies show that reading to your child is an essential component in providing a future academic advantage. These reading tips will encourage children of all ages to love reading and become lifelong readers!

Research has identified five skills that are essential for learning to read:

1. Phonemic Awareness: Being able to notice, understand, and work with the sounds in words.
2. Phonics: A method of teaching reading, based on sounding out letters to read words.
3. Fluency: Being able to read accurately and quickly.
4. Vocabulary: Knowing what words mean when we hear and read them levitra cijena.
5. Text Comprehension: Truly understanding what is read.

As a parent or caregiver, you play a critical role in helping children not only learn to read but develop a life-long love of reading. You can make reading a part of your child’s life by clicking on the links below and following the tips that are just right for your child’s age.

Phonics is a method of teaching reading, based on sounding out letters to read words. Let’s say that you learn the letter i makes the /i/ sound, and that the letter t makes the /t/ sound. And when you read these sounds together, /i/ /t/, you have it. You’ve just used phonics to read the word it.

Rag Minibook Activity

Here’s an easy activity you can do with your child using our phonics teaching method. In just 20 minutes, your child will be able to read a book all by himself by playing an easy flash card game and creating our free Learn to Read Minibook.

How to get started:

1. Make one flash card for each of the letters: r, a, g, s, d, c, t, p, n, and w, for a total of 10 cards. You can use index cards or just cut up a piece of plain paper.
2. Lay them on the table.
3. Help your child to put the cards together that form the words rag, sad, cat, pat, can, and wag. Call out the name of each letter and the sound it makes as you push the cards together.
4. Do this a few times until your child can do it all by himself.

Then print out our free mini-book:

Learn to Read Minibook Printable

To Assemble the Minibook:

1. Cut each page in half by cutting on the dotted line.
2. Stack all of the pages together with the cover on the front, followed by page 1, page 2, etc., until all of the pages are in order. Do not include the instructions.
3. Staple along the left side of the pages.
4. Finish the book by tracing all of the words with dotted lines.
5. Have your child color all of the pages.
6. Your child has already learned to read each word by playing the flash card game, so he is ready to read the book he just made all by himself!

Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read is full of activities just like this one, plus story books, workbooks, online games, flashcards, and much, much more. Check it out here.

Although there are no quick ways to teach children to read…

…it doesn’t have to be a difficult task. We’ll outline the basic skills children must master in order to learn to read and reading activities that provide meaningful practice.

The National Reading Panel’s (NPR) 2000 report identified five areas of reading instruction that must be addressed in order to teach children to read:

1. Phonemic Awareness: Being able to notice, understand, and work with the sounds in words.
2. Phonics: A method of teaching reading, based on sounding out letters to read words.
3. Fluency: Being able to read accurately and quickly.
4. Vocabulary: Knowing what words mean when we hear and read them.
5. Text Comprehension: Truly understanding what is read.

Today, let’s focus first on reading activities to build phonemic awareness.

How can I help my child gain phonemic awareness?

There are many activities that can help parents accomplish this task. Here are two simple ones that you can do with your child without having to buy, make, or read anything (other than this post!).

NOTE: When you see a letter between slashes, /a/, it represents the sound of the letter. When you see a letter in bold, a, it represents the name of the letter.

Activity 1:

Parent: Listen to this word: cat. One more time: cat. /k/ /a/ /t/. Can you say the word?
Child: cat.
Parent: Good job! Now can you say the sounds? /k/ /a/ /t/.
(If your child makes an error, be positive–“Good try! That was pretty close! You almost got it!”–and ask him to try again.)
Child: /k/ /a/ /t/.
Parent: That was great! Now write each letter for the word cat. Write the letter that makes this sound /k/ (allow your child to write the letter c); /a/ (allow your child to write the letter a); /t/ (allow your child to write the letter t).
Child: /k/ (child writes letter c); /a/ (child writes letter a); /t/ (child writes letter t); cat.
Parent: You said AND wrote the word cat. You are so smart! (Now try more words like fan, sad, bat, pig, pen, and box.)

Activity 2:

Watch this video with your child. Listen to the narrator and follow the prompts:

Okay, a show of hands: How many of you remember the Hooked on Phonics commercial from the 90s? The one with the little red-headed kid chirping, “Hooked on Phonics worked for me!” Okay, now how many of you learned to READ using Hooked on Phonics? Do you remember sitting down with your cassettes and your tape player doing the lessons, workbook in hand? Or were you, like me, part of the older generation that grew up during the time of the dinosaurs and the 8-track tape players? (I know. I’m totally dating myself!)

I Had My Doubts

Though I was too old for Hooked on Phonics, I decided to use it with my little boy. At 5 1/2 he literally wasn’t able to sound out words at all.  I was skeptical at first because I was raised during the Whole-Language Approach toward reading and believed that the Phonetic Approach would make my kid a poor speller. (I was wrong. In 5th grade, he’s actually a terrific speller in addition to being a good reader.)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I have to say, though, I was privileged to hear, first hand, an incredible story of Olga, a loving mother who was determined not to give up on her daughter, and a young girl who was determined not to give up on herself. For years, Olga reached out to us because she wanted others to benefit from her experiences. When we finally reached her, here is the story she shared with us:

Are you a grown-up Hooked on Phonics kid? Share your story with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

#TBTHookedonPhonics  #HookedonPhonicsWorkedforMe

By the time second grade starts, most kids are able to read on their own. Often, kids and parents stop reading together often by this point—but reading out loud to your child is still a great way to help build his skills and to have fun together.

If your child is struggling to read in second grade, take action. Talk with his teacher about your concerns, and see what school recommends. Research tells us that children should be reading confidently and fluently on their own in second grade. If that’s not happening for your child yet, don’t wait. Ask school for help and information. Consider doing extra systematic work at home, either with you or through a tutor who uses research-based methods of phonics instruction like those in Hooked on Phonics products and mobile apps.

Learning to read is a huge job and it involves several key parts. Here’s an overview of what goes into the process and what you should expect in your second grade reader.

Phonemic Awareness

• Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller chunks of sound. These units of sound are called phonemes.
• Here’s an example: the word bat is made of three phonemes: the sounds /b/, /a/, and /t/. When kids know that these three sounds are part of the word bat, they are showing that they have phonemic awareness.

• Your child should confidently know all letter sounds. If she doesn’t, talk with her teacher if school hasn’t contacted you already.

• Reading stories out loud with lots of rhyming words helps build phonemic awareness. Dr. Seuss books are the perfect choice! Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read is a great, comprehensive program to use with your child at home.

Phonics

• Phonics connect the knowledge of sounds (also called phonemes) to letter symbols.
• Here’s an example: The letter X looks like “X” and makes the sound “ks.”

What should my second grader know?

• Phonics should also be an area of strength for your second grader. She should be able to sound out words without a huge amount of difficulty.
• Write paragraphs with more detail. Spelling should be getting closer to correct on a more regular basis in second grade.

• If phonics is a struggle in second grade, it’s important to take action. Talk with his teacher, and consider doing structured practice at home using Hooked on Phonics products or mobile apps with you and/or a tutor.
• Encourage your child to take on more responsibility in sounding out and writing words, especially if the words they are working with follow phonics rules. (If she asks: “How do you spell bedroom’? “Well, what sound do you hear at the beginning? Good köpa priligy. Keep going.” If he gets stuck—like on how to write the “oo”—then help out.)

Fluency

• Fluency is the ability to read words smoothly, at a good pace, and with expression.
  o Here’s an example: If a character is very excited, the reader’s voice should sound excited, too. The child should not have to stop to sound out each word; the words should flow smoothly.

• Second graders should read confidently and at a good pace. They will stumble on a few words, of course, but should be able to handle most words in a second grade level story.

• Keep reading together as often as you can.
• If fluency is a struggle for your second grader, choose stories that use predictable rhyming patterns and more simple word choices.

Vocabulary

• Vocabulary is the dictionary in your child’s mind. The more word meanings your child knows, the larger her vocabulary.

• When you don’t know what a word means, or how to sound it out, you can look for clues in the pictures or the rest of the sentence to help figure it out.
• Your child can understand many more word meanings than she can use in her own speaking and writing. Keep talking about new words and their meanings.

• Encourage your child to use a broader range of words, and encourage her to express her thoughts clearly and thoroughly. (“How was school today?” “Fine.” “Tell me more. Did anything interesting happen at recess?”)
• Read to your child often. Research shows that children’s books expose kids to a much broader range of vocabulary words than they would otherwise hear in conversation.

Comprehension

• Comprehension is understanding what a story is all about.
• Here’s an example: Being able to identify the main characters in a story, talk about what they do and how they feel, and explain what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of a story are all important parts of reading comprehension.

• Retell stories he has read, including important details, the main message or lesson. These stories are more challenging and can include fables, folktales, and factual text.
• Identify the main idea of individual paragraphs within a text.
• Tell what is similar or different in two different versions of the same story. (For example, Goldilocks told by two different authors will be presented in varying ways.)

• Keep reading out loud and talking about stories together.
• Talk with your child about what you are reading. Ask probing questions that encourage your child to explain more details or reasons for their answers.
• Have fun with this process; don’t feel like you have to drill your child with questions on every page. Just have a conversation about the parts of the story you think are interesting.

Sending your little one into that kindergarten classroom is a huge step—for both of you! Much of this year will be about learning how to be a student. That means how to work together in the classroom, how we act in school and in groups, and of course, how to build a strong foundation for reading. All this change can be tough on your child. Spending time reading together can help you reconnect and give you both opportunities to share your feelings and experiences during this transition. Learning to read is a huge job and it involves several key parts. Here’s an overview of what goes into the process, and how you can help your 5- to 6-year-old grow as a reader during kindergarten.

1. Hears and identifies sounds at the beginning, middle, and ends of words (“What sound do you hear at the beginning of lap?” “Llll!”) Be sure to say the sound of the letter rather than its name when talking with your child about this idea. In this example, you would say the lll sound rather than the name of the letter L.
2. Thinks of other words with the same beginning or ending sound. (“Can you think of other words that end with the zzz sound? How about fizz, buzz . . .” Then let your child brainstorm.)
3. Understands words are made up of different sounds that come together and be able to separate them. (“Man has three sounds—‘mmm, aaa, nnn.’”)
   Phonics
4. Identify all letters and their sounds. (For the vowels, it’s fine for your child to focus on one of the sounds the letter can make, such as A says “a” as in at; but you can start talking about the long vowel sounds, too. A can also say its name, “aye” as in ate.)
5. Begin to understand that letters join together to make words. (“First, I see an N. That’s nnn. And then an O… ohhh. That’s nnn… ohhh… no!”)
6. Write letters, beginning to form some words. (Don’t worry—the spelling probably won’t be solid for another year or two!)
   Fluency
7. Your child is probably putting some of the pieces into place to become a fluent reader—but is not there yet. This is completely normal for a kindergartener! Keep practicing and give it time.
   Vocabulary
8. Your child is learning new words every day.
9. Kindergarteners should be able to explain their ideas in-depth when they are speaking through detailed, complete sentences.
10. Understanding of figures of speech is just beginning. (For example, when we say, “It’s raining cats and dogs!” we don’t mean that cats and dogs are actually falling from the sky.)
    Comprehension
11. Ask and answer questions about stories that are read out loud.
12. Make predictions about a story based on the title, cover illustration, and the first few pages.
13. Begin to make connections within a book—with your help. (“People have to drink water to live. So do plants!”)
14. Understand the main idea of a story. (“Clifford felt really sad when Emily Elizabeth went to school. But he was even happier when she came home and told him what she learned!”)

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Phonemic Awareness

What is it?

Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller chunks of sound. These units of sound are called phonemes. Here’s an example: the word bat is made of three phonemes: the sounds /b,/ /a,/ and /t./ When kids know that these three sounds are part of the word bat, they are showing that they have phonemic awareness.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Reading stories out loud with lots of rhyming words helps build phonemic awareness. The Bright & Early Books from Dr. Seuss and his friends are perfect introductory rhyming books for this age group.
• Play rhyming games and sing silly rhyming songs. Kids this age love a wacky twist on an old favorite. (“Twinkle, twinkle, little cat, how I wonder if you wear a hat.”)
• Talk about letter sounds and blends (“What sound do you hear at the beginning of Cheerios?’ It’s ‘ch’—the /c/ and the /h/ work together to make a ‘ch’ sound!”)

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Phonics

What is it?

Phonics connect the knowledge of sounds (also called phonemes) to letter symbols. Here’s an example: The letter X looks like “X” and makes the sound “ks.”

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Encourage your child to sound out short words that follow phonics rules.
• Keep talking about the letters and sounds you see in your everyday life together. (“See that stop sign? What letter does the word stop start with? What sound does the letter S make? How does the T work with the S?”)
• When you’re reading to your child, use your finger to track the words as you read them.
• Encourage your child to read one or two words she knows as you read out loud to her. (You might have her watch for the sight words I and me, for example, and prompt her to read them when you reach them. Robert Lopshire’s Beginner Book Put Me in the Zoo is a great way to
  help children learn to read the sight word, zoo.)
• Keep it fun and make a big deal about it when she succeeds. If she’s frustrated or is struggling, let it go for now köpa priligy.

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Fluency

What is it?

Fluency is the ability to read words smoothly, at a good pace, and with expression. Here’s an example. If a character is very excited, the reader’s voice should sound excited, too. The child should not have to stop to sound out each word; the words should flow smoothly.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Make your voice match the feeling of the story to show your child how it sounds to read with expression. Bring your personality to your reading—it makes it more fun for both of you.
• As your child begins to read more words with more confidence, you can trade off pages as you read out loud together. This will balance her own practice with hearing you model what it sounds like to be a smooth, expressive reader.

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Vocabulary

What is it?

Vocabulary is the dictionary in your child’s mind. The more word meanings your child knows the larger her vocabulary.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Talk with your child often and in a meaningful way. Help them learn new words about the world around them. (“You really look exhausted today! Do you know what exhausted means? It means really tired. You look exhausted and very tired today.”)
• Read to your child often. Research shows that children’s books expose kids to a much broader range of vocabulary words than they would otherwise hear in conversation. And there’s a direct link between the number of words a child goes into school knowing and how well that child does in school.
• Encourage your child to express himself clearly and completely. Ask him questions that will help him open up and explain his ideas in detail. The more he speaks, the stronger his vocabulary.

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Comprehension

What is it?

Comprehension is understanding what a story is all about. Here’s an example. Being able to identify the main characters in a story, talk about what they do and how they feel, and explain what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of a story are all important parts of reading comprehension.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Talk with your child about what you are reading. Ask questions about the important things that are happening in a story, and help them make connections. (“Didn’t we read another story about cats last week? What do you remember from that book? I wonder if we will learn something new about cats from this one.”)
• Have fun with this process; don’t feel like you have to drill your child with questions on every page. Just have a conversation about the parts of the story you think are interesting.

Preschoolers are busy learning and growing at an incredible pace every day. You’re probably noticing big changes in your little one’s speech—kids this age often have a deeper understanding of their world than we think. Other times, they make hilarious mistakes with words and other concepts!

Learning to read is a huge job, and it involves several key parts. Here’s an overview of what goes into the process and how you can help your preschooler head to school with a firm foundation of essential reading skills.

1. Hears and identifies beginning sounds. (“What sound do you hear at the beginning of lap?” “llll!”) Be sure to say the sound of the letter rather than its name when talking with your child about this idea. In this example, you would say the lll sound rather than the name of the letter L.
2. Thinks of other words with the same beginning sound. (“Can you think of other words that start with the llll sound? How about light, leg, etc.” Then let your child brainstorm.)
3. Begins to understand that words are made up of different sounds that come together.
   Phonics
4. Each letter has its own special look and sound.
5. Recognizes many letters in print (Four-year-olds often recognize 12-15 letters.)
6. Recognizes the letters in their first name
7. Connects several letter names and their sounds. (“That’s an N! The letter N makes the nnnnn sound.”)
   Fluency
8. Because young children do not yet read independently, they are not fluent readers. Fluency comes with time and practice.
   Vocabulary
9. Young children are building their vocabulary at a very rapid pace.
10. Preschoolers should talk in sentences and be able to explain their ideas and thoughts—even though sometimes it’s a struggle.
    Comprehension
11. Ask and answer questions about stories that are read out loud.
12. Use pictures in books to understand what is happening—and use them to make a prediction about what might happen next.
13. Make connections between what happens in a book and their own lives. (“Hey, one time I woke up late, too!”)
14. Understand the important message of a story. (“Those friends really showed how much they love each other. That was so kind.”)

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Phonemic Awareness

What is it?

• Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller chunks of sound. These units of sound are called phonemes.
• Here’s an example: the word bat is made of three phonemes: the sounds /b/, /a,/ and /t/. When kids know that these three sounds are part of the word bat, they are showing that they have phonemic awareness.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Reading stories out loud with lots of rhyming words helps build phonemic awareness. Dr. Seuss books are perfect for this.
• Ask your preschooler to rhyme. (“Let’s see how many words we can think of that rhyme with ball!”)
• Practice not just letter names, but also letter sounds (“What is the name of this letter?” “M!” “Great job. Do you know what sound the letter M makes?” “Mmmmm!”)

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Phonics

What is it?

• Phonics connect the knowledge of sounds (also called phonemes) to letter symbols.
• Here’s an example: The letter X looks like “X” and makes the sound ks.”

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Point out letters and talk about their sounds every once in a while you read. This is easy to do if you are reading an alphabet book but can be done with any story. Sesame Street’s The ABCs of Cookies and Dr. Seuss’s ABCs are great books for this activity.
• Talk about the letters and sounds you see in your everyday life together. (“See that stop sign? What letter does the word stop start with? What sound does the letter S make?”)
• When your child knows many letters she sees and can say their sounds, start to talk about how letters work together to build words. (“Let’s look at this word. What sound does the first letter make?” “Nnnnn.” “Great! What about the second letter?” “Ohhh.” “You got it. Let’s put them together. Nnnnn . . . ohhhh . . . those letters make the word no!”) Keep this practice casual and fun!
• Start your child on a phonics learn to read program like the one from Hooked on Phonics, download a mobile app such as the Hooked on Phonics app which includes a section called ‘The Big Reading Show’, especially for preschoolers or Hooked on Phonics Online.

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Fluency

What is it?

• Fluency is the ability to read words smoothly, at a good pace, and with expression.
• Here’s an example. If a character is very excited, the reader’s voice should sound excited, too. The child should not have to stop to sound out each word; the words should flow smoothly.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Make your voice match the feeling of the story to show your child how it sounds to read with expression. Bring your personality to your reading—it makes it more fun for both of you.

Vocabulary

What is it?

• Vocabulary is the dictionary in your child’s mind. The more word meanings your child knows the larger her vocabulary.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Talk with your child often and in a meaningful way. Help him learn new words about the world around him. (“Wow, look at this beautiful leaf. Did you know that leaves grow on trees and come off in the autumn? Autumn is another word for the season of fall.”)
• Read to your child often. Research shows that children’s books expose kids to a much broader range of vocabulary words than they would otherwise hear in conversation.
• Encourage your child to express himself clearly and completely. The more he speaks, the stronger his vocabulary.

Comprehension

What is it?

• Comprehension is understanding what a story is all about.
• Here’s an example. Being able to identify the main characters in a story, talk about what they do and how they feel, and explain what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of a story are all important parts of reading comprehension.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Talk with your child about what you are reading. Ask questions about the important things that are happening in a story, and help them make connections. (“This barn looks like the one we saw last week! Do you remember that?”)
• Have fun with this process; don’t feel like you have to drill your child with questions on every page. Just have a conversation about the parts of the story you think are interesting.

A mother was reading to her child from a zoo book before his nap. As they were flipping through the pages of the book, the child points to a picture and proudly says,
“Look Ma! It’s a frickin’ elephant!”
Trying to hide her shock, Mom takes a deep breath and asks, “What did you call it?”
“It’s a frickin’ elephant, Ma! It says so on the picture!”
Mom reads the caption under the photo . . .  And so it does . . .
African Elephant

I have to admit. This one made me laugh.

We’ve all heard the jokes about how teaching phonics causes people to become bad spellers. “Heck! The word phonics can’t even be spelled phonetically. It doesn’t start with an f!”

Believe me, I get it. There are so many irregular spellings in the English language how is any kid–let alone one with reading challenges–supposed to learn to spell?

You may be surprised to hear that, from an educational perspective, research shows that a strong foundation in phonics actually helps children learn to spell. Despite all of the irregular spellings in the language, which children will have to learn, instruction in letter-sound correspondence (phonemic awareness) and learning the basic phonetic rules help children learn to be better spellers.

Louise Spear-Swerling wrote a peer-reviewed article with some tips on how to teach spelling to children with disabilities. Here are some highlights:

Suggestions for teaching spelling to students with Learning Disabilities

1. Provide systematic phonics instruction that incorporates teaching of phonemic awareness. Although this kind of instruction alone will not be enough to make students flawless spellers, phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge form an essential base for accurate spelling in English.

2. Teach common irregular words from the earliest stages of spelling. It is virtually impossible to generate a complete sentence without common irregular words such as of, what, and were. Therefore, it is important to begin teaching these kinds of words early, as one part of a more comprehensive spelling program. Multisensory techniques involving repeated tracing and saying of words can be especially helpful for introducing irregular words . . .”

3. Teach useful spelling rules. Although many English words do not conform to consistent rules, some generalizations are very helpful to students, such as rules for adding endings to words with a silent e (make, making) or to closed syllables that end in a single consonant (sit, sitting).”

Here’s a link to Louise Spear-Swerling’s complete article, Spelling and Students with Learning Disabilities in LD Online: The Educator’s Guide to Learning Disabilities and ADHD.

But I like a good spelling joke as much as the next person. So, please feel free to Tweet your phonics spelling jokes to me @HookedonPhonics.

Examples of sources

Peer-reviewed journal articles:

Bruck, M. (1990). Word-recognition skills of adults with childhood diagnoses of dyslexia. Developmental Psychology, 26, 439-454.

Cunningham, A. E., & Stanovich, K. E. (1991) Tracking the unique effects of print exposure in children: Associations with vocabulary, general knowledge, and spelling. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 264-274.

Greene, J. (1996). Language!: Effects of an individualized structured language curriculum for middle and high school students. Annals of Dyslexia, 46, 97-121.

Invernizzi, M., Abouzeid, M., & Gill, T. (1994). Using students’ invented spelling as a guide for spelling instruction that emphasizes word study. Elementary School Journal, 95, 155-167.

Other helpful sources:

Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Ehri, L. C. (1998). Learning to read and learning to spell are one and the same, almost. In C. Perfetti, L. Rieben, & M. Fayol (Eds.), Learning to spell: Research, theory and practice across languages (pp. 237-269). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Moats, L. C. (1995). Spelling: Development, disability, and instruction. Timonium, MD: York Press.

Moats, L. C. (2000). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Co.

Treiman, R., & Cassar, M. (1998). Spelling acquisition in English. In C. Perfetti, L. Rieben, & M. Fayol (Eds.), Learning to spell: Research, theory and practice across languages (pp. 61-80). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Hooked on Phonics was developed by literacy experts and has continually evolved through the years using current research on the most effective methods for teaching children how to read.

Becoming a Nation of Readers

In response to the National Institute of Education’s landmark report, Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the National Commission on Reading, Hooked on Phonics took to heart the committee’s conclusions in creating its reading programs. Specifically, that:

1. 1. Parents play an important role in laying the foundations of learning to read.
   2. Parents have an obligation to support their children’s continued growth as readers.
   3. Kindergarten programs should stress oral language and writing as well as the beginning steps of reading.
   4. Phonics instruction improves children’s ability to identify words.
   5. Reading primers should be both interesting, comprehensible, and instructive.
   6. Both oral and silent reading are important for the beginner.

The Hooked on Phonics White Paper outlines the specific ways in which the Commissions’ recommendations were used to develop and refine Hooked on Phonics’ reading programs.

COMMON CORE

The reading programs from Hooked on Phonics also provide systematic instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness, aligning it with Common Core Reading Foundational Skills in use across the United States.

The specific Common Core Reading Skills Hooked on Phonics addresses are:

Print Concepts

Understanding the organization and basic features of print.

Phonological Awareness

Demonstrating an understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

Phonics and Word Recognition

• The basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
• Being able to associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
• Reading common high-frequency words by sight.
• Being able to distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

National Institute of Education (1985), Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the National Commission on Reading. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education

1. It doesn’t discriminate.

   Research shows that phonics instruction produces significant benefits for children of all ages, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

2. It builds phonemic awareness.

   This is the #1 predictor of a child’s early reading ability-understanding how words are made up of sounds. For example, the letter c says “c,” and the word cat is made up of the sounds /c/, /a/, and /t/, blended together make the word cat.

3. It helps with word recognition.

   Exposing children to words both in isolation and in context helps achieve effortless word recognition, also called automaticity.

4. It helps with print exposure.

   Simply put, children who have more opportunities to read (and be read to) are more likely to acquire the building blocks of reading-fast, automatic word recognition and decoding skills.

5. Every child is different.

   While some kids can read a word once and then recognize it later on, most kids need to read a word 4-8 times in a short period of time before it becomes automatic. Others may need 15-20 exposures. The phonics method offers those opportunities.

6. It provides opportunities for “just-right” reading.

   Kids need the chance to read books that are tied to their independent reading level, meaning the books can be read with 90-95% accuracy. This allows kids to be able to focus on the specific skill being taught.

7. It helps build confidence.

   With the phonics method, even young kids can fairly quickly learn to “read” a “just-right” book on their own—often for the first time. This success makes kids feel proud and gets them to start to think of themselves as readers.

8. It boosts self-esteem.

   Don’t kid yourself. Learning to read is hard. It doesn’t come naturally for everyone. Phonics gives children a tool that breaks down the process of learning to read into bite-sized, doable chunks. Kids who can feel successful through their own efforts are more likely to have higher self-esteem.

9. It helps with spelling.

   Studies show that kids who are able to break down the sounds that make up words (called decoding) are better at spelling.

10. It allows children to read for meaning.

    Research shows that giving kids to opportunities read books with a high percentage of familiar patterns (phonics) allows kids to focus on comprehending and understanding the story, instead of decoding words.

Read more about the Research Behind Hooked on Phonics.

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