Phonics & Reading

We encounter language in four basic ways: hearing, speaking, reading and writing. The first form by which language comes to us is hearing—before we are able to express language, we hear it used by those around us. Eventually children learn to speak themselves, and by the time they learn to read the average child has a spoken or oral vocabulary of 400-500 words. The larger the child's oral vocabulary, the easier it will be for him to learn to read.

The transition between spoken and read language comes when a child begins to realize the symbols he sees all around him—on road signs, in the hymnal, on the cereal box—represent the words he hears and speaks. Learning to read is simply learning to decipher these symbols in context.

Phonics is the study of the relationship between letters and the sounds they make. A child who learns to read phonetically learns to understand written language based not on the mere appearance of words on the page, but based on the sounds and oral vocabulary he already knows. Phonetic instruction provides the most thorough foundation for understanding written language because it builds upon prior naturally acquired knowledge, rather than setting up a brand-new learning paradigm that can ultimately confuse and frustrate students.

Of course, there is good and bad phonics instruction. Good phonics instruction is the result of pairing an understanding of Phonics Facts with a good Phonics Habit. Phonics facts are the sounds letters make alone or in combination, also called phonograms. A good Phonics Habit entails the ability to read and pronounce phonograms correctly by recalling them from oral memory.

Without a firm grasp of Phonics Facts and a solid Phonics Habit, a person is limited to reading only words he can memorize. No one can memorize every word in the English language, but with phonics a student can read virtually any word he encounters, whether he has seen or heard the word before or not.

Teaching a child to read well takes time; the purpose is not simply to be able to let the child loose as soon as possible, but to provide him the proper tools for unlocking language on his own. The rewards of teaching your child to read are some of the greatest you'll ever have academically—you can almost see his mind waking up as the whole realm of learning opens before him. Basically all knowledge is made available by the ability to read, not just of science and history, but knowledge of God and His people, and the offer of this to your child is one of the greatest gifts you'll ever provide.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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ABC's and All Their Tricks
by Margaret M. Bishop
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Abigail Takes the Wheel
An I Can Read Chapter Book
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All About Reading Level 3 - Teacher Manual
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Amazing Circus of Phonograms: Act 1
by Mary Jo Nyssen
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Amazing Circus of Phonograms: Act 2
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Amazing Teeth Designed by God
by Eric Lyons
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Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor
by Herman Parish
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Amelia Bedelia and the Baby
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Amelia Bedelia and the Cat
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Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping
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Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
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Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
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Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
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Amelia Bedelia Under Construction
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Amelia Bedelia's Family Album
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I Can Read! Level 2
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Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm
by Herman Parish
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American Language Series K - Reader Set
American Language Series
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$74.96
And I Mean It, Stanley
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$5.99
Animal Hospital
DK Eyewitness Readers Level 2
by Judith Walker-Hodge
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$3.99
Arthur's Honey Bear
An I Can Read Book Level 2
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At the Farm
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Bad Puppy
by Margo Lundell
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Bad Seed Goes to the Library
I Can Read! Level 1
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Step Into Reading Level 4
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BibleWise Books
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Barney's Horse
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by Lily Wood
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Bats, Cats, and Rats
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by Joyce Milton, illustrated by Joyce Moffatt
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All Aboard Reading - Station Stop 2
by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, illustrated by Neecy Twinem
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Beautiful Stories for Children
by Michael McHugh
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Bed for the Winter
DK Readers Level 1
by Karen Wallace
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Beginning Reasoning & Reading - Teacher's Guide / Answer Key
by Joanne Carlisle
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A Step into Reading Book Level 3
by Richard Scarry
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Best Trick
by Rebecca Lewis
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Beyond Phonics: Word Pattern Stories - Text
by Nancy D. Nelson
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Bible Stories to Read
by Martha Rohrer
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-Kindergarten
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Big Ball of String
by Marion Holland
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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Big Max
An I Can Read Books Level 2
by Kin Platt
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Billy Sunday
by Elaine Cunningham
from A Beka Books
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Biscuit Goes to School
by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
from HarperCollins
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Bob Books Collection 3
from Scholastic Reference
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Bob Books Collection 6
by Lynn Maslen Kertell, illustrated by Dana Sullivan
from Scholastic Reference
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Bones
Step Into Reading: Step 2 (Reading with Help)
by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Davy Jones
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-1st grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Boys and Girls of Colonial Days
by Carolyn Bailey
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
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Bravo, Amelia Bedelia!
by Herman Parish
from Greenwillow Books
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Bread and Jam for Frances
I Can Read! Level 2
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Buddy, the First Seeing Eye Dog
by Eva Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
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Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express
by Eleanor Coerr
from HarperCollins
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Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
DK Eyewitness Readers Level 2
by Jennifer Dussling
from DK Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
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Bugs, Beetles, and Butterflies
Puffin Science Easy-to-Read Level 1
by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Lisa Flather
from Puffin Books
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Building a New Nation - Reader
from Christian Liberty Press
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Buster the Very Shy Dog in the Great Bone Game
Green Light Readers Level 3
by Lisze Bechtold
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Busy Buzzy Bee
DK Eyewitness Readers Level 1
by Karen Wallace
from DK Publishing
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Call for a New Alphabet
by Jef Czekaj
from Charlesbridge
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynn Sweat
from HarperTrophy
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Captain Cat
by Syd Hoff
from HarperCollins
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Children of the Covered Wagon
by Mary Jane Carr
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-5th grade
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$16.75
Choppers!
Step into Reading Level 4
by Susan E. Goodman
from Random House
for Grades 2-3
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$5.99
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 1
by Florence Bass & Julie McNair Wright
3rd edition from Christian Liberty Press
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$13.35
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 2
by Julia McNair Wright
3rd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 2nd grade
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$13.35
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 2 (old)
by Julia Wright
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 2nd grade
in Old Edition Reading (Location: OREAD)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 3
by Julie McNair Wright
3rd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 3rd grade
in CLP Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-CLP)
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 4
by Paul Lindstrom & Edward Shewan
3rd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 4th grade
in CLP Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-CLP)
$13.35
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 5
by Wendy Kramer
4th edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 5th grade
in CLP Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-CLP)
$13.35
Clara and the Bookwagon
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nancy Smiler Levinson
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
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$4.99 $2.50 (2 in stock)
Classical Phonics
by Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Memoria Press First Start Reading (Location: PHO-MP)
$19.45
CLE Primer Series Book 1
by Luanne D. Yeager, Ruth Hobbs, Dorothy Nisly
from Christian Light Education
in Christian Light Reading (Location: REA-CLE)
CLE Primer Series book 2
by Luanne D. Yeager, Ruth Hobbs, Dorothy Nisly
from Christian Light Education
for Preschool-1st grade
in Christian Light Reading (Location: REA-CLE)
CLE Primer Series Book 3
by Luanne D. Yeager, Ruth Hobbs, Dorothy Nisly
from Christian Light Education
for Preschool-1st grade
in Christian Light Reading (Location: REA-CLE)
CLE Primer Series Book 4
by Luanne D. Yeager, Ruth Hobbs, Dorothy Nisly
from Christian Light Education
for Preschool-1st grade
in Christian Light Reading (Location: REA-CLE)
Clouds
by Marion Dane Bauer, Illustrated by John Wallace
from Simon and Schuster
for 1st-2nd grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Clues to Comprehension, Grades 5-6
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 5th-6th grade
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Colorful Journey Through the Land of Talking Letters
by Mary Jo Nyssen
from MOM-BA-BOOKS
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in Miscellaneous Phonics (Location: PHO-MISC)
$13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Help Your Child Learn to Read Book
by Sherry Ann Perry
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Creating the Best Literacy Block Ever
by Deborah Camp, Gayle Morrison, Maryann Manning
from Scholastic Reference
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Crime Busters
Dorling Kindersley Readers - Level 4 Proficient Readers
by Andrew Donkin
from DK Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
D-Day Landings
DK Readers Level 4
by Richard Platt
from DK Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
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$4.99
Daily Phonics Grade 3
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd grade
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Daily Phonics Grades 4-6
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 4th-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Phonics (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 1
1st edition from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st grade
in Evan-Moor Reading Comprehension (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 2
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 2nd grade
in Evan-Moor Reading Comprehension (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 3
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd grade
in Evan-Moor Reading Comprehension (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 4
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 4th grade
in Evan-Moor Reading Comprehension (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 5
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 5th grade
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Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 6+
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 6th-8th grade
in Evan-Moor Reading Comprehension (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daniel
BibleWise Books
by Carine Mackenzie
from Christian Focus Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in BibleTime & BibleWise Books (Location: EAR-BTW)
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