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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40 Items found Print
Active Filters: Kindergarten (Ages 5-6), Saddle-stitched
ABC Book of Bible People
by Martha Fisher, illustrated by Peter Balholm
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Bible Stories for Early Readers (Location: EAR-BIB)
ABC Book of Bible People
Bible Stories for Young Readers series #3
by Martha Fisher, illustrated by Peter Balholm
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
ABC Book of God's Creatures
Little Jewel Books
by Mary M. Landis, illustrated by Lester Miller
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Alpha-Phonics First Readers Set
by Samuel L. Blumenfeld
from Storehouse Press
for Preschool-4th grade
in Miscellaneous Phonics (Location: PHO-MISC)
Bats, Cats, and Rats
A. P. "Learn to Read" Series (Level 1)
by Dave Miller
from Apologetics Press
for ages 4-6
in Clearance: Readers (Location: ZCLE-READ)
$2.50
Beginner Books Box B
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
Beginner Books Box C
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
Beginner Books Box D
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
Bible Numbers
Bible Stories for Young Readers series #1
by Martha Fisher, illustrated by Peter Balholm
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Bible Sermons
Bible Stories for Young Readers series
by Martha Fisher, illustrated by Peter Balholm
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Doodling Dragons - Phonogram Coloring Book
2nd edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Ducks, Bucks, and Woodchucks
A. P. "Learn to Read" Series (Level 1)
by Dave Miller, Ph.D.
from Apologetics Press
for ages 4-6
in Clearance: Readers (Location: ZCLE-READ)
$2.50
First Start Reading Storybook A
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Memoria Press First Start Reading (Location: PHO-MP)
$8.15
First Start Reading Storybook B
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Memoria Press First Start Reading (Location: PHO-MP)
$9.25
First Start Reading Storybook C
by Cheryl Lowe
from Memoria Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Memoria Press First Start Reading (Location: PHO-MP)
$9.25 $6.50 (2 in stock)
God Gives Us Work
by Sharon See, illustrated by Donna Kauffman
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
God's Gifts
by Mary M. Landis, illustrated by Edith Burkholder
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Home Start in Reading
by Ruth Beechick
from Arrow Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
Job
Bible Wise Books
by Carine Mackenzie, illustrated by Fred Apps
from Christian Focus Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in BibleTime & BibleWise Books (Location: BIBR-BTW)
McCall-Crabbs Book A
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Riggs Institute
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
McCall-Crabbs Book A
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Teachers College Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
McCall-Crabbs Book B
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Teachers College Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
McCall-Crabbs Book C
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Riggs Institute
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
McCall-Crabbs Book C
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Riggs Institute
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
McCall-Crabbs Book D
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Teachers College Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
McCall-Crabbs Book D
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Riggs Institute
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
$7.00 (4 in stock)
McCall-Crabbs Book E
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Teachers College Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
McCall-Crabbs Book E
by William McCall & Lelah Crabbs
from Riggs Institute
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension (Location: REACOM-MC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Morning on the Farm
Little Jewel Books
by Ruth Ann Rudolph
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
My O'Clock Book
Little Jewel Books
by Alta Fox, illustrated by Lydia Crawford
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Play By the Sea
by Wanda Sanseri
from Back Home Industries
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Spell to Write and Read (Location: PHO-SWR)
Primary Phonics 1A - Storybook Starter Set
by Barbara W. Makar
from Educators Publishing Service
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Primary Phonics (Location: PHO-PRIM)
Sing, Spell, Read & Write Phonetic Reader 10
Raceway Step 23B
by Sue Dickson
from International Learning Systems, Inc.
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Old Edition Reading (Location: OREAD)
$3.00 (3 in stock)
Snails, Quails, and Whales
by Dave Miller, Ph.D.
from Apologetics Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Clearance: Readers (Location: ZCLE-READ)
$2.50
Storms
National Geographic Kids Level 1
by Miriam Busch Goin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Thinking About Mac and Tab - Teacher's Guide
by Karen L. Smith
from Educators Publishing Service
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Primary Phonics (Location: PHO-PRIM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Three Happy Days
by Edith Witmer, illustrated by Edith Burkholder
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Time at Home
Christian Liberty Phonics Reader #3
by Florence Lindstrom
from Christian Liberty Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in CLP Adventures in Phonics (Location: PHO-CLP)
$6.50
Weather
National Geographic Kids Level 2
by Kristin Baird Rattini
from National Geographic
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in National Geographic Early Readers (Location: EAR-NGR)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
When the Cows Got Out
Little Jewel Books
by Dorothy Koch, illustrated by Heather Richey
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)