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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54 Items found Print
Active Filters: Kindergarten (Ages 5-6), Hardcover, Used Books & Materials
All About Reading Level 1 - Reader 2
by Marie Rippel
Color Edition from All About Learning Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in All About Reading (Location: PHO-AAR)
$22.95 $15.00 (1 in stock)
All About Reading Level 1 - Reader 3
by Marie Rippel
Color Edition from All About Learning Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in All About Reading (Location: PHO-AAR)
$22.95 $15.00 (1 in stock)
All About Reading Pre-Reading - Reader 1
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in All About Reading (Location: PHO-AAR)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
All About Reading Pre-Reading - Reader 2
by Marie Rippel, Renee LaTulippe
from All About Learning Press
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in All About Reading (Location: PHO-AAR)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Arthur's Christmas Cookies
I Can Read! Level 2
by Lilian Hoban
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Case of the Cat's Meow
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Crosby Bonsall
from Weekly Reader
Mystery/Suspense for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Cat in the Hat Comes Back
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Caterpillars and Butterflies
Usborne Beginners
by Stephanie Turnbull
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Cows Can Moo! Can You?
Cat in the Hat's Learning Library
by Bonnie Worth, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Danny and the Dinosaur
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Syd Hoff
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Danny and the Dinosaur
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Syd Hoff
from Sandy Creek
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Danny and the Dinosaur
by Syd Hoff
1981 reprint from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Dr. Seuss's ABC
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Flowers
Usborne Young Beginners
by Emily Bone, illustrated by Samara Hardy
from Usborne
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Gollywhopper Egg
by Anne Rockwell
from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Green Eggs and Ham
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Green Eggs and Ham
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Henry and Mudge
Ready-to-Read Level 2
by Cynthia Rylant, Sucie Stevenson
from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Ready-to-Read (Location: EAR-R2R)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
How Flowers Grow
Usborne Beginners
by Emma Helbrough
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$4.24 $2.40 (1 in stock)
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Is a Camel a Mammal?
Cat in the Hat's Learning Library
by Tish Rabe
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Johnny Lion's Book
by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Weekly Reader
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Knitting Knights
2nd edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$15.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Let's Get Turtles
by Millicent Selsam, illustrated by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little Bear
by Maurice Sendak
Book Club from Weekly Reader
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
LOE Foundations B - Teacher's Manual
2nd edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$44.99 $25.00 (1 in stock)
LOE Foundations C - Teacher's Manual
3rd edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$54.99 $32.00 (1 in stock)
Marigold and Grandma on the Town
by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Mary Chalmers
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Mat Man: Hats
by Jan Z. Olsen, illustrated by Molly Delaney
from Learning Without Tears
for Preschool-1st grade
in Handwriting Without Tears (Location: HAN-WOT)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Mat Man: On the Go
Mat Man
by Jan Z. Olsen, illustrated by Molly Delaney
from Learning Without Tears
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Handwriting Without Tears (Location: HAN-WOT)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Mat Man: Opposites
by Jan Z. Olsen, illustrated by Molly Delaney
from Learning Without Tears
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Handwriting Without Tears (Location: HAN-WOT)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $3.20 (2 in stock)
My First Nature Reader
The Good and the Beautiful My First Readers
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Kindergarten
in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA)
$8.08 (1 in stock)
My, Oh My—a Butterfly!
by Tish Rabe
from Random House
for Preschool-1st grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Off to the Races
by Fred. Phleger, M. Phleger
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
On the Moon
Usborne First Reading Level 1
by Anna Milbourne, illustrated by Benji Davies
from Usborne
for Preschool-1st grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Out of Sight Till Tonight!
Cat in the Hat's Learning Library
by Tish Rabe, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Pancakes, Pancakes!
Ready-to-Read Level 1
by Eric Carle
from Simon Spotlight
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Ready-to-Read (Location: EAR-R2R)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Pictorial Primer
for Nursery-1st grade
in McGuffey's Readers & Other Primers (Location: REA-MCG)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Planet Earth
by Leonie Pratt
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$4.24 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Safari, So Good!
Cat in the Hat's Learning Library
by Bonnie Worth, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Snow
by Philip.D. Eastman, Roy Mc Kie
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Some of Us Walk, Some Fly, Some Swim
I Can Read It All By Myself
by Michael Frith
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Turtles
by Bertie A. Stewart and Gordon E. Burks; illustrated by William Hutchinson
from Golden Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Two Good Friends
by Judy Delton, illustrated by Giulio Maestro
from Weekly Reader
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
We Dig Worms!
Toon Level 1: Giggle and Learn
by Kevin McCloskey
from Toon Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Wish for a Fish
Cat in the Hat's Learning Library
by Bonnie Worth
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Wolfie
I Can Read Books
by Janet Chenery
from Harper & Row
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Would You Rather Be a Pollywog?
Cat in the Hat's Learning Library
by Bonnie Worth, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cat in the Hat's Learning Library (Location: EAR-CAT)
$3.60 (1 in stock)