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Picture a class of kindergarteners singing the alphabet song, and teaching phonics seems as easy as one-two, three, A, B, C, right? In a Fresh Look at Phonics, Wiley Blevins explains why it can get tricky, and then delivers a plan so geared for success, that teachers, coaches, and administrators will come to see owning this book as a before and after moment in their professional lives.
In this amazing follow up to his renowned resource, Phonics From A-Z, Wiley uses the data he has collected over two decades to share which approaches truly work, which have failed, and how teachers can fine-tune their daily instruction for success.
You will learn to focus on the seven critical ingredients of phonics teaching that produce the greatest student learning gains: readiness skills, scope and sequence, blending, dictation, word awareness, high frequency words, and reading connected texts. Then, for each ingredient, Wiley shares:
In a final section, Wiley details the ten common reasons instruction fails and shows teachers how to correct these missteps regarding lesson pacing, transitions, decodable texts, writing activities, assessment and more. A Fresh Look at Phonics is the evidence-based solution you have been seeking.
Wiley Blevins, Ph.D., is a world-renowned expert on early reading, and author of the seminal book Phonics From A-Z among many other works. He has taught in both the United States and South America, and regularly trains teachers throughout Asia. He holds a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University, and has worked with numerous educational scholars, including Jeanne Chall, Isabel Beck, Marilyn Adams, Louisa Moats, and Dianne August, and others.
Section 1: The Key Ingredients for Phonics Success
SUCCESS INGREDIENT 1: READINESS SKILLS
SUCCESS INGREDIENT 2: SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
SUCCESS INGREDIENT 3: BLENDING
SUCCESS INGREDIENT 4: DICTATION
SUCCESS INGREDIENT 5: WORD AWARENESS ACTIVITIES (WORD BUILDING AND WORD SORTS)
SUCCESS INGREDIENT 6: HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS
SUCCESS INGREDIENT 7: READING CONNECTED TEXT
PLUS ONE MORE ESSENTIAL SUCCESS INGREDIENT: YOU!
Section 2: 10 Common Causes of Phonics Instruction Failure
INTRODUCTION
REASON 1: INADEQUATE OR NONEXISTENT REVIEW AND REPETITION
REASON 2: LACK OF APPLICATION TO REAL READING AND WRITING EXPERIENCES
REASON 3: INAPPROPRIATE READING MATERIALS TO PRACTICE SKILLS
REASON 4: INEFFECTIVE USE OF THE GRADUAL RELEASE MODEL
REASON 5: TOO MUCH TIME LOST DURING TRANSITIONS
REASON 6: LIMITED TEACHER KNOWLEDGE OF RESEARCH-BASED PHONICS ROUTINES AND LINGUISTICS
REASON 7: INAPPROPRIATE PACING OF LESSONS
REASON 8: NO COMPREHENSIVE OR CUMULATIVE MASTERY ASSESSMENT TOOLS
REASON 9: TRANSITIONING TO MULTISYLLABIC WORDS TOO LATE
REASON 10: OVERDOING IT (ESPECIALLY ISOLATED SKILL WORK)
CLOSING THOUGHTS
REFERENCES
"When Wiley Blevins wrote his first book on teaching phonics 20 years ago I thought that it was one of the most practical approaches to teaching this foundational reading competency. It may seem like a cliche, but Wiley has outdone himself with this book! In A Fresh Look at Phonics he provides teachers and others interested in effective phonics instruction with a comprehensive and practical guide to making phonics instructions work for all students, all year. Just as the title promises, Wiley provides us with a truly fresh way of thinking about how phonics plays out in classrooms."
- Timothy Rasinski, Professor of Literacy Education, Kent State University
"Wiley combines the latest research and his own years of trusted know-how to provide educators with a timely trove of high impact tools they can readily use to deliver world-class phonics instruction. A Fresh Look at Phonics is sure to be another must-have, well worn classic."
- Janiel Wagstaff, Literacy coach and author of Booster Lessons, K-2
"I devoured this book! Who would have thought that a book on phonics would be a page-turner? It's quick, practical, and teacher friendly and yet comprehensive enough to be a refresher course for experienced teachers and the needed foundation for teachers new to teaching beginning readers. I can't wait to share this teachers with whom I work in professional development - they are going to love the clear links to reading, writing, and spelling. My favorite feature? The broad scope and sequence that pairs with guided reading instruction and provides links back to phonics lessons."
- Judy Lynch, Teacher and author of Easy Lessons for Teaching Word Families
"Wiley Blevins' fresh take on phonics is a must-read for anyone looking to improve phonics instruction. He boils phonics down into critical ingredients and supports teachers in the ever-important process of reflection. The book gives professional learning communities the tools needed to turn common instructional failures into effective, timeless practices."
- Caroly Banuelos, Danielle James, and Elise Lund, Literacy coaches and authors of Puzzle Piece Phonics
