Basic Phonemic Approaches

• Relationships between the sounds of English and the letters or

combination of letters that produce them.
• Guidelines for using the phonics approach
1. Before a child begins to work on phonics, make sure he has a large listening
vocabulary and is able to see and hear differences in letters and sounds.
2. Begin phonics instruction after your pupils have begun to read, using the
look and say method (sight words).
Outline of the phonics approach
1. Introduce units of sound starting with the vowel sounds. Begin with
the short vowels.
2. Introduce the consonants (e.g. l, c, m, r) a few at a time.
3. Teach pupils to sound combinations of the consonants and vowel
they have learnt, e.g. /ra/ /ru/
4. Teach pupils to join syllables together to form simple words. E.g.
m at m an f all c an c at
 5. Get pupils to identify letter group and to sound them. The main
sounds the pupils will have to learn:

Consonant sounds Vowel-consonant

Vowel sounds (/e/, Consonant blends
combinations
/i/) (/c/, /p/) (/cl/cr/sp/spr/)
(/bu/bo/be/ba/)

Diagraphs Dipthongs Common sound

(/wh/ch/ck/sh/) (/oi/ou/ow/) patterns (-all, an, -at)

6. Get pupils themselves to break up words into appropriate letter

blends or syllables:
oc/cur stu/dent
 Sample activities for teaching phonics -
Crosswords
• Can be introduced quite simply by using just four letters to show the
principle.
a.
 Sample activities for teaching phonics -
Crosswords
b. The next stage might be to ask for consonants to be inserted.

c. Later simple crosswords can be found giving simple clues. These

might be in pictorial form at first.
 Sample activities for teaching phonics -
Ladders
• Can be made with the sound required
shown at the top.
• As the children think of suitable words,
they are printed on the rungs, starting
at the bottom.
• Groups can play competitively by taking
turns on several ladders, the first group
to reach the top of the ladders, being
the winner.