Making Sense of Phonics

Like the prior edition, this is a much-needed 'how-to' for classroom teachers that also warrants close attention from education professors and literacy coaches. No other book so thoroughly (but succinctly) summarizes the history of phonics instruction, explicates its role in reading development, and offers such a wealth of ideas for assessment, curriculum, and instruction. Call it 'one-stop shopping' for this pivotal issue in reading instruction! This is a book that preservice and inservice teachers will turn to repeatedly, long after purchase. It is a great text for undergraduate methods classes and reading endorsement master's classes, as well as a resource for professional learning communities.--Kathleen J. Brown, PhD, Director, University of Utah Reading Clinic I recommend this second edition as a text for preservice and inservice teacher education courses. The book not only demonstrates how to teach a variety of phonics strategies, but also explains why the strategies need to be taught this way. Teachers will appreciate the examples of students' misconceptions, as well as the word lists and assessment tools in the appendices.--Barbara R. Foorman, PhD, Francis Eppes Professor of Education and Director, Florida Center for Reading Research, Florida State University I am certain that teachers--and all professionals interested in making sure children learn to read well--will find this book thought provoking and invaluable. The seminal research presented is rigorous yet highly accessible, and is illustrated with instructive, entertaining anecdotes. The new and expanded chapters in the second edition provide an eloquent picture of the challenging tasks that young children face as they learn to read, and show how to help them surmount these challenges.--Carol McDonald Connor, PhD, Learning Sciences Institute and Department of Psychology, Arizona State University -

Isabel L. Beck, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Before starting her career at the university, she was a public school teacher, and has taught most elementary grades. Dr. Beck's work has been acknowledged by awards from the International Reading Association, the National Reading Conference, and the American Federation of Teachers, among others. Most recently she was elected to the National Academy of Education. Mark E. Beck, MEd, is a reading specialist at Manchester Academic Charter School in Pittsburgh, where he works with children in grades K-5. After practicing law for 14 years, Mr. Beck changed careers, obtaining his Pennsylvania elementary teaching certification and working as a classroom teacher. Subsequently he obtained his reading specialist certification. He has also been a part-time instructor in the Reading Department in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh.

1. Situating Phonics Instruction 2. The Alphabetic Principle and Phonics 3. Phonemic Awareness: A Bit of a Different Take 4. The Phonics Landscape 5. Teaching Children the Sounds That Letters Represent 6. Blending 7. Word Building 8. Assessment 9. Multisyllabic Words 10. Syllasearch 11. Orthography: A "Sticking Point" in Word Recognition 12. Automaticity Appendix 1. Word Building Lists Appendix 2. Specific Phonics Assessments Appendix 3. Word and Syllable Matrices for Syllasearch Appendix 4. The Word Pocket Appendix 5. List of Online Materials Glossary