Education Board Expected to OK Phonics Rules

Kindergarten: Match all consonant and short-vowel sounds to appropriate letters.

First grade: Generate sounds from letters and letter patterns, including consonant blends, and long- and short-vowels, and blend them into recognizable words.

Second grade: Compare and contrast plots, settings and characters presented by different authors.

Third grade: Use the context of words and sentences to find the meaning of unknown words.

Teaching strategy

Review previously introduced letter-sounds and introduce new ones. Model unfamiliar sounds, provide an opportunity for students to match the sounds and then review.

Provide enough time for students to "put the sounds together." Students will orally blend individual letter-sounds in words and then say the whole words.

Begin instruction by reviewing the elements of an individual story in which students identify setting, characters, problems and sequence of events. If students have difficulty with specific elements, provide further practice with other stories.

Invite students to suggest other words or passages that can provide clues to the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Ask students to suggest synonyms, and substitute these words in the sentence to see if the meaning changes.

Source: California Department of Education