What is a phonic approach to reading?

An alphabetic, phonic approach to teaching reading has been used for centuries. In the 19th century, this kind of approach began to be called "phonics". Since then it has been further developed and modified. Today a phonics approach is used in varying degrees in most reading methods.

A phonic approach to reading is an approach that teaches the relation of the letters (graphemes) to the sounds (phonemes) they represent to teach reading. (Halvorson 1992)

The theory behind the phonic approach is based on two assumptions:

• Most languages have consistent phoneme (sound) to grapheme (letter) correlation
• Once learners have learned the relationships of the letters to the sounds, they can pronounce printed words by blending the sounds together. (Aukerman 1984)

Here are some examples of phonic approaches:

• Laubach primer page sample
• Phonics primer page sample
• Most alphabet charts
• Many alphabet books

• The Laubach Literacy International instructional program
• How to teach phonics through writing

• Aukerman 1984
• Bomberger 1992
• McCormick 1988

• Concept module: phonic approach to reading
• In overview module: Glossary (Literacy): P
• In modular book: Glossary of literacy terms
• In document collection: Reference materials
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 26 August 1999

© 1999 SIL International