When you lead a classroom of young learners, the responsibility to teach them the skills to read can be overwhelming. Different teachers have different solutions. Some prefer to only read aloud and have children memorize sight words. Other teachers prefer phonics instruction. However, for teachers unfamiliar with phonics, the idea can seem scary.
However, phonics is the best way to teach reading because it’s simple to understand for both teachers and students. In fact, pre-k phonics works for children as young as three. In addition, there are several ways to incorporate phonics lessons into your classroom without having to take an entire course on it yourself.
Here are five basic things everyone should understand about phonics.
1. Pre-K phonics is scaffolded
One of the best reasons to use phonics is because it is scaffolded. In other words, it goes step by step. Every activity carefully prepares the child for the next activity. This step-by-step approach helps kids to feel safe and confident when they’re learning to read.
This is why phonics works so well for early learners. They never receive more information that they can handle.
2. Pre-K phonics is backed by reading science
Since the 1970s, teachers have debated the best way to teach reading. The so-called “Reading War” grew so intense that the government had to intervene! Finally, the National Reading Panel conducted its own research and concluded that phonics was the best way to teach reading in schools. Unfortunately, many teachers still do not implement phonics.
If you’re a pre-K teacher, this means that it’s time to start teaching phonics to your young learners! Professor Pup’s Academy is an excellent way to incorporate phonics and also works comfortably for teachers who have not learned phonics for themselves. This is because our lessons are all fully designed for you, so there is almost no additional work in building the lessons themselves.
3. Pre-K phonics works for children as young as three
The early years are the best years to teach children new skills. Children are born wired to speak – but they are not born wired to read. We have to teach those skills to children one step at a time. Pre-K phonics focuses on just that. It starts on the simplest skills – like hearing and saying the sounds at the beginning of words. As children grow, they build on those early skills, like phonemic awareness, to become strong readers.
4. Pre-K Phonics teaches skills that children use as adults
Phonics starts small, but each step builds toward lifelong skills. For example, the practice of “sounding out words” actually stems from phonics. Technically called segmenting and blending, students learn how to separate larger words into smaller groups of letters. Then, they determine the phoneme for those letters. Finally, they blend all the sounds together in order to attempt the pronunciation of the sound. Blending and segmenting is something we do every day, even if we don’t realize it!
5. Pre-K phonics is not boring
Many people who don’t understand Pre-K phonics assume that it takes the fun out of reading. Contrary to this belief, Pre-K phonics is not boring! In fact, students learn an assortment of skills that make them excited to learn how to read. Students who learn to read through phonics feel energized, powerful and capable of reading all on their own. They get to explore new literature and love the feeling of independence.
Get Pre-K Phonics from Professor Pup’s Academy
At Professor Pup’s Academy, we want to make high quality education accessible for every teacher, parent and child. Professor Pup’s programs are kid-friendly, easy-to-use and highly effective.
For preschoolers, we suggest starting with Professor Pup’s Phoneme Farm. It provides 49 unique lessons on phonemes, the building block of phonics. Children play through engaging games that teach all the pre-K phonics skills. Professor Pup and his friends guide children through every activity, encouraging and supporting them every step of the way. Kids also enjoy delightful songs, colorful scenery and a dance party and the end of each lesson!
Learn more about using Professor Pup’s Academy on our School Edition page. We offer a free 30-day trial, so you have lots of time to see how it works in your classroom.