Teaching Emergent Readers via the Synthetic Phonics Approach

This 30 slide presentation discusses aspects involved in skilled reading for emergent readers. It will outline emergent reader profiles, describe the limitations of the “sight word approach”, list the terminology of common phonics terms, discuss instructional practices relevant for readers with intellectual impairments, as well as explain the importance of systematic phonics for emergent readers. Additional topics will include phonics goal formation, strategies for blending sounds, the benefits of decodable readers as well as free resources educators can use in order to implement synthetic phonics approach effectively with emergent readers.

Objectives:

• At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

1. Discuss aspects involved in skilled reading
2. Describe emergent reader profiles
3. Outline the limitations of the “sight word approach”
4. Identify that even emergent readers with intellectual disabilities can benefit from phonics instruction
5. Explain the importance of systematic phonics for emergent readers to read

Slide Content:

• Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986)
• The Reading Rope (Scarborough, 2001) and the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986)
• Who are Emergent Readers
• Limitations of Sight Words Approach
• Which Words are NOT Even Sight Words
• Emergent Readers with Intellectual Disability
• The Role of Phonics in Teaching Children with ID to Read
• Synthetic vs. Analytic phonics
• More on Synthetic Phonics
• Why are synthetic phonics important?
• Select Phonics Vocabulary Terms
• Phonics Goals
• The Importance of Mapping Sounds
• Early Phonics Goals Suitable for Emergent Readers
• Sample Session Structure
• Mapping Sounds to Improve Executive Function Abilities
• Mapping Sounds from Simple to More Complex
• Why Mapping Sounds is Difficult
• Approaches to Blending Sounds
  • Blending 2 and 3 Sounds Together
  • Tips for CVC Blending Challenges
• Decodable Books
• Free Decodable Readers Collection Links
• Conclusion
• References
• Helpful Related Smart Speech Therapy Materials