Standard 2: Reading Foundations

Students will develop foundational skills for future reading success by working with sounds, letters, and text.

PHONICS AND WORD STUDY: Students will decode and read words in context and isolation by applying phonics and word analysis skills.

2.2.PWS.1 Students will decode one- and two­- syllable words by using their knowledge of:

• single consonants, including those with two different sounds

         (e.g., soft and hard c [cent, cat] and g [gem,goat])

• consonant blends (e.g., bl, br, cr)

• consonant digraphs and trigraphs (e.g., sh-, -tch)

• vowel sounds:

• long

• short

• “r”­ controlled vowels (e.g., ar, er, ir or, ur)

• vowel spelling patterns:

• vowel digraphs (e.g., ea, oa, ee)

• vowel-consonant-silent-e (e.g., lake)

• vowel diphthongs (vowel combinations having two vowel sounds e.g., oi as in boil, oy as in boy)

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will decode phonetically regular words using knowledge of consonant sounds, blends, digraphs, trigraphs, short and long vowel sounds, and vowel patterns. 

•  Teachers use phonics to teach sounds of letters and groups of letters.

• Teachers explain principles that govern the sounds and spelling patterns of regular decodable words.

• Teachers model using knowledge of phonics and phonics rules to decode words.

• Teachers provide students opportunities to apply knowledge of phonics and principles to decode words in isolation and in texts.

• Teacher monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback to help students successfully decode regular words.

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights 

Teaching Decoding by Louisa C. Moats (PDF)

FCRR:  Word Work Activities (PDF)

FCRR:  Vowel Team Activities (PDF)

TPRI:  Graphophonemic Knowledge Activities (webpage to PDFs)

West Virginia Reading First Explicit Phonics Lessons (PDF)

Explicit, Systematic Phonics Lessons, Scope & Sequence Materials (webpage)

Reading Rockets:  Phonics Instruction (webpage)

Reading Rockets:  The Value of a Multisensory Approach (webpage)

• Explicit, systematic approaches to phonics instruction include the following:

• Preplanned scope and sequence

• Easy to more difficult

• Cumulative reviews

• Guided to independent practice

• Word sorts give students exposure and experience with words that contain a specific spelling pattern.

• Consonant blends are two to three consonants that appear together in a word. The consonants in blends retain their original sound and are blended together when decoding a word.  

• A diphthong is a sound made by combining two vowels, specifically when it starts as one vowel sound and goes to another.

• A digraph is a combination of two letters representing one sound, as in ph and ey.

• A trigraph is a combination of three letters representing one sound, as -tch and sch-.

• r-controlled - A syllable with er, ir, or, ar, or ur. Pronunciation of the vowel usually changes before /r/.

• vowel silent e - A syllable with a long vowel, spelled with one vowel + one consonant + silent e.  Com-pete, des-pite

• Word sorts give students exposure and experience with words that contain a specific spelling pattern.

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.