Picture a class of kindergarteners singing the alphabet song, and teaching phonics seems as easy as one-two, three, A, B, C, right? This book explains why it can get tricky, and then delivers a plan so geared for success, that teachers, coaches, and administrators will come to see owning this book as a before and after moment in their professional lives. In this amazing follow up to his renowned resource Phonics From A-Z, the author uses the data he has collected over two decades to share which approaches truly work, which have failed, and how teachers can fine-tune their daily instruction for success. You will learn to focus on the seven critical ingredients of phonics teaching that produce the greatest student learning gains- readiness skills, scope and sequence, blending, dictation, word awareness, high frequency words, and reading connected texts. Then, for each ingredient, the author shares: activities, routines, word lists, and lessons that develop solid foundations for reading; ideas for differentiation, ELL, and advanced learners to ensure adequate progress for all learners; help on decodable texts, what not to over-do, and what you can't do enough of for your students' achievement; and interactive Day Clinic
activities that facilitate teacher self-reflection and school wide professional learning. In a final section, the book details the ten common reasons instruction fails and shows teachers how to correct these missteps regarding lesson pacing, transitions, decodable texts, writing activities, assessment and more. This book is the evidence-based solution you have been seeking.