The University of Iowa

Phonics and Word Recognition

Definition of Component1

  • Students can represent sounds with letters2
  • Students can decode and encode words
  • Students can recognize high frequency words automatically

Overview of Skills

  • Read and spell consonants, blends, and digraphs
  • Read and spell long and short vowels and vowel combinations
  • Read and spell high frequency words
  • Recognize and apply knowledge of orthographic patterns
  • Read and spell words by analyzing their parts

English Learner and Bilingual Footnotes

1 Before beginning word reading instruction, EL and bilingual children must have at least basic oral abilities in English. ELs will require extra practice and support for phonics development, but mastering these skills is important to ELs’ success in more advanced literacy instruction.

2 Spanish grapheme-phoneme correspondences are very regular. Students initially tend to decode and encode words using their Spanish sound system. These “errors” can persist for many years and require patient and explicit instruction as well as ample opportunities for students to practice reading, writing, and speaking in English.

Grade 3 Students

Decode and encode words by using advanced phonics patterns (RF.3.3; L.3.2)

  • Read and spell words with multiple sound-spelling patterns (e.g., eigh, ough)
  • Read and spell words with 3-4 syllables

Apply morphological knowledge (RF.3.3)

  • Read and spell words with the inflectional endings (-“ing,” “-er,” “-est”) that require changing the “y” to “i”"
  • Read and spell words with derivational suffixes that produce phonological shifts (e.g., “magic” → “magician,” “prefer” → “preference”)
  • Use word meaning and order in the sentence to confirm decoding efforts

Develop sight word knowledge (RF.3.3; L.3.2)

  • Read and spell grade-appropriate, high frequency irregular words (e.g., “thought,” “enough,” “sometimes”)
Grade 2 Students

Decode and encode complex one- and multi-syllable words (RF.2.3; L.2.2)

  • Use context to recognize when the vowel digraphs “oo” and “ea” are making their different sounds
  • Read and spell regular multisyllabic words of all 6 syllable types: closed syllables, open syllables, VCe syllables, vowel teams (including diphthongs), r-controlled syllables, and final stable syllables
  • Decode words using knowledge of basic syllable division patterns such as VC/CV, V/CV, and CVC/VC
  • Read and spell compound words (e.g., "sandbox," "cupcake")

Apply morphological knowledge (RF.2.3)

  • Read and spell words with contractions and possessives
  • Read and spell words with high frequency prefixes (e.g., “un-,” “re-,” “dis-“)
  • Read and spell irregular plurals (e.g., feet)
  • Read and spell words with the inflectional endings (“-ing,” “-er,” “-est”) that require doubling a consonant or dropping the silent-e

Develop sight word knowledge (RF.2.3; L.2.2)

  • Read and spell grade-appropriate, high frequency irregular words (e.g., "always," "because")
Grade 1 Students

Decode and encode words using letter-sound knowledge and syllable types (RF.1.3; L.1.2)

  • Read and spell regular one-syllable words with closed syllables, open syllables, VCe syllables, vowel teams (including diphthongs), and r-controlled syllables
  • Recognize when the consonants “c” (/s/ and /k/), "g" (/g/ and /j/), “s” (/s/ and /z/), and “x” (/k/s/ and /z/) make their different sounds
  • Read and spell different representations of common vowel sounds (e.g., long a: a, a-e, ai, ay)
  • Read and spell words with initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, and trigraphs

Apply morphological knowledge (NA)1

  • Read and spell words with the inflectional endings “-ed,” “-s,” and “–es”

Develop sight word knowledge (RF.1.3; L.1.2)

  • Read and spell grade-appropriate, high-frequency irregular words (e.g., "then," "walk") 

English learner and bilingual footnotes

1 It is common for ELs not to pay attention to morphology, particularly the endings of words. Instead, ELs may concentrate on meaning only (i.e., the root or base of words). Therefore, teachers need to draw students’ attention to the form of the morphemes in English and how they convey verb tenses and plurals.

Kindergarten

Decode and encode words using letter-sound knowledge and blending (RF.K.3; L.K.2)

  • Decode simple vowel-consonant words (VC) and consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words
  • Spell simple VC and CVC words
  • Know the common sound of each consonant
  • Know the long and short sounds of vowels

Develop sight word knowledge (RF.K.3; L.K.2)

  • Read and spell grade-appropriate, high frequency irregular words (e.g., "have," "of," "said") from research-based lists