Phonics Instruction

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I hope you've had a chance to review the lessons teachers have posted as part of Session 2. You'll discover favorite titles from Dr. Seuss, nursery rhymes, songs, poems, and others. Playing with rhyming, rewriting texts, and using drama are a few ideas you'll discover.

Overview
In this workshop I will define the term "phonics," focus on classroom activities that support phonics teaching, and share helpful resource materials that can support your instruction.

Phonics is a hot educational issue, and has become a political issue as well. In fact, the phonics controversy has been debated for over 50 years! Most early literacy educators agree that phonics is important for emergent readers and writers. How phonics should be taught is the area of disagreement. I believe a knowledge of phonics is necessary to both reading and writing in a balanced literacy program.

Phonics refers to an understanding of the relationship of letters and sounds as they are used in writing and reading. It is learning about how letters and sounds work in words.

Learning Center: The First Week
Helps teachers developing a clear idea of what they hope to gain from using learning centers and explains how to prepare accordingly.

Staff Workshop Instructions: Building Family and Community Relationships
Instructions are presented for teachers in building family and community relationships. One of the goals is to design ways of supporting and empowering families and communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships. Also see "Teacher Handout: From - Building Family and Community Relationships."

Staff Workshop Teacher Handout: Early Years Are Learning Years - Eight Ways for Young Children to Be Smart
Stone expresses eight ways for young children to be smart. Various intelligences discussed include logic smart, person smart and nature smart. For more information, see "Workshop Topic: Recognizing Individual Learning Styles", linked to this page.

BOOK INFORMATION	Amelia Bedelia Young readers find this eager-to-please housekeeper, who takes all her instructions literally, as charming and irresistible as Amelia Bedelia's employers do. Expressive illustrations of the well-intentioned and warm-hearted Amelia's comical mishaps complement the light and humorous tone.