The Science of Reading Simplified
Do you know The Silent Signs of Reading Struggles? Get the Guide!
You know that moment when a kindergartner proudly sings the alphabet song, but then struggles to use those same letters to read a simple word? I was just talking about this with a group of teachers during our planning meeting, and it sparked such an interesting discussion about teaching letter names and sounds.
One teacher shared how her students knew all their letter names but froze when asked about sounds, while another wondered if she should focus on sounds first since that’s what kids need for reading.
Let me tell you – I’ve been there! When I first started teaching, I wasn’t sure which should come first either. But here’s what years of working with teachers and diving into research has taught me about letter names and sounds: it’s not actually an either/or situation. Let me explain why.
I love what literacy expert Louisa Moats says about this. She points out that many of us have been teaching “the code backwards” – starting with letter names and then trying to connect them to sounds. Think about it: if a child only knows that squiggly symbol is called “w,” they’re not any closer to knowing what sound to make when they see it in a word.
But don’t toss those letter names out the window! They’re actually super important too. Try explaining to a five-year-old which sound /k/ makes in “cat” without being able to say “the letter c.” Not so easy, right? That’s why teaching letter names and sounds together makes so much sense.
The research is crystal clear – kids learn best when we teach letter names and sounds as a dynamic duo. I saw this play out beautifully in a kindergarten classroom last week. The teacher was introducing letter names and sounds through a morning routine that had her kids totally engaged. For each letter, they’d say its name, make its sound, and do a little movement. The excitement was contagious!
Okay, here’s something that might surprise you – that tried-and-true “letter of the week” approach? It might actually be slowing our kids down. I know, I know – I used it for years myself! But here’s the thing: research shows kids can handle learning three new letter names and sounds per week, as long as we keep practicing the ones we’ve already taught.
One of my favorite teachers completely transformed her morning routine around this idea. Instead of spending a whole week on one letter, she introduces three new letter names and sounds each week, but – and this is key – she starts every morning with a quick, fun review of all they’ve learned so far. Her kids are making incredible progress, and they’re having fun doing it!
So how do we actually do this? Let me share some strategies that I’ve seen work wonders:
Start with your kids’ names. There’s nothing more motivating than learning the letters in your own name! I watched a first grader absolutely beam with pride when she recognized that her name, Jennifer, started with the same sound as “jump.” Names give us the perfect opportunity to connect letter names and sounds in a meaningful way.
Give them something they can hold on to. When teaching letter sounds, start with the ones that they can stretch and hold – we call these “continuous sounds.” At the beginning, it’s a lot easier to demonstrate and for kids to practice sounds they can hold. This is also true when your students start to blend sounds to read words.
Think frequency. Letters like ‘e’, ‘t’, and ‘a’ show up everywhere in kids’ books. They’re like the celebrities of the alphabet – familiar faces that kids get excited to recognize! Starting with these common letters helps build confidence quickly.
Use letter-sound connections that make sense. Some letters practically teach themselves because their names contain their sounds – think ‘b’ or ‘m’. Others (hello, ‘w’!) need a little more support. This is where being strategic with our letter names and sounds instruction really pays off.
Here’s one of my absolute favorite tricks: embedded mnemonics. Fancy term, super simple idea. It’s just turning letters into pictures that show their sounds. Picture an octopus curled into an ‘o’ shape, or a snake curved into an ‘s’. One teacher I work with has her kids make up little stories about each letter-picture, and they remember them for months!
Let’s be real – some kids are going to need more practice with letter names and sounds, and that’s totally okay. I worked with a student recently who was really struggling with these connections. We started using movement along with our practice – jumping for letter names, clapping for sounds – and something just clicked. Sometimes it’s about finding that just-right approach for each kid.
I had another student who needed extra support with both letter names and sounds. We created a special “alphabet detective” game where she would hunt for letters in her favorite books and practice both the name and sound when she found them. The pride on her face when she started recognizing those letters in her own writing was absolutely priceless!
Here’s what I’ve seen work really well in classrooms:
Remember, you know your kids best. Some might zoom through learning letter names and sounds, while others need more time and practice. That’s completely normal! The key is keeping it engaging and meaningful while making those connections crystal clear.
Teaching letter names and sounds isn’t about picking one over the other – it’s about helping kids make those crucial connections that will set them up for reading success. And from what I’ve seen in countless classrooms, when we teach them together, that’s when the magic happens.
Give teachers the science-backed tools they need to help every student become a confident reader.
I’m so glad you’re here!
You’ve noticed something isn’t quite right. A student who struggles during read-alouds, avoids writing, or works twice as hard for half the results. Your instincts are telling you something – but what’s next? Download my free 5 Silent Signs of Reading Struggle to identify what you’re seeing and know exactly what to do about it.
If you’re like me and love to keep learning, these are the resources that have earned their keep on my crowded bookshelf—each one offering practical wisdom for our literacy instruction.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you have been holding the question of teaching phonics at a distance because you are afraid the answer is that you have to choose — between rigor and joy, between the science and the classroom you have built — Carol’s story is the clearest answer I know to that fear.
If you have built something real in your classroom and you are wondering what teaching phonics systematically would do to everything you’ve carefully built — Carol’s story is the one I keep coming back to. Not because it ends perfectly. Because it ends honestly.
If there’s one question I hear constantly in my literacy coaching sessions, it’s this: “How much time should I really be spending on teaching phonics?”
Trust me, you’re not alone in wondering this. As teachers, we’re constantly juggling competing priorities within those precious instructional minutes. And with the renewed emphasis on the Science of Reading, many of us are reevaluating our literacy blocks, especially when it comes to effective phonics instruction.
Grab your free lesson plan!