Teaching Phonics for Writing Skills
Phonics is the basis of reading instruction. But it’s also equally as important for kids to develop writing skills! Knowing alphabetical letter-sound correspondences is crucial for both reading and writing proficiently. The science of reading has shown that systematic, explicit phonics instruction is essential for literacy development—reading and writing included. Teaching phonics for writing in addition to reading is a pedagogical standard that should not be overlooked.
In this article, you’ll learn why phonics instruction is important for writing, how it works, and what strategies you can implement when helping children become competent writers.
The Connection Between Phonics and Writing
If you’ve ever watched a kindergartener or first grader try to write a word on paper, you likely noticed they sound out the word phonetically, trying to figure out how it’s spelled. Through phonics instruction, they are learning how sounds correspond to alphabetical letters and put these new skills to work through decoding and encoding.
Decoding (for reading) is the process of combining sounds to sound out a whole word. For example, to read an unfamiliar word such as ‘flat,’ the reader would say each individual letter sound and then blend them to decode the word: ‘ffff-llll-aaa-t… flat.’
Encoding (for spelling) is a similar process but in reverse. Students break down spoken words into their individual sounds and then spell them out. If a child were to try to write the word sun,’ they would segment the word into individual sounds, and then match each speech sound (phoneme) to the letters (grapheme): /s/ /u/ /n/.
In reading and writing, phonemic awareness plays a crucial role. It’s the ability to recognize, identify, and manipulate individual speech sounds, all of which are necessary for blending sounds together or segmenting (breaking down words into parts). Whenever a child tries to read or write an unfamiliar word, they’re using phonemic awareness.
Applying Phonics Skills to Writing
As students’ phonics skills improve, their spelling typically becomes more fluent and accurate. As transcription skills develop, students are able to connect new words into writing sentences, paragraphs, and eventually full stories. They spend less time struggling with basic spelling and can focus more on scribing their ideas. Additionally, an increased proficiency in spelling often leads to greater confidence in writing and a willingness to tackle more complex writing tasks.
Before writing fluently, though, children must go through systematic phonics instruction that teaches them the simplest concepts and moves on to more complex rules. For beginners, phonics skills that apply to writing activities include:
- Letter-sound correspondence: Students learn the basics of how letters and letter combinations represent sounds. Again, this is fundamental to both reading and writing. This knowledge allows children to make informed choices when spelling words.
- Blending and segmenting: Blending is when students combine individual letter sounds to decode words in print. Segmentation involves breaking words into their “parts,” with a knowledge of phonics rules.
- Phoneme manipulation: Confidently repeating, adding, deleting, and substituting word sounds while spelling helps children apply their knowledge to writing.
- High-frequency words: Children who can recognize and spell common words automatically improve their fluency and accuracy when writing.
All of these phonics skills work together during writing development. Through systematic teaching and reinforcement, children build a strong foundation for both reading and writing.
Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction for Writing
Just like reading, learning to spell and write also requires systematic, direct instruction. This follows the principles known today as the science of reading. It also follows a scope and sequence that young students can follow to learn phonics foundations, patterns, and rules.
When teaching phonics to build students’ writing skills, you’ll first prioritize strong letter-sound correspondences. As children grasp more phonics concepts, move into more complex rules.
Instruction begins with single-letter sounds and then moves on to digraphs, vowel teams, and eventually more advanced spelling patterns. This progression equips students to develop a solid foundation. Include writing activities in phonics lessons to reinforce the connection between phonemic sounds and alphabetical letters. For instance, after introducing a new letter, have students practice writing multiple words that contain that sound.
Keep in mind that explicit instruction means you must clearly explain and model phonics rules in writing. Clearly show your learners how to use phonics knowledge to spell words, and then give them plenty of opportunities for guided practice. Encourage students to verbalize their thought processes as they write, reinforcing the encoding process.
Be consistent with these principles. To reinforce concepts, maintain a regular practice of activities including:
- Multisensory techniques: Use sand trays or shaving cream for tactile letter formation practice and lighthearted spelling practice.
- Word building: Use magnetic letters or letter tiles to build words on the whiteboard with the class or with your child at home.
- Chaining: Change one letter at a time in spelling practice to show the connection between words. For example, the words ‘tip’, ‘top’, ‘tap’ create a word chain.
- Dictation exercises: Start with individual words, then progress to phrases and sentences.
- Interactive writing games: Play “Phonics Hangman” and other group writing games that focus on sounds and spelling patterns.
- The Writing Rope: Similar to Scarborough’s Reading Rope, Joan Sedita’s Writing Rope highlights the “strands that weave together to skillful writing.” The Writing Rope can be helpful in phonics instruction, keeping your focus on the ultimate goals of writing in light of the science of reading.
A systematic teaching strategy makes phonics instruction for writing more engaging and effective, helping children repeatedly practice their phonics knowledge in writing contexts. Remember to adjust the difficulty level based on your student’s needs and progress.
Challenges in Writing Instruction
Beginner readers and writers often struggle with several phonics concepts. For example:
- Irregular spellings: You have to teach kids about irregular words that don’t follow regular phonics rules. These tricky words don’t follow regular spelling patterns that can be easily decoded. Examples: ‘are,’ ‘where,’ and ‘two.’
- Homophones: One of the trickiest things for kids to learn is homophones—words that sound the same but mean different things and contain different spelling. Explicitly teach these words in context to differentiate between words that sound the same but are spelled differently (e.g., ‘their’ vs. ‘there’).
- Silent letters: Words with silent letters can be hard for kids to learn. Introduce silent letters intentionally, emphasizing their importance in spelling despite not being pronounced (for example, ‘climb,’ ‘answer,’ ‘knife’).
Through these common challenges, follow an explicit instructional approach and always encourage a growth mindset with your students. Emphasize your confidence in your students’ development and their ability to master these exceptions as they grow into skilled writers.
Resources for Teaching Phonics to Kids
Effective phonics instruction is essential for developing strong writing skills. By implementing systematic, explicit phonics teaching for reading and writing, you help children become confident, capable writers.
Use evidence-based strategies and phonics resources to make the learning process an engaging and effective part of your literacy instruction. To learn about the best phonics tools for the classroom and the home, check out the resources at Phonics.org!
