Phonics and Spelling Books

	Phonics and Spelling Books

Phonics Books and Programs

Phonics Pathways by Dolores Hiskes
A good book for new reading students. It can also be used for remedial students. Website: Dorbooks

A Beka
A great phonics program that also includes handwriting practice. The readers are not predictable, so they are great for reinforcing sounding out habits and not creating bad word guessing habits. Website: A Beka

Rx for Reading: Teach them Phonics by Dr. Ernest Christman
A great book for remedial students. It was developed by a father whose son had been taught to read with whole word methods.

We All Can Read by James Williams
Another good book for remedial students. It uses nonsense words. Website: We All Can Read

The Writing Road to Reading by Romalda Spalding
This book uses spelling to teach reading. It is probably the best book to use for both remedial and new students; however, it is very difficult to understand. You will have to study the book for several hours to be able to use this method.

Reading with Phonics by Hay and Wingo (c. 1950's, hard to find, but get the used edition, not the newer 1978 edition)
This book is fun to use for both new and remedial students. The way the letters are colored make it easy to see how the phonics works. Also, the stories are really funny. They're definitely not P.C.

Right Track to Reading by Miscese Gagen
Great for both remedial and beginning students. The remedial text has well designed spelling lessons at the end of the phonics lessons. Website: Right Track Reading

Blend Phonics by Hazel Loring.
An easy to use method that can be used for whole class instruction or one-on-one. Plus, it's free online from Don Potter!

The American Spelling Book by Noah Webster
Continue the tradition used succesfully by American children over the ages. As a bonus, it teaches spelling and reading at the same time, so there is no need for a separate spelling curriculum. Plus, it's free online from Don Potter!

Read, Write, and Type and Wordy Querty (computer programs)
These are a bit expensive, but you can download a demo for free to see if you think it will be worth spending the money. My daughter loved "playing" Read, Write and Type and "played" it for 8 months before she realized it was educational! The benefit of these programs is that a student can work through them on their own without help. I haven't tried Wordy Querty yet, but Don Potter has used it successfully with some of his remedial reading students.

Synthetic Series of spelling and reading by Rebecca S. Pollard. This is an excellent series that is free online from Google Books. It makes use of lovely songs and pictures, and is a delightful, well designed method. It will take a bit of time to get used to the method, but is well worth the effort. Pollard herself in her Synthetic Speller states, "Observe this order of presenting the work

1st. Blackboard drill.
2d. Marking and pronouncing from Speller.
3d. Marking and reading from Primer or 1st Reader"

Or, you can start with her First Book for Little Folks. "By combining in one book all of the work for the first year, it is believed that the author's plan of instruction is made more apparent to the teacher, and that the work is put in more convenient form for the pupil.” The First Book for Little Folks includes references to page numbers in Pollard's Manual for each lesson.

Spelling Books

Spelling Made Simple by Stephen V. Ross
This book organizes like words together and also includes useful spelling rules.

How to Teach Any Child to Spell by Gayle Graham
Explains how to categorize words by phonetic patterns and teach a student to spell using their own misspelled words. Website: Common Sense Press Spelling

Tricks of the Trade by Gayle Graham
The companion Spelling Notebook for Graham's book above, for students to write and categorize words they misspell in nicely set up categories. Website: Common Sense Press Spelling

Spelling Plus by Susan Anthony
This book is rule based and very efficient because it focuses on 1000 words that are most important to learn to spell, the most commonly used words and the most frequently misspelled words. For those that need to use a word in a sentence, not just work on lists of words and rules, the author has a companion book, Spelling Dictation.

The American Spelling Book by Noah Webster
Continue the tradition used succesfully by American Children over the ages. As a bonus, it teaches spelling and reading at the same time. Plus, it's free online from Don Potter!

Easy Steps in Spelling by M.W. Hazen
A good spelling book for beginners that organizes like words together. Plus, it's free online from Google Books!

Pollard’s Complete Manual: Synthetic Method of Reading and Spelling by Rebecca S. Pollard
Pollard's Synthetic Speller by Rebecca S. Pollard
Pollard's Advanced Speller by Rebecca S. Pollard

Reference Books

The ABC's and All Their Tricks by Margaret Bishop
A great reference book for phonics and spelling. Worth owning if you're serious about teaching phonics and spelling. This book shows the primary sound of each letter and letter combination along with some common exceptions. It also shows how often each sound is used based on a word count of the most common 17,000 words. For example, ie as long e: it lists some common words with ie as long ie, then states that "71 words have ie in a stressed syllable, where the long e sound is clear. 6 words have ie within a root in an unstressed syllable, where the vowel sound is often muffled." Then, it lists exceptions: friend (short e) and sieve (short i).

The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists by Edward Fry, Jacqueline Kress, and Dona Fountoukidis
While they do include some whole language ideas, this is still an excellent reference book overall with a good phonics section. If you are going to home school or teach phonics to more than one child, this book is worth buying.

Other

Why Johnny Can't Read and What You Can Do About It by Rudolf Flesch
Rudolf Flesch first wrote Why Johnny Can't Read in 1955. This book criticized whole word methods and advocated a return to phonics. In 1985, he updated the book with the original info plus a section of phonics lessons. This is his updated book. If you want to know a little more about how we got into the reading difficulties we're currently in, this is the book to read.

One warning about Flesch's book: it is quite negative and sarcastic. While this is understandable due to his 30+ years of trying to get phonics into schools with only limited success, William Wilberforce showed that it is possible to persevere in a positive manner. Wilberforce fought against slavery for 18 years in Parliament. I believe that we should be, like Wilberforce, positive voices for truth.

Online
The web is jam-packed with phonics information!

The National Right to Read Foundation
This site is especially helpful. They have an online reading grade level test and tons of other useful phonics info. The NRRF also has a list of good books and videos you can use to learn phonics.

The Reading Store.
Another good site with phonics information. Their phonogram and sound charts make useful reference charts.

Children of the Code.
A lot of interviews with reading experts, and information on reading, neuroscience, and learning.

Valderbooks
Free online written phonics lessons.

The Sounds of English
A very useful website with all the sound spelling patterns of English so you can make your own lessons of the sounds your student need more help with--a great follow on to any phonics program. It is also useful for spelling practice.

Starfall
Free online animated phonics lessons with sound. Very fun for children.

Don Potter's Education Page
A wealth of information about phonics and spelling. Also includes several free phonics lessons in written and audio format. Too many great, free phonics resources to list!