There are several important points to keep in mind when teaching phonics:

• teach phonics within a context by using a real text as a starting point. Avoid giving isolated phonics exercises.
• use stories, rhymes, songs and poems which contain words with the same sounds. Avoid very artificial texts.
• use text which have repetitive sections but make sure they appeal to the learners' interests.

There are many ways to make the teaching of phonics an enjoyable part of classroom learning. The procedures highlighted below show one possible way of using a phonics approach.

If you are planning to use a story, poem, song or rhyme, see if it contains a phonic element which could be exploited.

• identify the phonic element within the text (e.g. initial consonants + 'at' ) and decide which letters and words you will use for teaching purposes.
• choose tasks/ activities (see Steps 3 & 4)
• prepare any materials needed

There are many ways of introducing the text to the learners, e.g. read the text to the learners, read it together with them, let learners read it independently.

The purpose of this stage is to give learners the opportunity to hear the sound of the words, to see them in a natural context and to say them aloud.

Draw learners' attention to the sound to be dealt with. This can be done in many ways e.g.

• mask off the surrounding text to show the key word, draw learners' attention to it, let them practise saying it
• ask learners to find words which rhyme with the key word
• use word wheels to practise identifying and saying words
• use word / sentence holders and letter / word cards to practise making words and sentences which contain the same sound

Step 4 learners working independently

Learners also need the opportunity to work in small groups, pairs or individually to experiment using the words and sounds. There are many phonic tasks and games that learners can be given e.g.

• paper and pencil: Phonic bingo, word search, crossword
• matching games: Match words to words, words to pictures
• card games: Snap, happy families, dominoes
• sorting games: Sort pictures according to sounds
• board games: Snakes and ladders

It is important that learners are given the chance to experiment using the new words in different settings e.g.:

- provide learners with a new song or rhyme;

• learners change one or two lines, or
• learners change the rhyming words, or
• learners add extra rhyming verses that follow the same pattern

- draw pictures, write captions using words with the same sound.