Question: What is phonics, or "the code"?

Answer: Phonics is a system for teaching children the sounds that letters represent (i.e., the sound-symbol correspondences such as sh, ch, th, ck, qu, ce, ai, ou, etc). There are dozens of different phonics programs, some available for purchase by parents and many more used by teachers in school. There are 44 sound-symbol correspondences and they constitute the "code." When ham radio operators learn the Morse code, they are able to decode messages. They have learned to automatically translate the sounds they hear into letters of the alphabet.

The alphabetic code works the same way. When children can shift back and forth between the sounds and symbols, they can decode (read) or encode (spell). Without the code, the printed page looks like Greek or Hebrew or Japanese looks to those of us who haven't learned those languages. Once a child knows the code, he can then blend sounds together to make words and begin to read simple books. Once your child is blending simple words, encourage him to do a lot of oral reading, at least 15 to 20 minutes a day. Try echo reading, in which you read a line and then he reads the same line. Or have him read the same story over and over to increase accuracy and fluency. Try "popcorn reading," in which you begin to read and your child "pops" in and continues to read until you "pop" back in.