Do you teach Pre-K, Kindergarten, First, or Second Grade? Have you been formally trained in teaching phonics? The majority of teachers who teach those grade levels have little to no phonics training. For me, I took ONE class in college where everything about phonics was squeezed into one semester. It was mainly focused on balanced literacy and I didn't even learn about phonemic awareness! It took me years of reading and learning about phonics, other teachers sharing what they know, and seeing what worked with my students to see what actually worked. I want to share my top suggestions for must read phonics books that will help improve your phonics instruction with your students.
A Fresh Look at Phonics by Wiley Blevins
The holy grail of phonics books in my opinion! This was one of the first books I read to learn more about phonics instruction and when everything really clicked for me. I've reread it twice, highlighted throughout, and constantly refer back to it. I also included it on my top 3 professional and personal development books for teachers list here because I swear by it. If you need a starting point to learn more about phonics instruction, this is it!
No More Teaching a Letter a Week by Rebecca McKay and William H Teale
Do you teach a letter per week? Find out why you shouldn't stick to this outdated teaching approach with this book. I have an amazing guest post from Littles Love Learning where you can read more about the book here.
Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics by Donald Bear
This book focuses mainly on word work strategies and ideas to use in your classroom. It includes a mix of phonics, spelling, and vocabulary practice, so you can make sure you are hitting all three areas. Plus this book isn't just for early elementary (Kindergarten through Second Grade) educators, but upper elementary through high school strategies are included too!
The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Servallo
If you need a quick and easy lesson or activity, this is your go to reference guide! I love being able to find an activity that works in no time at all, with picture examples, how to differentiate, and more! This one doesn't focus on phonics as much as the others. I really love some of her literacy small group lesson ideas and activities, and it's easy to incorporate phonics into most of them. I also have The Writing Strategies Book too!
Letter Lessons and First Words: Phonics Foundations that Work by Heidi Anne Mesmer
If you are looking for ways to really amp up your phonics instruction, this will give you all the tools to implement it in your own classroom. The author gives you a practical scope and sequence of what to teach, a simple lesson plan template, ways to differentiate, and lots of activity ideas to try.
The Next Step Forward in Word Study and Phonics by Jan Richardson
This book provides teachers with clear and practical instructions and resources for planning and teaching developmentally appropriate word study and phonics lessons. You will learn how students solve words, how to assess what students know and materials and activities to use to help students become proficient word solvers and independent readers.
Reading in the Brain: The New Science of How We Read by Stanislas Dehaene
This book shows all the research behind the Science of Reading with a lot of insight into how our brain processes language. I'll admit, this is a tough read, as the scientific language is pretty advanced. I had to reread quite a bit to actually process what I was learning. I recommend taking notes as you are reading this one to help process it better. However, it is so fascinating to learn more about our brain and language, and I feel like I learned so much from this book.
Language at the Speed of Sight by Mark Seidenberg
I've just started this book, so I can't give a full review on it yet. However from what I've read so far, it's been very eye opening with how language is actually developed. It's easier to read than the Reading in the Brain book I mentioned above. If you want to learn more about the science behind reading and language, this one comes highly recommended! I am already highlighting many parts.
Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers
Although I haven't read this book yet, it is next on my reading list. This one focuses on all areas of explicit, high quality literacy instruction. Plus, there is also a workbook that goes along with it here.
I hope you found some new must read phonics books to try out! Are you looking for another way to learn about phonics and how to transform your phonics instruction? I have created a course that covers everything called The Complete Phonics Toolkit. You can sign up for the waitlist today to be the first to know when the course is open for new members. Anyone on the waitlist will receive a special VIP code once it's open, so make sure to sign up today!
[…] If you are looking for more phonics book suggestions, I have a post here with my favorite phonics books. […]