B2.1. Using Phonics Knowledge
Phonics plays a crucial role in a student’s ability to read and write. Systematic, explicit instruction in phonics is a large focus in Grade 1 and lays the foundation for skills taught in Grade2, Grade 3 and beyond.
NOTE: If students were provided with effective phonics instruction in Kindergarten and Grade 1, most would have already mastered the Grade 1 expectations. In some cases, it may be necessary to re-teach some skills in the Kindergarten/1 or Grade 1 column to the whole class. If this is the case, it is important to work through these skills at an accelerated pace to ensure you can also meet the grade two expectations by the end of the year.
During Grade 1, the focus was on:
Letter-sound correspondences including:
- Consonants
- Short vowels
- Long vowels
- R-controlled vowels
- Long-vowel teams:
- <ai>, <ay> = /ā/;
- <ee>, <ea>, <ey> = /ē/;
- <oa>, <ow>, <oe> = /ō/;
- <ie>, <igh> = /ī/;
- <oo>, <u> = /oo/;
- <oo> = /ū/;
- <ew>, <ui>,<ue> = /ū/
- <au>, <aw>, <augh> = /o/
- <air>, <are>, <ear> = /air/
- Diphthongs:
- <oi>, <oy> = /oi/;
- <ou>, <ow> = /ow/
- Silent Letters
- <kn> = /n/;
- <wr> = /r/;
- <mb> = /m/
Students used this knowledge to decode and spell words with the following structures:
CVC (cat, dog, run, hat, red)
CCVC (trap, clap, flip, stop, snap)
CVCC (lamp, hand, jump, mint, cart
CCVCC (stand, plant, crisp, twist, trunk)
CVCe (cake, bike, hope, late, cube)
New for Grade 2:
- Continue to consolidate the Grade 1 skills to build automaticity and learn to decode and spell increasingly complex multisyllabic words like fantastic, umbrella, pencil, notebook, jungle, and pretend.
- When reading unfamiliar words, students will “adjust for close approximations.”
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all expectations in this strand. For a more detailed view, please see the official Ontario curriculum.
Adjusting for Close Approximations
A new expectation for students in Grade 2 is when reading unfamiliar words, students will “adjust for close approximations.” This is also known as “set for variability.” Set for variability means that when students are trying to decode unknown words, they will apply their knowledge of letter-sound relationships and spelling tendencies flexibility to try out different possible pronunciations of the word, adjusting the syllable stress and schwa as needed until they land on a real word that makes sense in context.
This is a very important skill for independent word learning. Like other decoding skills, adjusting for close approximations is a skill that should be taught explicitly.
Note: Set for variability is not the same as using context cues from three-cueing, where students were encouraged to use context to guess and confirm that guess by looking at the letters. Rather, this strategy starts with thoroughly examining the letters in the word and applying previously learned knowledge of phonics, spelling patterns, and morphology to arrive at an approximate pronunciation, then flexibly adjusting vowel sounds and syllable stress to arrive at the correct pronunciation of the word.
A Note About Programs: Using a phonics program that has a detailed scope and sequence, simple-to-follow daily routines, and pre-made lesson plans can significantly reduce the time needed for planning in this area. Your board may have selected a program they are encouraging you to use. There are advantages to using a common scope and sequence across your school or board, however there is no one Ministry recommended program.
Further Reading
Suggested Resources
- Apply Phonics in Reading and Spelling
- Phinder
- Search “Phonics” in the Resource Library for more!
