Making Sense of Phonics, Third Edition

Isabel L. Beck, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She has conducted extensive research and published widely on decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension. Dr. Beck is a recipient of the Oscar S. Causey Award from the Literacy Research Association, the William S. Gray Citation of Merit from the International Literacy Association, and the Contributing Researcher Award from the American Federation of Teachers. She was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame and is an elected member of the National Academy of Education. Her books include Bringing Words to Life, Second Edition; Creating Robust Vocabulary; Illuminating Comprehension and Close Reading; Making Sense of Phonics, Third Edition; and Robust Comprehension Instruction with Questioning the Author.Mark E. Beck, MEd, is a reading specialist at Manchester Academic Charter School in Pittsburgh, where he works with children in grades K−5. After practicing law for 14 years, Mr. Beck changed careers, obtaining his Pennsylvania elementary teaching certification and working as a classroom teacher. Subsequently he obtained his reading specialist certification. He has also been a part-time instructor in the Reading Department in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh.

"Making Sense of Phonics, Third Edition, is a 'must' for anyone who wants to navigate the science of reading with effective, engaging, efficient instruction. Beck and Beck analyze the state of phonics instruction in current core programs and provide classroom recommendations complete with online downloadable resources and easy-to-administer, focused assessments. I particularly appreciate the authors’ excellent treatment of phonemic awareness--it is a breath of fresh air and should be read carefully by teachers, administrators, and teacher educators alike!"--Kathleen J. Brown, PhD, Director Emeritus, University of Utah Reading Clinic"This is the ultimate phonics guide. Beck and Beck provide strategies, resources, and commentary to support educators with developing a comprehensive approach to teaching phonics. No need to struggle through the teacher's edition of a basal program any longer once you have this book! Readers of previous editions will be thrilled with new content in the third edition, including updates to Word Building (a fan favorite), a new and improved Syllasearch routine, and much more. Not to be missed!"--Lisa Yonek, EdD, Reading Coordinator, Reading Achievement Center, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Pennsylvania"This excellent book is appropriate for inservice and preservice teachers alike. Beck and Beck thoughtfully critique widely used commercial phonics programs and address ways to better prepare teachers in this key area. The book outlines specific, powerful instructional procedures that teachers can easily use to enhance or modify their phonics instruction. The authors describe various options for how best to implement their recommendations in classrooms, and provide an array of resources to assist teachers in doing just that."--Marcy Stein, PhD, School of Education (Emeritus), University of Washington Tacoma-

• Preface1. What Is the Forecast for Phonics Instruction in the United States?2. The Alphabetic Principle and Phonics3. Phonemic Awareness4. The Phonics Landscape5. Teaching Children the Sounds That Letters Represent6. Blending7. Word Building: Overview and Procedures8. Word Building: Grouping9. Assessment10. Multisyllabic Words11. Syllasearch12. Orthography: A “Sticking Point in Word Recognition”13. FluencyEpilogueAppendix 1.Word Building ListsAppendix 2. Specific Phonics Assessments: Administration and Scoring GuidelinesAppendix 3. The Word PocketAppendix 4. Words and Syllable Matrices for SyllasearchAppendix 5. List of Online Teaching ResourcesGlossaryReferencesIndex