What are the main approaches for teaching consonant letter-sound relationships and how are these combined into a lesson?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Two approaches are commonly used to teach the consonant letter-sound relationships. In the analytic approach, consonants are taught within the context of a whole word and not isolated. In the synthetic approach, words are decoded sound by sound, and both consonant and vowel sounds are pronounced in isolation. The synthetic type is often favored, but the text recommends a combination of the two because young readers need to hear sounds in isolation as well as in real words. This combined approach involves several steps:
• Phonemic awareness (teach the letter-sound relationship, stressing the sound as you say words)
• Letter-sound integration (write words on the board, asking which sounds are in all words)
• Guided practice (read words in everyday situations and write simple sentences)
• Application (share reading with students or have them read on their own)
• Writing and spelling (review formation of letters and allow practice time)
• Assessment and reteaching (check that students recognize the sound in words and use it in their writing) Instruction can be reinforced with share reading, writing practice, and sorting activities.