Phonics and Word Study for the Teacher of Reading

Phonics and Word Study for the Teacher of Reading is a self-paced, self-instruction program designed to help teachers independently develop a comprehensive background in phonics, syllable and accent patterns, onset-rime, the morphemes that contribute to word meaning, and phonological and phonemic awareness. The unique structure of the book is set up to ensure learning success through a careful sequence of material that guides readers through the material, coupled with a number of pedagogical aids that check reader understanding at various stages in the learning process. Throughout the book, readers see how to connect the information they’re studying with grade-specific learning expectations described in the Foundational Skills strand of the Common Core State Standards.

"Phonics and Word Study for the Teacher of Reading offers students greater accessibility to phonics and its complexities in a useful format for self-study. The chapters follow a logical progression from general to specific, which is what my students really need.” — Charlotte L. Pass, State University of New York, Cortland   “This book uses frequent review and plenty of examples to introduce phonics to preservice teachers.  As a self-guided text, it allows students to proceed at their own pace through a series of exercises that will build a strong foundational understanding of phonemic awareness, phonics and related skills.  The conversational style and accessible vocabulary with which the text is written makes it very user-friendly.” — Kayla S. Zimmer, St. Bonaventure University   “The fact that the text is a self-paced tutorial makes it an excellent choice for on-line courses. The Study Guides and Reviews are strategically placed for on-going monitoring of the students.” — James Gaggini, Clarion University   “This text exceeds what I expect from a programmed text on phonics.  It is thorough and complete in its coverage, including structural analysis, and it adds interesting sidebars about the history of the English language.  It is a much more interesting read than most programmed texts I have seen.” — Dorothy Morrison, Ohio State University   “Barbara Fox’s desire to help teachers is seen in the way she organizes her information into frames with repeated practice so the reader becomes proficient in all the phonetic areas presented in this text.  She has a good grasp of what teachers should know in order to teach phonics and structural analysis in the classroom. The manner in which she presents her information and examples gives the teacher a clear understanding of terminology, letter and sound relationships, and other word identification skills. She shows her creativity in text variety by providing the reader with “Boxes” of background knowledge which offer interesting bits of alphabetic history. The information presented in these sections is appropriately placed within the content.  What a nice feature!” — Donna Schweitzer, Forwood Elementary School, Wilmington, DE 

Barbara J. Fox is a Professor Emerita at North Carolina State University. Her other books include Word Identification Strategies: Building Phonics into a Classroom Reading Program and 100 Activities for Developing Fluent Readers: Patterns and Applications for Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension. Her experience in literacy comes from teaching in the elementary school, working to develop the vocabulary of struggling readers, and educating reading professionals at the university level. Her interest in phonics and other word recognition skills evolved from these three experiences and provide the basis for writing this book. In her spare time, she is an avid reader and enjoys her family and three dogs.