Making Sense of Phonics, Second Edition

Isabel L. Beck, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Before starting her career at the university, she was a public school teacher, and has taught most elementary grades. Dr. Beck's work has been acknowledged by awards from the International Reading Association, the National Reading Conference, and the American Federation of Teachers, among others. Most recently she was elected to the National Academy of Education. 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.

1. Situating Phonics Instruction
2. The Alphabetic Principle and Phonics
3. Phonemic Awareness: A Bit of a Different Take
4. The Phonics Landscape
5. Teaching Children the Sounds That Letters Represent
6. Blending
7. Word Building
8. Assessment
9. Multisyllabic Words
10. Syllasearch
11. Orthography: A "Sticking Point" in Word Recognition
12. Automaticity
Appendix 1. Word Building Lists
Appendix 2. Specific Phonics Assessments
Appendix 3. Word and Syllable Matrices for Syllasearch
Appendix 4. The Word Pocket
Appendix 5. List of Online Materials
Glossary