Phonics article as it appeared inSpeak English, spring 2008


Language is not random; it is predictable. Our job as language teachers is to help learners see the patterns. Thai education is closest to addressing this task with respect to grammar, but it often neglects showing patterns in how sounds are made from written words. Therefore, our job as teacher trainers is to help teachers show the basic patterns of reading aloud, so that their students can confidently sound out words they’ve never seen before. This approach is called phonics, and many volunteers are hailing it as the single most important contribution they are making at site.[1]

Phonics is the teaching method that exploits the link between the written and the spoken word. Teach the students to make sounds out of the letters, and they’ll be able to sound out almost anything. Take the following simple pattern with the letter “a” (symbols in the boxes are from the IPA[2]):

Sure, the letter “a” can make more than one sound, but there is a pattern:
[consonant]-“a”-[consonant] makes
[consonant]-“a”-[consonant]-“e” makes

Similar patterns can be found with the other four vowel letters:

They all follow a similar patterns as the letter “a” above:
[consonant]-[vowel]-[consonant] makes the “Short Vowel” sound
[consonant]-[vowel]-[consonant]-“e” makes the “Long Vowel” sound

So how do I get started? There’s a variety of ways you can start showing your teachers and students the patterns.

Christy Inhulsen (118) published her phonics grid in a previous edition of Speak English. You draw a grid like the one below and have students fill in consonants. They pronounce them all with the short vowel sound. Then you show them the magic “e” that changes the vowel sound when added to the end.

b	a	t	e
c	a	t	e
m	a	t	e
r	a	t	e

I’ve latched on to a phonics notebook approach. It serves a function similar to the grid while stressing the spontaneity and generalizability of the pattern. Get a 4-ring binder and index cards. (If you can’t find a binder, get rings and put a stick through them. If you can’t find the cards, cut cards out of poster board). Write consonants and vowels on the cards, and put them strategically into the binder, so that consonants are on the first and third rings, the five vowels are on the second ring, and the magic “e” is on the fourth ring. Be selective when placing consonants. For example, omit “x” from the first ring, because it doesn’t usually occur in initial position. Also, omit “y” from the consonants on the third ring, because this makes the long vowel regardless of the magic “e” (e.g. “day”). Use your native speaker judgment if you’re not sure which letters might be unnatural in a certain position or whether they might be exceptions to the basic pattern.[3] You don’t want to confuse students in the beginning with exceptions or advanced patterns.


To present the patterns, stand at the front of the room with just one notebook and flip through the possibilities, having students repeat after you (or guess the sounds once they’ve caught on)[4]. In the practice phase, break students into groups, giving each group their own phonics notebook. Say a word that follows the basic pattern, and students must race to spell the word in their notebooks. Allow non-standard spellings, as long as they follow the pattern you’re trying to reinforce (e.g. “kat” would be considered correct).

If you get your teachers and students started on this basic pattern, they’ll be on target for a Eureka! moment. What could be more encouraging than to discover that there is method to the madness of English? And what could be more student-centered than enabling them to learn independently from the written word?


Scott Hajek holds a B.A. in linguistics and psychology. He is a TCCO 119 Volunteer in Ubon Ratchathani.