Phonics Overview

Grades 2-6

  • Systematic phonics instruction has a significant effect on reading achievement. Within the phonics instruction in Trophies, letter-sound correspondences are taught sequentially. The systematic instruction allows students to continually build on what they learn. The individual sounds represented by letters are blended to form words, and those words are applied in decodable text.
  • Explicit instruction in decoding lessons provides students with various strategies, including understanding syllable types and patterns, as well as recognizing word structures such as prefixes, suffixes and root words to decode multi-syllabic words.

Charts on the following pages allow you to see the decoding/phonics skills taught per selection and the progression from Grade 2 to the upper grades where students receive direct instruction in decoding multi-syllabic words.

Phonics Skills

Grade 3

Systematic phonics instruction has a significant effect on reading achievement. The following chart allows you to see the phonics skills taught per selection.

Selection / Phonics Skill
Officer Buckle and Gloria / Syllables: CVC Spelling Pattern
Pepita Talks Twice / Word Structure: Root Word + Inflections (s, es)
Nate the Great, San Francisco Detective / Syllables: CVCe and CVVC Spelling Patterns
Allie’s Basketball Dream / Syllables: CVCe and CVVC Spelling Patterns
The Olympic Games: Where Heroes Are Made / Syllables: Closed Syllables
Turtle Bay / Letter Patterns: Words with kn, wr, and gn
Balto, the Dog who Saved Nome / Word Structure: Root Word + Inflection (ed)
Wild Shots, They’re My Life / Letter patterns: Consonants /s/, -c
Little Grunt and the Big Egg / Syllables: Open Syllables /j/ g, dge
Rosie, a Visiting Dog’s Story / Letter Patterns: Words with ough
The Stories Julian Tells / Word Structure: Prefix + Root
The Talent Show / Letter Patterns: Words with augh
Centerfield Ballhawk / Word Structure: Compound Words
Ramona Forever / Word Structure: Root Word + Suffix
Saying We Share: Proverbs and Fables / Word Structure: Root Word + Root
Papa Tells Chita a Story / Word Structure: Prefix + Root Word
Coyote Places the Stars / Letter Patterns: Words with ight and aight
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears / Syllables: Accent Marks
Lon Po Po / Word Structure: Prefix + Root Word
The Crowded House / Word Structure: Root Word + Suffix
Leah’s Pony / Word Structure: Compound Words
Yippee-Yah! / Syllables: VCCV Syllable Pattern
Boom Town / Syllables: VCV Syllable Pattern
Cocoa Ice / Word Structure: Root Word + Inflection (-ed, -ing)
If You Made a Million / Word Structure: Root Word + Suffix
I’m in Charge of Celebrations / Word Structure: Prefix + Root Word + Suffix
Alejandro’s Gift / Word Structure: Root Word + Inflection
Rocking and Rolling / Syllables: Schwa
The Armadillo from Amarillo / Syllables: Unaccented Syllables
Visitors from Space / Syllables: Cle Syllable Pattern

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