Top 3 Science of Reading Books for Beginners: Phonics Rules for Teaching Episode 18

Getting started with the science of reading can feel overwhelming. It can be hard to know where to start with structured literacy or understanding phonics. While there is a lot of information out there, it can be a daunting task to choose the first books for understanding systemic phonics instruction. Here are my top 3 books for getting started that I still reach for often!

With 10 years of classroom experience, former teacher Martha Moore hosts the Phonics Rules for Teachers Podcast. Drawing from her personal journey, she shares insights on transitioning from traditional teaching methods to a phonics-centered approach and the impact it has on students' reading and writing.

Each week , Martha shares a simple phonics rule, strategy, or background information and how you can teach it in your classroom.

You can find the How the Heck to Teach 'Em supplementary resource to go along with this series here: https://www.myprimaryparadise.com/shop/phonics-rules-resources/

Transcript

Today, I am going to share my top three books for both beginner teachers and really any teacher who is teaching phonics. These books are the books that I reach to all the time and have really impacted the way that I teach phonics in my classroom. Let's take a look.

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Welcome to episode 18 of Phonics Rules for Teachers and How the Heck to Teach Them. Make sure you never miss an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now. Today, I'm going to share with you my top three books that I recommend when someone asks me, "What book should I read or what book should I have if I am trying to teach using a structured literacy approach?" These are the books that not only did I read in the beginning of my structured literacy journey but I also still use all the time. There is a lot of information out there and it can be really difficult sometimes to sift through it all, so these are the three books that I highly recommend.

I'm going to share these books in the order that I would recommend reading them, and let's jump right in with number one.

The first book that I recommend is Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling, and Literacy. This book by Denise Eide is a fantastic book to get started with. When someone asks me what one book should I read to understand phonics in the English language, this is the book that I recommend to them. This is an excellent reference that I still reach for all the time, and it's a book that you can both read cover to cover, which is what I did when I first read it, and use as a reference when you have questions about different spelling patterns or why something is the way that it is in English.

The first time I read it, I underlined, I highlighted, I made notes in the corner, and it is still a go-to book for me. This book begins with explaining why English can feel so tricky and then it goes on to define some key concepts and key ideas that make understanding the rest of the book a lot easier. Then she walks through both the general and more specific rules and guidelines of the English language. She does so in a very structured and organized and orderly way, so it is logical and it makes sense. This book gives a great overview and understanding of how English is actually logical, why it is the way it is, and how we can apply those rules and those guidelines to English when we're teaching reading and writing. It will leave you feeling so much more confident in your personal understanding and then you will be able to share that information with your students. This book is hands down a book that I recommend for you putting on your teacher bookshelf.

Once you realize that English is decodable and logical, the next book that I highly recommend is number two, Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read by Meredith and David Liben. This book is fantastic because it is written by actual educators who did it the wrong way, who were not using science-based reading practices, saw that it was not working, did a lot of research, made changes, and then saw tremendous growth in their students. This is a great book for if you're wondering what impact can structured literacy have. This book serves as both a case study and it gives you real strategies, activities, and ideas that you can use in your classroom. This is a book that you can sit and read cover to cover, and you're going to learn about their journey and their story as well as gain practical strategies and ideas that you can use in your classroom. There are strategies in here that I have used in my own classroom and they work and they get results. This is the second book that I highly recommend adding to your teacher bookshelf.

And finally, the last book is probably my favorite and the one that I reach to the most. That book is The ABCs and All Their Tricks: The Complete Reference Book of Phonics and Spelling. This book by Margaret Bishop is an encyclopedia of how to use all of the different spelling patterns in English. It has everything you would ever want to know about every spelling pattern that you can think of and it is listed in a really clear way, so it's super easy to use. This is not a book that I would pick up and read cover to cover, but it is a book that I pick up every time I'm working on an episode of Phonics Rules for Teachers just to make sure that the information I'm sharing with you is accurate and clear. It is the perfect book to help you understand every spelling pattern, any exceptions to the guidelines, and when you will see that spelling pattern applied in the English language.

As you can see, I have bookmarks and it is a book that I reach to almost every single day. I love the way this book is organized. Each spelling pattern has its own page, it has example words, it shows exceptions to that guideline, and then there's an explanation of how common or uncommon that spelling pattern is, where you will find it, how often you will find it. And this is the book that I pick up when I have had a student say to me, "But why is...?" or "How is...?" or "When...?" or "What about...?" because it explains it in a clear way and gives me the knowledge that I need to understand why that spelling pattern is the way that it is. I can highly recommend this one for your teacher bookshelf as well. It's a reference book that you will grab constantly when you are teaching phonics in your classroom.

So there you have it: Uncovering the Logic of English, Know Better, Do Better, and The ABCs and All Their Tricks. And of course, don't forget the reference you have here in Phonics Rules for Teachers and How the Heck to Teach Them. See you next time!

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