In first-grade it is pertinent that the teacher dedicates instruction time to teach phonics and phonemic

awareness. Students should know the relationship between sounds and how it is written. Besides phonics

instruction, students should also practice phonemic awareness where they listen to the sounds. Students can

then manipulate the individual sounds to change the word. According to Foorman, Liberman, Francis, and

Novy’s “How Letter-Sound Instruction Mediates Progress in First-Grade Reading and Spelling,” letter-sound

instruction is important for not only reading but also helps students become better spellers (1991). Therefore,

it is crucial teachers dedicate time to teach letter-sound correlation.

Foorman, B. R., Novy, D. M., Francis, D. J., & Liberman, D. (1991). How letter-sound instruction mediates

progress in first-grade reading and spelling. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(4),

456. Retrieved

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