What is “systematic and explicit” phonics instruction?

Research recommendations favor phonics instruction that is “systematic and explicit.” An explicit approach includes specific directions to teachers for teaching letter-sound correspondences. A systematic approach is one that incorporates a planned, sequential set of phonetic elements to master. These elements must be explicitly and systematically introduced in meaningful reading and writing tasks.

 Systematic and explicit phonics instruction includes teaching a full spectrum of key letter-sound correspondences: not just major correspondences between consonant letters and sounds, but also short- and long- vowel letters and sounds, and vowel and consonant digraphs such as oi, ea, ou, sh, and th.

 Several different methods have been developed to teach phonics systematically and explicitly, including synthetic phonics, analytic phonics, embedded phonics, analogy phonics, onset-rime phonics, and phonics through spelling. Broadly speaking, these approaches are all effective (NICHHD, 2000, p. 2-89).