How to Teach Phonics for Reading and Spelling Success

Phonics instruction is more than just sounding out words; it’s the foundation for fluent reading and accurate spelling. In this training, you’ll learn the full phonics progression, see how to apply patterns from sounds to connected text, and walk away with research-based strategies and classroom-ready tools for lasting literacy impact.

Explore Course

This course examines why phonics is a critical component of literacy and how to teach it effectively. Participants will explore the phonics progression from sounds to connected text, and learn evidence-based strategies to support both reading and spelling. Practical tools and activities will help integrate phonics into daily lessons.

Check out the other two courses in this mini-series:
Phonological Awareness in Practice: Building the Foundation for Literacy
Executive Functioning: The Hidden Foundation of Literacy Success

Presenters

Corey Pollard
M.S.
Corey Pollard is the founder and Executive Director of Ascend SMARTER Intervention, where she helps educators, SLPs, and schools deliver effective, data-driven literacy intervention. With a career that began at Johns Hopkins, Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Children’s Hospital Colorado, Corey has worked alongside leading neuropsychologists, speech-language pathologists, and learning specialists to translate research into practice. Today, she continues to work directly with students with specific learning disabilities. In addition to her clinic work, she is a speaker and trainer who delivers professional development nationwide on structured literacy, intervention systems, and the science of reading.

Learning Objectives

Describe the role of phonics in literacy development and its connection to reading and spelling.
Identify key phonics concepts and the instructional progression from sounds to connected text.
Demonstrate research-based strategies for teaching phonics at the sound, syllable, word, and passage levels.
Apply phonics instruction techniques to both decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling).
Integrate phonics activities into daily lessons to support student mastery across literacy tasks.

Agenda

5 minutes	Welcome & Course Overview
10 minutes	Why Phonics Matters
15 minutes	The Phonics Progression
15 minutes	How to Teach Phonics
10 minutes	Application to Reading & Spelling
5 minutes	Reflection & Q&A

Disclosures

Financial:	Corey Pollard (she/her) is the founder and Executive Director of Ascend SMARTER Intervention and receives financial compensation from the sale of curriculum and professional development trainings through Ascend Learning & Educational Consulting. Corey is receiving compensation for this course.
Non-Financial	Corey Pollard (she/her) has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
Content:	Corey Pollard has no additional content information to disclose.

ASHA

This course is offered for .1 ASHA CEUs, Introductory Level, Professional Area

To earn ASHA CEUs you must complete the courses by viewing them, provide course feedback, pass the exams with a score of 80 or more, provide your ASHA credentials, and confirm submission.

How to Teach Phonics for Reading and Spelling Success: $29.00
Phonics instruction is more than just sounding out words; it’s the foundation for fluent reading and accurate spelling. In this training, you’ll learn the full phonics progression, see how to apply patterns from sounds to connected text, and walk away with research-based strategies and classroom-ready tools for lasting literacy impact. Includes access to the recorded course and optional ASHA reporting.

Add-ons

Executive Functioning: The Hidden Foundation of Literacy Success

$29.00

Executive functioning is the hidden foundation of literacy. In this training, you’ll learn how skills like goal setting, regulation, attention, planning, and reflection directly impact students’ ability to read and write. Discover practical strategies for embedding EF into your lessons to build stronger, more independent learners. Includes access to the recorded course and optional ASHA reporting.

Phonological Awareness in Practice: Building the Foundation for Literacy

$29.00

Phonological awareness is the foundation of literacy. In this training, you’ll learn why it matters, which skills have the greatest impact on reading and writing, and how to seamlessly integrate them into your lessons. Walk away with research-based strategies you can use immediately to strengthen decoding, fluency, and spelling. Includes access to the recorded course and optional ASHA reporting.