How To Teach Phonics So It Actually Sticks
A simple, four-level framework for teaching phonics patterns so they actually transfer to real reading and writing.
Yes, phonics instruction can stick. And when you teach it this way, this is what happens:
You introduce a pattern on Monday, and by the end of the week, your students are finding it everywhere. In the read-aloud. In their science text. In a word problem during math.
When they sit down to write, they're not asking how to spell every other word. They're stopping, listening for the sounds, thinking through the syllable type, and trying something that makes sense based on the rules they've actually learned.
And when they hit a multisyllabic word they've never seen, they don't freeze. They have a process. Highlight the vowels, scoop the syllables, identify the type, blend the sounds, blend the syllables, and check for meaning.
And the best part? This framework works whether your students are still learning short vowels or working through Latin roots in eighth grade. It scales with them. This is vertical alignment at its best.
This becomes possible when phonics instruction stops being treated as a list of patterns to introduce and starts being taught as a connected, four-level routine that takes every pattern all the way to application.
But what you’re probably seeing is...
You've taught the pattern. You've done the sound drill. You've pulled a worksheet of words that match. Your students did fine on it.
And then a few days later, you see the same pattern in a passage, and it's like none of it ever happened.
Or it shows up in their spelling as a guess, even though you've explicitly taught the rule. Or they can read it in isolation, but can't spell it in a sentence. Or they spelled it correctly last week and have no idea this week.
You've been doing the work. You've been giving the explicit instruction. But somewhere between the lesson and real reading and writing, the pattern stops carrying over.
It's frustrating because phonics is the part of literacy instruction with the clearest research base. It feels like it should be the most reliable piece, and most of the time it just isn't.
Do you see any of this happening?
➡️ You teach a pattern explicitly, your students seem to get it, and then it disappears the moment they're reading real text.
➡️ You have students who can decode a word in isolation but spell it wrong in a sentence the same day.
➡️ Multisyllabic words throw your students off, even when each individual syllable is a pattern they already know.
➡️ You've got students who never connect what they learn in the phonics lesson to what they read in science or social studies.
➡️ You're using a phonics curriculum (or pieces of one), but you're not sure your students are actually generalizing what they're learning.
If any of that resonates, this training is for you.
Here's the Thing...
When I started as an interventionist, I didn’t realize I was missing a critical part of my phonics instruction. I had Orton-Gillingham training. I knew the importance of sound-level instruction. So I'd teach a pattern, my students would read some words with it, and I'd move on.
It’s not that I was teaching the wrong thing, it's that I stopped too early.
Phonics patterns don't stick on their own. Students need explicit instruction at every level, from sounds, through syllables, through words, and all the way into real sentences, passages, and content-area text. When we skip the application step, students treat the pattern as an isolated drill, not as something they should be using when they read and write.
The other piece most of us miss is that phonics has to work in both directions.
→ Reading is sound to symbol.
→ Spelling is symbol to sound.
When students learn the routine both ways, decoding and spelling start reinforcing each other instead of feeling like two separate things.
This training gives you the framework. One routine, four levels, applied the same way every time, so the patterns you teach actually carry over into the work your students do.
Start teaching phonics in a way that sticks for your students.
In This Training, You'll Learn How To
→ Use a four-level phonics framework that takes any pattern from explicit introduction all the way to application in connected text
→ Teach phonics in both directions, so students use the same routine to decode and to spell
→ Help students generalize patterns into real reading and writing, including content-area text
→ Plan a structured phonics lesson in minutes using a repeatable template
→ Differentiate instruction across tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 without changing your underlying approach
→ Decide what to prioritize when you have limited time and a wide range of student needs
What Included:
✅ 1-Hour On-Demand Video Training - Watch on your own time, at your own pace. Come back to it whenever you need a refresher. The training walks you through the full four-level phonics routine with clear explanations and real examples, so you can see exactly how it works in practice.
✅ The Phonics Instruction Toolkit - A done-for-you resource kit that includes specific phonics rule guides, Phonogram Drill Cards, Syllable Type Anchor Charts and Manipulatives, Morpheme Drill Cards, Pattern Find application activities, Phonics Word Lists for progress monitoring, and the Build a Phonogram Lesson template you can use to plan any phonics lesson in minutes.
✅ 1-Hour PD Certificate - Complete a short quiz after the training and receive your professional development certificate automatically by email.
✅ Lifetime Access - This training is yours to keep. Come back anytime, whether that's next week, next semester, or three years from now.
Everything you need to start implementing immediately.
Here’s how it works:
Get a Sneak Peek at the Phonics Instruction Toolkit
☝️ Just some of the resources included in the Phonics Instruction Toolkit!
The toolkit is the part of the training you'll come back to again and again. It's not a curriculum, it's a working system. Phonics skills build on each other, but students often need support at multiple levels at the same time, so you print what you need, target what each student needs most, and return to sections as they grow.
Here's a look at what's inside:
Phonics Rules Guide - Your reference anchor for the whole routine. This guide covers the complete scope of structured literacy, from the 44 sounds of English through all six syllable types, word-level prefixes, suffixes, and roots, and on to sentence and passage-level application.
Phonogram Drill Cards (Sound Deck) - A complete set of sound-symbol drill cards covering every phonogram pattern across the structured literacy progression. Color-coded by category, keyword images on the back, and built for daily sound drills at the start of every phonics lesson.
Syllable Type Anchor Charts and Manipulatives - One anchor chart per syllable type with the rule, vowel sound, and clear examples, plus hands-on manipulatives that let students physically sort and build with each type. Both are designed to live in your intervention space and be used across instruction.
Morpheme Drill Cards and Word Level Rules Guide - A dedicated set of drill cards for high-frequency prefixes, suffixes, and Latin and Greek roots. Same drill format as the Sound Deck, with keyword images that anchor the meaning, so students start recognizing morpheme patterns in academic vocabulary.
Phonics Pattern Find (Skill Generalization) - A scavenger-hunt-style worksheet that works with any passage, so students actively find the patterns they've learned in real text. This is the bridge between isolated word work and real reading.
Add Much More!
Print-and-go. Use what fits. Return to sections as you need them.
This training is designed for educators who:
→ Teach phonics, but feel like the patterns aren't transferring to real reading and writing
→ Want a framework that scales from foundational patterns to multisyllabic, academic vocabulary
→ Have students who can decode but struggle with spelling, or who can spell in isolation but not in context
→ Want a phonics routine that works alongside whatever curriculum or scope and sequence they're already using
→ Are supporting students across tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3, and need an approach that flexes with each
→ Teach older students who still need phonics support but don't want instruction that feels like it was made for kindergarten
This training is especially helpful for:
Educators in intervention settings, where structured, explicit instruction is critical and equally applicable in general education classrooms, for teachers who want to strengthen how foundational skills connect to real reading. The routine you’ll learn works across grade levels (K through 12) and settings (general education classrooms, intervention, small groups, and one-on-one instruction).
This training is not:
A full curriculum, a scripted program, or a scope and sequence.
This is a routine and reference designed to give you a clear process to use when teaching phonics.
What to Expect
After this training, you will:
→ Have a repeatable, four-level phonics routine you can apply to any pattern, at any grade level
→ Understand why phonics instruction so often fails to transfer, and exactly what to do differently
→ Know how to take a pattern all the way from sound-level introduction through application in real text
→ Be able to plan a structured phonics lesson in minutes using a clear template
→ Walk away with the full Phonics Instruction Toolkit, including the Comprehensive Literacy Rules Guide, drill cards, anchor charts, and lesson planning templates, ready to use the next day
If we haven’t met...
I’m Corey, and I’ve spent over 20 years working directly with students (including those with significant reading difficulties) in both clinical and classroom settings. My background is grounded in cognitive development and learning research, and I’ve spent my career translating evidence-based practices into clear, usable instruction for educators.
This training isn’t theory alone. It’s built from what has been used, tested, and refined with the students we support directly. And this approach has been shared with over 100,000 educators worldwide who are working to make literacy instruction easier, more connected, and more effective for their students.
You’re in the right place if:
→ You want a phonics routine that students can actually carry into their reading and writing
→ You're looking for research-aligned instruction that's both explicit and practical to deliver
→ You want tangible tools you can share when parents, colleagues, or administrators ask how you're teaching phonics intentionally
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. The framework is grounded in the science of reading, structured literacy, and direct clinical and classroom experience.
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Yes. This training works alongside whatever curriculum or scope and sequence you're using. It gives you a routine that makes the pattern instruction in your curriculum actually transfer, instead of staying stuck at the worksheet level.
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Yes. Phonics instruction is a lifelong skill, not a K through 2 task. The framework scales with students from single-syllable patterns all the way through Latin roots and multisyllabic academic vocabulary. The structure is the same. The patterns get more complex.
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The framework is designed to work across grade levels and settings because it focuses on the process of teaching any pattern from sound through application. It also includes specific guidance for tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 instruction.
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This isn't something extra. The routine builds directly into the phonics instruction you're already doing, and the lesson planning template helps you plan faster, not slower.
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You’ll get instant access after purchase. Log in to your dashboard, and everything (the training and the downloadable guide) will be ready for you right away.
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A professional development certificate is automatically emailed to you upon completion of a short quiz at the end of the training.
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On-demand training courses are for individual use only. For school-wide access, please contact us for group pricing.
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We’re confident you will love this training, but if you’re not fully satisfied, you can request a full refund for up to 7 days, no questions asked.
Phonics Instruction Should Build a Bridge, Not End at the Worksheet.
When phonics patterns are taught all the way through to real reading and writing, they stick. This training gives you the framework to make that happen, no matter the grade level you teach or the curriculum you use.
