What is the primary focus of synthetic phonics instruction?

The primary focus of synthetic phonics instruction is the part-to-whole approach. In synthetic phonics, learners begin by learning the individual sounds or phonemes associated with letters or letter combinations. This foundational skill allows students to blend these sounds together to form words. By starting with the smallest units of sound, students are equipped to decode unfamiliar words, enhancing both their reading and spelling abilities.

This method contrasts with whole-to-part approaches, which start with entire words or texts before breaking them down into their component sounds, potentially hindering early phonics development. In this way, synthetic phonics encourages a systematic and explicit teaching of phonics, promoting greater phonemic awareness and decoding skills as students progress in their literacy development. As such, this method has been shown to be particularly effective, especially for students who struggle with reading.