Core Concepts

The Discover Intensive Phonics for Yourself method is made up of three main components; 42 Sounds of the Alphabet, Five Phonetic Skills and Two Decoding skills. Read more about each below. For more in depth information, take a tour and view the method section.

42 Sounds of the Alphabet

The alphabet is introduced in letter sets consisting of four consonants and one vowel each. Each letter is introduced and individuals learn the name, sound and formation simultaneously. Immediate application of each letter set solidifies understanding and builds self-esteem.

Once the 26 letters are learned, additional sounds of the alphabet are taught, including:

• Blends
• Digraphs
• Diphthongs
• Special Vowel Sounds

Five Phonetic Skills

The five phonetic skills allow students to identify the five common patterns of English words and "prove" the vowel sound in a word. Proving words using the five phonetic skills is an indispensable tool used to decode, pronounce, and spell new words.

The Five Phonetic Skills are:

• Phonetic Skill #1: When one guardian consonant — and nothing more — follows the vowel, the vowel will be short.
• Phonetic Skill #2: When the vowel is followed by two guardian consonants and nothing more, the vowel will be short.
• Phonetic Skill #3: When a vowel stands alone, it will be long.
• Phonetic Skill #4: Silent E makes the first vowel long.
• Phonetic Skill #5: When vowels are adjacent, the second vowel is silent, and the first vowel is long.

These skills are gradually internalized and become automatic, resulting in greater reading speed and fluency.

Two Decoding Skills

A skillful reader's ability to read long words fluently depends on his or her ability to break words into syllables. The two decoding skills allow students to break words of any length into syllables so they can apply the five phonetic skills to determine the words pronunciation.

The two decoding skills are:

• If there is only one guardian consonant following the vowel, that consonant will move on to the next syllable.
• When a vowel is followed by two guardian consonants, the consonants will split. The first consonant will stay in the first syllable, and the second consonant will move on the next syllable.

These skills are gradually internalized and become automatic, resulting in greater reading speed and fluency.

Other Skills Taught

• Another Sound for 'C'
• Another Sound for 'G'
• Blends
• Double 'S', 'F' and 'Z'
• Plurals
• Rules for 'Y'
• Short and Long Vowels
• Special Vowel Combinations
• Suffixes
• 'TH' - Voiced and Voiceless