There are 4 parts in Phonics handbook

 

part 1: Assessment and reporting strategies

 

part 2: Teaching strategies

 

part 3: Lesson plans to teach basic decoding skills

 

part 4: Appendices: sight words and decoding charts

 

Part 1 has a breif introduction of the Phonics background and purpose. Again, it emphasize that all teaching of reading should be cognitive. Thus, this is not a book about endless drills in phonics. Its aim is to equip students asap to start reading.

 

Also, the book pinpoint the importance of understanding the history of English. The reason of why English writing is the way it is. According to the book, there are 3 layers of spelling patterns in English writing:

 

1. Anglo-Saxon as the base

2. Latin word

3. Words Borrowed from French and Greek

 

All three patterns of English writing has their own rules for decoding, which explains why the phonics rules can't apply to all English words.