What does systematic synthetic phonics primarily involve?

Systematic synthetic phonics focuses on the understanding that sounds (phonemes) can be matched with letters or groups of letters (graphemes). This approach is aimed at teaching children how to decode words by blending sounds together, which makes reading independently more accessible. It involves a structured progression where children learn to associate specific sounds with their corresponding letters, enabling them to sound out words methodically. This strategy is particularly effective for early readers as it builds a solid foundation in phonetic skills essential for literacy.

While memorizing vocabulary, listening comprehension skills, and identifying letter shapes are important aspects of literacy development, they do not capture the specific methodology of systematic synthetic phonics like the linking of sounds and letters does. Systematic synthetic phonics is about the active process of decoding words rather than merely recognizing them or understanding their meanings in context.