Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Skills Tests
Testing for:
Short-vowel sounds
Double-vowel rule
Silent E rule
Alphabet Sounds
-le Syllables
Listening Skills
Most schools teach phonics only in kindergarten and first grade. If a student was unable to absorb
phonics concepts at that time because they were not physically, mentally or emotionally ready, students
usually do not get a second chance to learn phonics concepts in later grades.
Students who lack phonics concepts and decoding skills are forced to rely on two methods:
memorizing every word in their reading vocabulary, and guessing.
The attached phonics tests can be administered by a teacher, tutor or parent. It takes about
20 minutes to give the combined phonics tests. I always let the student know that this test is intended
to help the mentor find areas that the student needs help in -- and that this is a good thing, because
phonics-based problems can be fixed. It doesn't take years, or even months to learn phonics decoding
skills that will make reading easier.
The areas of phonics skills the attached tests are monitoring for are:
Individual alphabet sounds
Short-vowel sounds
The Silent E rule
The Double-vowel rule
-le Syllables
Listening skills - correctly distinguishing spoken sounds
Free Phonics Skills Test
by Phonics Advantage
Preparation
Before meeting with the student for the first time review the five pages to be used in the pretest and the
pages of directions. Make one copy of: Alphabet Sheet 1, Alphabet Sheet 2 and Phonics Test Sheet 4.
Make two copies of: Phonics Test Sheet 1, Phonics Test Sheet 2 and Phonics Test 3
Alphabet Sounds
NEVER underestimate the importance of being able to correctly identify the alphabet sounds without
hesitation. The alphabet sounds are the foundation of reading. Review Alphabet Sounds Sheet 2 so that
you know what to watch and listen for when you ask the student to pronounce the letters. Begin by trying
to put the student at ease. Tell the student that it has probably been years since someone has asked them to
pronounce individual letter sounds, so it might be hard for them to remember. Tell them to do their best.
Ask the student to use the short-vowel sounds when pronouncing the vowel letters.
Give the student the copy of Alphabet Sheet 1. Use Alphabet Sheet 2 to record their answers.
Use a book or a clipboard so that the student does not see what you write. Draw a line through each letter
the student does not pronounce correctly. If you have time, write how the student incorrectly pronounced
the letter - such as "fah" for "f" (they took their teeth off their bottom lip, dropped their jaw and added a
vowel sound; "tay" for "t" (jaw dropped, they added a vowel sound) and "er" (as in Ernest) for "r" (instead
of the beginning sound in run).
Be supportive. Most poor readers will have difficulty with short-vowel sounds. Say, "A lot of people
have trouble with the short-vowel sounds. Don't worry. I can help you learn them."
Alphabet Sounds
Many older poor readers are whole word readers. They associate letter sounds with syllables or words,
and have difficulty pronouncing a consonant by itself without a vowel sound. Also most poor readers have
difficulty with short-vowel sounds which are among the hardest sounds in the English language to learn
and retain.
Phonics Pretests continued
Page 3
If a student had only two or three alphabet sounds incorrect, you may work on helping them to learn
just those sounds. You can use the Alphabet Page 1 for practicing sounds. If the student had
more alphabet sounds incorrect (and especially if there was some hesitancy in the letters they did pronounce
correctly) reviewing alphabet sounds is important. Alphabet Beginning Sounds by Phonics Advantage
is a free digital download on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
Store/Phonics-Advantage). Alphabet Beginning Sounds is a set of four sheets that help a student learn
alphabet sounds by comparing the individual alphabet sound to small words starting with that letter. The
sheets are very easy to administer, and are self-correcting when the student learns that the placement of the
jaw and lips are the same when making the letter sound and starting the word. If you decide to use
alphabet flash cards, review them carefully. Discard cards that are not correct (such as shoes ("sh" sound)
for the letter s, and orange ("or" sound) for the letter o). Choose alphabet cards that have samples of the
short-vowel sounds. Playing Vowel Power - a CVC Medial Sound Substitution Phonics Game, and
Vowel Power 2 - a CVCC Medial Sound Substitution Phonics Game (by Phonics Advantage and Lavinia
Pop) is a fun way to learn and compare short-vowel sounds.
CVCC - Students should be able to decode these pretend words correctly by mid to late first
grade. Students who had words wrong in this section are probably whole word guessing and not
applying decoding skills.
The words in Phonics Test Sheet 2 may be pretend words, but they are only three and four letters
long. A student who knows the short-vowel sounds, Silent E rule and Double-vowel rule should be
able to decode the words with little hesitation. Students who did poor on Phonics Test Sheet 2 need to
learn basic phonics rules and decoding skills.
4. For older students, phonics methods that include pretend words work best.
By the time a student reaches 3rd/4th grade, the habit of guessing has become so entrenched,
that when a teacher/tutor/parent tries to introduce phonics concepts and decoding skills, the
student is not able to apply the knowledge - the habit of guessing automatically takes
precedence. Pretend words give the student a chance to learn and apply decoding concepts.
Practice reading pretend words can help to break the habit of guessing. You cannot guess a
word that does not exist - you have to decode it. Consider Phonics Strategies for Struggling
3rd & 4th Graders by Phonics Advantage (503 pages that include hands-on activities, poems,
reading, listening, real and nonsense words) and Phonics Strtategies for Older Students which uses
both pretend and real words in the 218 page product.
NONSENSE WORDS
The following are NOT words. Pronounce each letter-pattern as if it were a word.
CVC
CVCC
ple dle
f le zle
kle ble
gle cle
Phonics Test
Sheet 4
NONSENSE WORDS
Goal: This phonics test is used to determine how well the student associates
sound with letters.
Directions: Explain to the student that you are going to ask them to spell nonsense
words. Make sure they understand that they are not spelling real words.
Pronounce each "word" carefully and slowly. Repeat the "word" two or
three times. If the student spelled the "word" incorrectly, write down the
"word" they spelled.
6. fen
7. teg
8. mab
9. bep
10. dus
Alphabet
Note: Many people combine a consonant sound with a vowel sound. This page will give you hints
for making the individual consonant sound alone.
a short vowel
sound
think "at" b lips VERY close
together
NOT "bah" c hard "c" sound
only the tongue
moves d only the tongue
moves
e sound
think "et"
(pet) f front teeth
never leave
the lower lip g hard sound
lips and jaw stay
still h of wind
lips close
together
i short vowel
sound
think "it" j moves
lips very close
together k moves
lips close
together l tongue does not
leave the roof
of the mouth
m keep lips
together n touching the
roof of your
mouth o sound
think "ot"
(not) p lips open only
a small crack
q always followed
by "u" in
English r NOT "er"
think beginning
sound of "red" s keep teeth
together t moves
lips very close
together
u sound
think "ut"
(cut) v keep front top
teeth on
lower lip w lips very close
and a little
puckered x ending sound
of "ox" or
"mix"
do not move
lips
Alphabet
a b c d
e f g h
i j k l
m n o p
q r s t
u v w x
y z
Preparation
Before meeting with the student review the three pages to be used in Phonics Test 2 and make
two (2) copies of each page. One page will be for the student to read. The second sheet will be
for the mentor to mark.
Diphthong Vowels
Read the directions to the student (on Sheet 1). Circle the diphthong-vowel combinations on the
mentor copy that the student was not able to pronounce correctly. If you have time, write down how
the student incorrectly pronounced the diphthong-vowel combinations.
Common Suffixes
Read the directions to the student (on Sheet 1). Circle the suffixes on the mentor copy that the
student was not able to pronounce correctly. With a few suffixes, the student may not be able to
pronounce the suffixes correctly when they stand alone, but the student may not have any trouble when
the suffix is at the end of a word - such as "ly" (gladly, greatly) and "y" (sleepy, jumpy). If the student
says the word "able", say, "That is how it is pronounced when it is a word. Do you know how it would
be pronounced if it was a word ending?" (ah 'ble)
Phonograms with R
Give the student one copy of Phonics Test 2 Sheet 2. Make a second copy for the tester to mark.
Use a clipboard so that the student does not see the tester marking the mentor copy.
Make sure that the student realizes that the words on Sheet 2 are nonsense (pretend) words. Ask
the student to pronounce the pretend words as if they were real words. Circle the words on the
mentor copy that the student mispronounced. If you have time, write the mispronounced "word".
Phonics Pretests 2 continued
Page 2
Diphthong-Vowel Phonograms
Ask the student to read the pretend words with diphthong-vowel phonograms on Phonics Test 2
Sheet 2 as if they were real words. Circle the words on the mentor copy that the student was not
able to pronounce correctly. If you have time, write down how the student mispronounced the "word".
Advanced Suffixes
Most students who struggle with phonics and decoding skills whole-word memorize words that contain
the advanced suffixes found on Phonics Test 2 Sheet 3. Being able to recognize these letter combinations
as suffixes is helpful for being able to independently decode the challenging words that have these suffixes
on the end. Make one copy of Sheet 3 for the student, and one copy for the tester. Circle the suffixes
on the mentor copy that the student was not able to pronounce.
Diphthong Vowels
Diphthong-vowel combinations are difficult for struggling readers. Use the student copy of the
phonics test to review these sounds often. (Remember that long-term memory if formed by repetition
over time.) Phonics Advantage reviews diphthong vowels in Phonics Strategies for Struggling
2nd Graders Part 3, Phonics Strategies for Older Students, and Phonics Strategies for Struggling
3rd and 4th Graders Part 2 (posting in spring 2016).
Phonics Pretest 2 continued
Page 3
Common Suffixes
Students by the end of first grade should be able to read these suffixes. If a student had trouble with
the suffix "y" and "ly", ask the student to read some words with these suffixes to see if they can easily
read these sounds when attached to words. If the student only had a few suffixes wrong, use the
test sheet to review suffixes often to form long-term memories. If the student is in 3rd grade or above,
and has difficulty with the suffixes, I would encourage using Phonics Strategies for 3rd and 4th Graders
which has Nonsense Word Challenge Sheets that couples suffixes with nonsense words (splid'tion,
twert'ness). The Nonsense Word Challenge Sheets force the student to practice decoding skills.
Phonograms with R
Review the student errors. Look to see if it appears the student does not know (or has not internalized)
the phonics rule: i-r, e-r and u-r say "er". If they have a weakness, review this rule often over time with
examples. If the student needs help with the entire R-controlled phonogram, use a phonics method that
emphasizes reading and sound. You might consider age appropriate Phonic Advantage products:
Reading and Phonics Help for Struggling 1st Graders Part 2, Phonics Strategies for Struggling 2nd
Graders Part 2 Vcc and R-controlled vowels, Phonics Strategies for Struggling 3rd and 4th Graders
Part 1, and Phonics Strategies for Older Students.
Advanced Suffixes
Students under second grade rarely run into these advanced suffixes. It would be beneficial for
most students in 3rd grade and above to have at least a minimal understanding of these suffixes.
Explain to older students that the letters "si", "ti" and "ci" make the sound of "sh" in these advanced
suffixes. Assist older students with reading the advanced suffices on test sheet 3 (repeating over
time) until they are moderately comfortable. Then move on to words that contain these suffixes.
Phonics Pretest 2 continued
Page 4
4. For older students, phonics methods that include pretend words work best.
By the time a student reaches 3rd/4th grade, the habit of guessing has become so entrenched,
that when a teacher/tutor/parent tries to introduce phonics concepts and decoding skills, the
student is not able to apply the knowledge - the habit of guessing automatically takes
precedence. Pretend words give the student a chance to learn and apply decoding concepts.
Practice reading pretend words can help to break the habit of guessing. You cannot guess a
word that does not exist - you have to decode it. Consider Phonics Strategies for Older
Students by Phonics Advantage which includes both pretend and real words in the 218-
page product. Phonics Strategies for Struggling 3rd and 4th Graders is a 503-page product
that includes real and nonsense words, hands-on activities, poems and listening skills.
Directions: Read the 3-letter combinations that can be found at the beginning of words out loud.
Directions: Each pair of letter combinations makes the same sound. Sound out each of the letter combinations below.
The name for these letter combinations is diphthong vowels.
oy oi aw au
ou ow
if y able sion
ment est ly
y fy ness
NONSENSE WORDS
The following are NOT words. Pronounce each letter-pattern as if it were a word.
Phonograms with R
Diphthong-vowel phonograms
Advanced Suffixes
Directions: Read the (advanced) suffixes (word endings) below out loud.
cient