Which Phonics Sounds to Teach First?

In first grade, phonics lessons start with the most common single-letter graphemes and digraphs (ch, sh, th, wh, and ck). Continue to practice words with short vowels and teach trigraphs (tch, dge). When students are proficient with earlier skills, teach consonant blends (such as tr, cl, and sp).

What order should I teach phonics?

The order of teaching these phonemes can vary between schools and teaching schemes, but the most common phonemes are usually taught first - such as /t/, /a/, /s/, /n/, /p/ and /i/.

What order should I teach beginning sounds?

Introduce more commonly used letters first. For example, m, s, f, c, p, t are more commonly used than q, v, z and x. Keep the least frequently used letters until later in the program. Introduce at least 1 or 2 short vowels early in the program and then one at the end of the next sequence and so on.