Literacy
How to teach the links between letters and sounds systematically, so children can decode words for reading and encode them for spelling. Here you can watch phonics lessons being taught, step by step, and find webinars, podcast episodes and guides on systematic phonics, decodable texts and what to do after the Phonics Screening Check.
Practices in this area:Grapheme-phoneme correspondencesBlending for readingDecodable textsA daily lesson routineThe Year 1 Phonics Check
Lesson with commentary
NSW Department of Education · 6 short videos · F-2 · Australia
Six short videos follow teachers at Newcastle East Public School through one phonics teaching cycle, from joint planning and review to modelled, guided and independent practice, with reflection questions.
FreeOpens at education.nsw.gov.au
Demonstration
Department for Education, South Australia · Year 1 · Australia
Lesson 1 in the South Australian Department for Education's Year 1 phonics video series. Watch it to see how the sequence begins.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson with commentary
Research Schools Network · Early primary · UK
How a school puts a systematic phonics programme in place.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Demonstration
Department for Education, South Australia · Year 1 · Australia
Lesson 12 in the South Australian Department for Education's Year 1 phonics video series, from early in the sequence. Watch it alongside Lesson 1 to compare.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
Anita Archer (explicitinstruction.org) · 11 videos · Primary · USA
Eleven classroom videos in which Anita Archer models explicit instruction with American kindergarten to third grade classes, covering decoding, vocabulary, read-alouds, dictation and summary writing.
FreeOpens at explicitinstruction.org
Demonstration
Reading Universe · F-2 · USA
A series that shows a strong phonics lesson routine and teaches you how to deliver it.
FreeOpens at readinguniverse.org
Lesson with commentary
Chalk Dust · F-2 · Australia
Principal Manisha Gazula analyses phonics lessons from Marsden Road Public School with the hosts, covering decoding, meaning and pacing, and the consistency and coaching behind the school's approach.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
SBCUSD · 22:37 · F-2 · USA
A 22-minute video from SBCUSD in the United States showing explicit phonics instruction for the early years, organised around a six-step lesson method.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
NSW Department of Education · 10:00 · F-2 · Australia
Ten minutes of classroom footage from Newcastle East Public School in which students see, hear, say and write a newly taught letter-sound correspondence.
FreeOpens at players.brightcove.net
Lesson with commentary
Department of Education, Victoria · 1:34 · F-2 · Australia
A brief Department of Education, Victoria video on Phonics Plus in the classroom. Phonics Plus is the department's set of phonics lessons for the early years.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Demonstration
Five from Five, with Brooke Wardana · 6:11 · F-2 · Australia
Brooke Wardana explains the sound that y makes at the end of some two-syllable words, then shows a fun spelling game that helps students practise it.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson with commentary
Understood · About 35 minutes · USA
Understood's video takes you inside a dyslexia intervention session. Handy for staff who have never watched specialist reading intervention being taught.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Demonstration
Department for Education, South Australia · Year 1 · Australia
Lesson 26 in the South Australian Department for Education's Year 1 phonics video series. A look at the lesson routine further into the sequence.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · Early primary · UK
A broad approach to early reading that builds strong foundations for literacy.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson with commentary
NSW Department of Education · Short videos · F-2 · Australia
Deslea Konza explains where phonics sits among the Big Six of reading, followed by two brief clips of explicit phonics lessons with a whole class and a small group.
FreeOpens at education.nsw.gov.au
Demonstration
Department for Education, South Australia · Year 1 · Australia
Lesson 55 in the South Australian Department for Education's Year 1 phonics video series, showing the routine late in the sequence.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Explainer
Reading Universe · F-2 · USA
A reading coach on noticing students' errors during phonics and turning them into teaching moments.
FreeOpens at readinguniverse.org
Explainer
Five from Five · 1:38 · Australia
A short animation explaining why guessing words from pictures and context is not an effective way to teach reading. Handy for a staff or parent conversation.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Explainer
Five from Five · 2:05 · Australia
A two-minute animation explaining how systematic synthetic phonics teaches children to use letter-sound relationships to read words accurately.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Explainer
PaTTAN · F-6 · USA
Short videos that each introduce one literacy topic.
FreeOpens at sites.google.com
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with the Victorian Department of Education Phonics Lesson Plans Unit team · About 1 hour · 2025 · Australia
The Victorian Department of Education team behind Phonics Plus explains its components, how to get started, and the assessment, scaffolding and extension resources that come with it.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Charlotte Peverett, Lake Colac School · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Charlotte Peverett shares what four years of systematic synthetic phonics at Lake Colac School showed matters most, with guidance for students with disability, neurodiversity or trauma backgrounds.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Interview
The Reading League, with Linnea Ehri · About 1 hour 30 minutes · USA
A long-form interview with reading researcher Linnea Ehri, from The Reading League's podcast Teaching, Reading and Learning.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Talk
The Reading League, with Maria Murray · About 35 minutes · USA
Maria Murray of The Reading League explains what orthographic mapping is and why it is so important, in a talk of about 35 minutes.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Explainer
Lyn Stone · About 9 minutes · Australia
Australian educational linguist Lyn Stone gives a short explainer on orthographic mapping. A quick starting point before the longer talks.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
Learning Difficulties Australia, with Anne Castles · About 51 minutes · Australia
Anne Castles, co-author of Ending the Reading Wars, presents for Learning Difficulties Australia on teaching sight words.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Talk
Five from Five, with Rhona Stainthorp · 51 minutes · UK
Professor Rhona Stainthorp of the University of Reading sets out the knowledge about phonics that every teacher of reading needs.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Explainer
Five from Five · 1:53 · Australia
A short animation on the smallest parts of spoken and written words, and why teaching the links between them is the heart of phonics.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
School story
Reading Universe · F-2 · USA
A second-grade teacher in Ohio learns to teach reading through structured literacy, supported by coaching.
FreeOpens at readinguniverse.org
Explainer
Five from Five · 1:44 · Australia
A short animation on what the five-minute Year 1 Phonics Check is and what it tells schools about early decoding.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Foundation year teaching
Knowledge for Teachers · with James Dobson
Teacher James Dobson describes applying evidence-based practice, including Direct Instruction programs, with students in their first year of school.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
After the Year 1 Phonics Check
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer explains how to read phonics screening check results, using score sheets to work out where students need help and what to do next.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Grouping for phonics
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer questions the assumption that whole-class phonics is most effective and uses cognitive load theory and intervention research to argue for targeted Tier 1 grouping.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Systematic synthetic phonics
Education Research Reading Room · with Pamela Snow
Professor Pamela Snow, a psychologist and speech pathologist, discusses phonics and reading instruction, and how adults can draw accurate accounts from children and young people.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Whole-class phonics
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer challenges the idea that whole-class phonics is more equitable than targeted grouping, drawing on cognitive load theory and the limits of working memory.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Choosing a phonics program
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer gives practical guidance on choosing a phonics program, including the difference between evidence-based and evidence-informed programs.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Phonics for students with DLD
The Talking DLD Podcast (The DLD Project) · Australia
This Talking DLD Podcast episode explains why children with developmental language disorder are at higher risk of reading and spelling difficulty, and shares phonics strategies that help.
FreeOpens at thedldproject.com
Decodable texts
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer weighs the research on decodable and levelled texts, separating findings teachers can rely on from weaker claims.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Phonics assessment
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer shares a whole-class way to assess phonics knowledge at the start of the year, using whiteboards and five graphemes a day.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Phonics routines
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer reviews forty years of research on picture mnemonics in phonics and offers five practical shifts to make them work as a teaching tool.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Premier of Victoria · Media release · Australia
Opens at premier.vic.gov.au
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2025 · USA
A reading specialist argues against overteaching phonics, suggesting teachers move quickly through the essential code, spend less time on low-value features, and use science of learning principles to plan practice.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Jen O'Sullivan · Substack · 2025 · International
Questions guided reading with levelled books, and describes how small-group teaching can instead target specific skills for the children who need extra support.
FreeOpens at readwritejen.substack.com
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2026 · USA
A detailed explanation of why the three-cueing approach confuses guessing from meaning with reading the word, and what code-based teaching of word identification should look like instead.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Ofsted · Blog post · UK
Opens at educationinspection.blog.gov.uk
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2025 · USA
Janetos unpacks Linnea Ehri's own explanation of orthographic mapping, clearing up confusion about the term and what it means for teaching children to read and spell words.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Alison Clarke, Spelfabet · Blog post · 2022 · Australia
Weighs up the debate about oral-only phonemic awareness. The evidence favours using letters, though short spoken blending and segmenting games still have a place before school and in intervention.
FreeOpens at spelfabet.com.au
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2026 · USA
Janetos weighs the time cost of running records against what they actually tell teachers, and argues for alternative assessments that pinpoint gaps in decoding and word knowledge.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Karen Vaites (The Curriculum Insight Project) · Substack · 2025 · USA
Vaites argues that science of reading discussions overlook how much time each component of literacy actually gets, and why well-designed curriculum matters for getting the balance right.
FreeOpens at curriculuminsightproject.substack.com
Kylie Hoey · Substack · 2026 · Australia
An Australian leader argues that much reading intervention is too infrequent, too different from good teaching or poorly matched to need, and describes what effective intervention should look like.
FreeOpens at kyliehoey.substack.com
Five from Five · Guide · Australia
A clear introduction to phonics with key terms defined, the case for explicit and systematic teaching, and links to pages on decodable books, blending and segmenting.
FreeOpens at fivefromfive.com.au
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2026 · USA
A reading specialist names the one classroom activity she would keep for each part of literacy, from phonemic awareness to grammar, and explains the reasoning behind each choice.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Jen O'Sullivan · Substack · 2025 · International
Explains set for variability, the step where children adjust a sounded-out word to one they know, and why oral vocabulary is essential for making it work.
FreeOpens at readwritejen.substack.com
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2026 · USA
An introduction to linguistic phonics, which starts from the sounds of speech and maps them to spellings, and how practices such as encoding before decoding might simplify early teaching.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2026 · USA
Argues that English language learners need the same systematic reading teaching as other students, plus extra attention to vocabulary and meaning so they understand the words they can decode.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
What Works Clearinghouse · Practice guide · USA
A practice guide with four recommendations for teaching early reading. The second is to develop awareness of the sounds in speech and how they link to letters, with steps for putting it into practice.
FreeOpens at ies.ed.gov
Website · Australia
Opens at fivefromfive.com.au
Blog and podcast · Australia
Opens at jocelynseamer.simplero.com
Phonics and early reading · F-2 · Australian Curriculum
FreeOpens at literacyhub.edu.au
Phonics and spelling · K-3 (USA)
FreeOpens at readinguniverse.org
