Book excerpt: Here is everything prospective reading teachers need to know in order to introduce phonics to elementary school children in a way that's interesting and effective. This concise handbook shows future teachers how to teach phonics while, at the same time, “filling in the gaps” in their personal knowledge of the subject. Coverage is focused on decoding, the lynchpin skill in literacy development. Part I addresses the relationship between phonics and literacy, and provides a six-chapter tutorial that will test the reader's own level of skill. In Part Two, dozens of classroom activities are arranged in the order in which research has shown phonics knowledge to be acquired. New coverage includes Onsets and Rimes—addressing common phonemic combinations; Numerous fresh, engaging phonics activities that reflect the latest research in the field. For prospective early childhood reading teachers.