Teaching Phonics
Teaching phonics can be overwhelming, for both teachers and students. Every day, students are learning new sounds, new spelling patterns, and new rules — and let’s be honest, they need a LOT of reminders. Without a visual reference, it’s easy for them to forget what they just learned and feel stuck when applying these new skills.
That’s where phonics reference charts come in.
Why I Created My Own Phonics Charts
In my classroom, our phonics curriculum didn’t include many charts for students. And the few references it did provide weren’t very Science of Reading–friendly.
That left me constantly hand-drawing charts for each new skill…which was time-consuming and didn’t allow me to utilize them in other ways.
I created this set of phonics charts — that are consistent, clear, and easy to use. They’re designed for teachers who are in the same situation I was in: wanting structured literacy visuals that actually work for kids, without spending hours making them yourself.
How Phonics Charts Support Students
Phonics charts are more than just posters — they’re tools that help students:
- Build independence (they can “ask the chart” before asking the teacher)
- Reinforce new skills through daily reference
- Make connections between sounds and spelling patterns
- Gain confidence in reading and writing tasks
Ways to Use Phonics Charts in Your Classroom
The Key to Making Phonics Charts Work
Phonics charts are only powerful if students know how to use them. The key is building familiarity. That means you, as the teacher, explicitly introduce each chart, model how to reference it, and practice using it together during lessons. Over time, students get repeated exposure and start to naturally rely on the charts.
Simply hanging a poster on the wall or tucking a chart into a folder is not enough. Students need that consistent modeling and practice so they feel confident using the charts as a tool — not just as decoration.
Here are some of my favorite ways to make the most of phonics charts:
Introduce and Review New Skills: Display the chart as you teach the sound/spelling rule. Refer back to it each day for quick review.
Student Folders: Print mini versions so students always have a reference in their writing folders or notebooks.
Centers: Place the chart directly in the literacy center that matches the skill for students to reference.
Small Groups: Keep a set handy to use during guided reading or intervention groups.
Classroom Display: Hang them on a phonics wall or word wall to create a yearlong resource.
Free Phonics Chart Sampler Pack 🎉
To help you get started, I’ve put together a free sampler pack of my phonics charts. Inside you’ll find charts for:
- Consonants vs. Vowels
- Short vowels
- CVC Words
- Open vs. Closed Syllables
- Digraphs
- Suffix -s
- V-E Syllable
- Prefixes & Suffixes
👉 Get the FREE sampler pack emailed to you by signing up on the “Sign Up” tab at the top of my page!
These charts are classroom-ready and easy to print!
Want the Complete Set?
The sampler is just a preview! The Complete Phonics Chart Bundle includes over 40 charts (in two sizes) covering every phonics skill you’ll teach all year — from consonants and vowels to word endings, affixes, and beyond.
With the full set, you’ll have every skill organized in one consistent format, so your students always know where to look.
Final Thoughts
Phonics instruction doesn’t have to mean constant re-teaching and redrawing. With clear, consistent charts, students have the support they need at their fingertips — and you save time and energy for what matters most.
Try the sampler pack in your classroom and see how much independence it gives your students. And don’t forget: learning should feel joyful, even in the details of phonics.
Find more reference charts for math, writing, and reading standards in my TPT shop!
