Teaching phonics is especially important in kindergarten through 6th grade (National, 2000). The American Psychological Society reported that "Using wholelanguage
activities to supplement phonics instruction does help make reading fun and meaningful for children, but ultimately, phonics instruction is critically important because it helps beginning readers understand the alphabetic principle and learn new words"(American, 2002, p. 1). "The experts agree that, once they are in school, children who
receive instruction in phonics, along with a complete reading program including instruction in comprehension and fluency, are more likely to succeed in learning to read and write" (Lyon & Moore, 2003, p. 4).