Phonics Foundations: Letters, Short Vowels, Digraphs and Blends, book cover

From the co-founders of The Laurel School

Phonics Foundations

Letters, Short Vowels, Digraphs and Blends

An A–Z phonics workbook with sound boxes, word families and decodable stories, written by Johnathan Harris and Courtney Hughes-Harris, co-founders of The Laurel School, for the families and classrooms of the school and beyond.

  • Pre-K – Grade 1 · Ages 4–7
  • 103 pages · full color
  • Digital download · or paper copy picked up at school
  • Answer key included
$20digital download, emailed to you
$25paper copy, picked up at the school
Order Your Copy

Phonics Foundations is a digital download: complete the short order form, pay with Venmo (@laurelschoolrva) or a gift on our Give page with Phonics Book in the note, and we will email your PDF. If you would like a paper copy, choose it on the order form and pick it up at the school, 7800 Salem Church Road, North Chesterfield. Reproducible for one family or one classroom.

Proceeds from every copy support the Laurel School Endowment Project, an effort to establish a permanent endowment for The Laurel School. A purchase is not a tax-deductible gift.

Inside the Book

One simple routine

Every page follows the same three steps a child can learn in one sitting: say the sound, tap and blend, then read it. Pictures name only short-vowel words, so children are never asked to decode something they have not been taught.

  • Letter pages for A–Z with tracing rows, picture sorts and a letter hunt
  • Sound boxes and word families for every short vowel
  • Nine decodable stories with comprehension questions a grown-up reads aloud
  • Digraphs sh, ch, th, wh and ck, then l-, r- and s-blends
  • Grown-up notes, a reading tracker, a certificate and a complete answer key
A Sound It Out page from Phonics Foundations with sound boxes and pictures

What’s Inside

Four parts, in the order children need them

Part 1 · Letters and Sounds

Trace, listen for sounds, and match pictures for every letter A–Z.

Part 2 · Short Vowels

Sound boxes, word families, sentences and five decodable stories.

Part 3 · Digraphs

Two letters, one sound: sh, ch, th, wh and ck, with two more stories.

Part 4 · Blends

Beginning l-, r- and s-blends, a review page and two final stories.

At Home or at School

How families use it

Ten to fifteen minutes at a time is plenty. The Grown-up Notes on page 4 explain the rest.

1

Say the sound

Model the sound, not the letter name. Tracing rows begin at the black dot.

2

Tap and blend

One sound per dot, then sweep the arrow and blend the sounds into a word.

3

Read and write

Read the word, write it, and move on to sentences and stories when ready.

About the Authors

Johnathan Harris, Ed.D., and Courtney Hughes-Harris, Ed.D.

Dr. Johnathan Harris is a co-founder and the Headmaster of The Laurel School, an independent JK–6 school in Chesterfield, Virginia. He has served as a teacher, principal and education specialist for more than 25 years. He holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology with a minor in Gerontology and Psychology from the University of Lynchburg, a Master of Education from Grand Canyon University and Virginia State University, and a Doctor of Education from Marymount University, and he teaches in the Doctor of Executive Leadership program at the University of Lynchburg.

Dr. Courtney Hughes-Harris is a co-founder of The Laurel School and serves on its Board of Trustees. A University of Richmond graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and minors in Spanish and Dance, she earned a Master of Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and her doctorate from East Tennessee State University. She has spent the last 20 years at the University of Richmond as Assistant Athletics Director for Academic Support and Co-Curricular Initiatives and Director of the Bridge to Success Program, and she is on the faculty of the School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

Meet Dr. Johnathan Harris Meet Dr. Courtney Hughes-Harris
“Phonics Foundations takes young readers from letter sounds to their first decodable stories, one short lesson at a time. Every page follows the same simple routine: say the sound, tap and blend, then read it.”From the book

Questions

Good to know

Who is this book for?

Children ages 4–7 who are learning letter sounds through their first decodable stories: Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade 1, at home or in a classroom.

May I photocopy the pages?

Yes. Purchasers may copy or print the student pages for their own children or one classroom. School-wide or online distribution requires written permission.

How do I print it?

The pages are full color at 8.5 × 11 inches. Print them at home or at a copy shop; a plastic comb binding lets the book lie flat while a child writes. Or choose the paper copy, printed and comb-bound by the school.

How do I pay?

Complete the order form, then send your payment to @laurelschoolrva on Venmo or make a gift of the same amount on our Give page: $20 for the digital download or $25 for a paper copy. Put Phonics Book in the note so we can match your payment to your order.

How do I receive it?

The book is a digital download, emailed as a PDF to the address on your order form once your payment arrives. If you ordered a paper copy, we will email you when it is ready to pick up at the school, 7800 Salem Church Road, North Chesterfield. Paper copies are not shipped.

Give a young reader a strong start

Phonics Foundations is ready for your kitchen table or your classroom. Proceeds help build the Laurel School Endowment Project.

Order Your Copy