As literacy coaches, we often advise teachers and principals on the resources that they use for early literacy instruction. One of the most important types of materials we recommend is what is known as Sound Spelling Cards because they expedite student learning, especially when an entire school is coordinated around the same set of resources.

One of the most underutilized -- or sometimes completely unused -- components of some of the best literacy curricula on the market are things called Sound Spelling Cards. These cards organize all the most common graphemes (spelling patterns) around the phonemes (sounds) they represent. When used well, they create such great value for students!