Blast from the Past: This blog first posted on January 26, 2019, and reposted on May 2, 2026. I haven’t received this kind of question lately, and yet, the recent kerfuffle over how much phonics should be taught reminded me of it. It seems to be hip right now to talk generally about these things: more phonics, less phonics. But more or less than what? And what else need be taught? I thought it would be timely to reissue this one. I’ve added some research references and revised the writing, but the content is the same as the original. I’ve included a link to the 18 comments th...