Published Aug 15, 2010 Updated Aug 25, 2026 3 min read
FREE Phonics Assessments
Word study is crucial to effective reading and spelling instruction. Knowing the structural components of words, including roots, affixes, and grammatical inflections will help your students read with greater understanding and less fear of multi-syllabic words. Studying how words are put together will help your students properly pronounce words. Learning the parts of words will help your student improve their vocabulary. Practicing the rules and patterns of word formation will help your students become better spellers. Oh yes… using the skills of word analysis will also help your students perform better on standardized English-language arts and reading tests.
Following are articles, free resources, and teaching tips regarding structural analysis, syllabication, and oral language development from the Pennington Publishing Blog. Also, check out the quality instructional programs and resources offered by Pennington Publishing.
Structural Analysis, Syllabication, and Oral Language
Teaching students the syllable and accent rules through effective practice will noticeably improve their word attack and spelling skills. The accent rules and teaching procedure work well for both primary English speakers and English language-learners at all grade levels.
How to Teach Syllabication: The Syllable Rules is a three-minute whole-class instructional strategy that teaches students to properly pronounce and spell all of the phonetic sound-spelling and syllable patterns.
The Twenty Advanced Syllable Rules are critical to accurate pronunciation, decoding, and spelling. Knowing the patterns of affixes and roots will also facilitate vocabulary acquisition.
Educated Americans often look down their long noses at those who mispronounce common words. However, even these literary illuminati have their fair share of embarrassing pronunciation gaffes.
Here is the definitive list of the Top 40 Pronunciation Pet Peeves that drive Americans crazy. Read, laugh, and cringe over mistakes that you or your friends make when saying these words.
More Articles, Free Resources, and Teaching Tips from the Pennington Publishing Blog
English-Language Arts and Reading Intervention Articles and Resources
Bookmark and check back often for new articles and free ELA/reading resources from Pennington Publishing.
The Science of Reading Intervention Program: Word Recognition (Phonics, Spelling, Phonics, Fluency, and Comprehension)
The Science of Reading Intervention Program: Word Recognition includes explicit, scripted instruction and practice with the 5 Daily Google SlideActivities every reading intervention student needs: 1. Phonemic Awareness and Morphology 2. Blending, Segmenting, and Spelling 3. Sounds and Spellings (including handwriting) 4. Heart Words Practice 5. Sam and Friends Phonics Books (decodables). Plus, digital and printable sound wall cards and speech articulation songs. Print versions are available for all activities. First Half of the Year Program (55 minutes-per-day, 18 weeks)
The Science of Reading Intervention Program: Language Comprehension resources are designed for students who have completed the word recognition program or have demonstrated basic mastery of the alphabetic code and can read with some degree of fluency. The program features the 5Weekly Language Comprehension Activities: 1. Background Knowledge Mentor Texts 2. Academic Language, Greek and Latin Morphology, Figures of Speech, Connotations, Multiple Meaning Words 3. Syntax in Reading 4. Reading Comprehension Strategies 5. Literacy Knowledge (Narrative and Expository). Second Half of the Year Program (30 minutes-per-day, 18 weeks)
The Science of Reading Intervention Program: Assessment-based Instruction provides diagnostically-based “second chance” instructional resources. The program includes 13 comprehensive assessments and matching instructional resources to fill in the yet-to-be-mastered gaps in phonemic awareness, alphabetic awareness, phonics, fluency (with YouTube modeled readings), Heart Words and Phonics Games, spelling patterns, grammar, usage, and mechanics, syllabication and morphology, executive function shills. Second Half of the Year Program (25 minutes-per-day, 18 weeks)
The Science of Reading Intervention Program BUNDLE includes all 3 program components for the comprehensive, state-of-the-art (and science) grades 4-adult full-year program. Scripted, easy-to-teach, no prep, no need for time-consuming (albeit valuable) LETRS training or O-G certification… Learn as you teach and get results NOW for your students. Print to speech with plenty of speech to print instructional components.
Phonics, phonemic awareness, reading fluency and literacy knowledge are all in the free toolkit, each with a recording matrix for progress monitoring.
Do I have to buy anything to use the assessments?
No. Every diagnostic assessment on this site is free. Enter your email on the Free Assessment Toolkit page and the diagnostic assessments arrive as downloads, each with its recording matrix.
How are the programs licensed?
Every program is a digital download licensed for one teacher. School and district purchase orders are accepted through the store.
Mark Pennington, M.A. Reading Specialist
Thirty-six years teaching ELA and reading, elementary through community college, plus district reading specialist. He wrote every program on this site.
Your Differentiated Spelling Instruction series is working great for my seventh grade ELA students. The spelling pattern word lists and accompanying sorts are quick and easy for me (no prep or correcting–yeah!), but challenging for my students. Just what the doctor ordered. I need to order your Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary to get all of those worksheets for my remedial spellers. Thanks. Oh, it’s nice to actually be able to talk to the author when I need to.
Glad to hear my resources are making a difference for your students.
I am not a teacher but an adult who missed getting taught phonics and syllable rules. Do you put out a book for students? I like your method but feel your books might be waste because I don’t want assessments. What would you recommend. My first language is English.
Maureen
Yes, these books are for teachers, I’m afraid.
Awesome resource! I work with adults who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and/or ADHD. I am looking forward to ordering your books for teaching differentiated spelling.
English-Language Arts and Reading Intervention Articles and Resources 
Your Differentiated Spelling Instruction series is working great for my seventh grade ELA students. The spelling pattern word lists and accompanying sorts are quick and easy for me (no prep or correcting–yeah!), but challenging for my students. Just what the doctor ordered. I need to order your Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary to get all of those worksheets for my remedial spellers. Thanks. Oh, it’s nice to actually be able to talk to the author when I need to.
Glad to hear my resources are making a difference for your students.
I am not a teacher but an adult who missed getting taught phonics and syllable rules. Do you put out a book for students? I like your method but feel your books might be waste because I don’t want assessments. What would you recommend. My first language is English.
Maureen
Yes, these books are for teachers, I’m afraid.
Awesome resource! I work with adults who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and/or ADHD. I am looking forward to ordering your books for teaching differentiated spelling.