This book is directed at the pre-service undergraduate and the in-service graduate student who must possess basic knowledge of how the orthography of American English is structured while pursuing the requisite skills for teaching competence in reading. Chapter one is a brief introduction. Chapter two, "Phonetics, Phonemics, and Phonics," considers the significant sounds of speech as they relate to American English and as necessary to clarify meanings of terms common to instruction. The history of phonics in reading instruction and the extent to which American English may be termed phonetic are examined. Chapters three and four provide details on the print correspondences of consonants and vowels. In these chapters, 112 consonant and vowel spellings are isolated for instruction using generalizations, grapheme bases, and associational activity. Chapter five, "Approaches to Instruction," points up the research base for recommended instructional activities, and emphasizes practical, detailed, instructional procedure. (TS)