All consonant sounds involving the sound /y/ omit the letter Y, such as few, cute, immune, and view. Perhaps 75% of high school students whose formal reading level is below seventh grade will not be able to pronounce these words that contain the "invisible" Y sound. Good students usually do not have to be taught this pattern, but average…

Phonics instruction was taught two ways to 63 predominantly black tenth graders in a Trenton, New Jersey high school to see if the approach used affected the gains made in phonics skills. One approach taught vowel and consonant sounds, while the other taught only consonant sounds. Thirty sessions of instruction over a period of 8 weeks were…