How many categories are there for specific techniques of phonics instruction?

Phonics instruction typically encompasses two main categories: synthetic phonics and analytic phonics. Synthetic phonics involves teaching students to convert letters into sounds (phonemes) and then blend those sounds to form words. This approach emphasizes the building of words from smaller units of sound. On the other hand, analytic phonics focuses on recognizing whole words and then breaking them down into their component sounds, usually beginning with familiar words and analyzing their phonetic structure.

These two categories form the foundation of phonics instruction techniques, as they guide educators in teaching students how to decode and understand the structure of language. Each category employs different strategies and methodologies to achieve the goal of reading proficiency through phonetic understanding.