As a parent you trust your child's teacher to provide him with a solid foundation for learning phonics. It's hard to know exactly what is going on in the classroom or what teaching methods your child's teacher is using to teach phonics. Here are some steps you can take in order to make sure your child is getting a strong phonics foundation in the classroom.

Have a Look Around

Drop in one day to pick your child up from school. This way you can look around your child's classroom and see what visual aids are being used to help the children learn phonics. You should see things such as phonics posters, wall words, and/or word lists. You should also find student's work displayed that shows they are learning phonics. An example might be a picture that a child drew of something that begins with the letter

"d," such as a dog. Do not feel guilty about doing this. It just means you are a caring parent.

Look at Curriculum Materials

Most schools have documentation of what a child is to be learning in each grade and subject at their school. You can either find this information online at your child's school website or at the Board of Education website for your state. Go through the materials that your child should be learning as it pertains to phonics. The information should be laid out in a sequential and comprehensive manner, as this is the best method for teaching phonics.

Read Classroom News

Many teachers are in the habit of sending home newsletters or posting newsletters on the Internet for parents to see what is being taught in the classroom. Go through these notes and see what phonics-related material your child is learning at any given time. You can use this information to help reinforce phonics concepts at home, as well.

Volunteer in the Classroom

If you have the opportunity, and the teacher is open to the idea, take time to volunteer in your child's classroom. This is a widely accepted practice in most schools, especially for children in lower grades. A teacher may welcome the opportunity to have you read to students or work on basic worksheets, while she concentrates on students of differing phonics levels. This will give you a bird's eye view of exactly what goes on in your child's classroom and what methods the teacher uses to teach phonics.

Assess Your Child's Progress

Are you concerned that your child is not grasping phonics easily? Does he seem to struggle with beginning sounds, blending sounds, etc.? Talk to your child's teacher about this as soon as possible. If a child is not grasping the basics of phonics early on, chances are he will continue to struggle in later grades. It may be that your child needs some individual tutoring outside of the classroom in order to be able to keep up with his peers.