Teaching phonics is one part of a complete reading program supporting early readers. As educators, we aim to help students understand the link between sound and symbol, an essential tool as they progress in reading. But a tool needs to be used: a hammer without a nail is of limited use! In this new book, Julia B. Lindsey explains it is through the process of decoding that students apply phonics knowledge when reading and writing authentic texts. Lindsey defines decoding as the product of phonemic awareness and phonics, so students know “how to use soundspelling relationships to read.”