There has been a shake-up in the way children are taught to read in primary schools in England. The government has accepted a review that backs the use of a method known as 'synthetic phonics', where children are taught letter sounds (c-a-t spells cat), not the names of letters (cee-ay-tee), before they move onto simple books. Phonics is already used in a lot of schools, but not necessarily in a systematic or prescriptive way. These changes - which are being introduced at the end of 2007 - will mean that all children will be taught this way before the age of five. Phonics: The Easy Way ties in to this new government literacy strategy and is a core guide to help you to teach your child to read using phonics. It follows the latest recommendations of the DFES and the Primary National Strategy, reflecting the new, fundamentally changed, teaching guidelines. Phonics: The Easy Way includes: - Guidelines on teaching children the alphabet - to recognise each letter, to call it by its name and to sound out the first sound it makes - Thorough guidance on the blending of phonemes (i.e. how to blend c-a-t into cat) - Step-by-step instructions on how to teach each sound pattern and letter combinations that can make different sounds - Games and activities for you to play with your child - Colour illustrations to make the book fun and accessible for the child