Welcome! PHONOVISUAL is ...

  • an organized and systematic approach to teaching sound/symbol relationship
  • an effective tool for teaching skills that in combination with any reading program enables students to use and understand all language forms (reading, writing, spelling, and speech).
  • an affordable program that enables you to maintain a high quality Reading and Language Arts Program and to supplement your current reading program.

For over sixty years, the Phonovisual Method has been used successfully with non-readers and struggling readers alike. It continues to survive trends in education that have stressed sight reading and rejected phonics. It is used extensively in public and private schools, as well as home-schooling programs.

Teachers love the ease and flexibility that Phonovisual offers because Phonovisual is adaptable to and complements any reading program. The Phonovisual Method enables all types of children to read with comprehension and fluency. Children will be inspired to read, spell and write with joy!

Phonovisual Method Workshop

The Primary Day School was founded in 1944 as a demonstration school for the Phonovisual Method and over the years we have trained thousands of teachers to implement it. Today, the Phonovisual Method continues to prove its effectiveness, having outlasted countless trends in reading instruction.

An introductory workshop on the Phonovisual Method will be conducted on:

Thursday, October 3, 2023  from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm.
at The Primary Day School
7300 River Road
Bethesda, Maryland, 20817

A scientifically-organized phonics program, the Phonovisual Method is based upon carefully designed consonant and vowel patterns that correspond with developmentally appropriate speech sounds. In this workshop, participants will learn how to effectively apply the principles of the Phonovisual Method to the teaching of reading, writing, and spelling. The program includes demonstrations with children in grades Kindergarten through Third Grade.

All workshop materials, morning coffee and lunch will be provided.

The fee for the workshop is $250.00. Registrations of two or more educators from the same school will be discounted to $200.00 per participant. Please make your check payable to The Primary Day School, and mail it (address above) with your name(s), school name, address, phone and email, and the grade you teach, to the School no later than September 22, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Najaka, Phonovisual Specialist at 301-365-4355 or email l.najaka@theprimarydayschool.org.

Download this announcement and registration form here.

From Our Users

"I have used Phonovisual as a phonics program since the mid-sixties. I am now fully retired but I am still using this wonderful program with my grandchildren. I have never found a program as easy to use and as linguistically sound as Phonovisual. I have used it in my regular first grade program, I also taught remedial reading for several years and I used it there. I then went on to train teachers at our local university and again I used it with my students. They were amazed at how easy it was to integrate with reading and writing as well as speech. Not wanting to quit yet, I began teaching adult education and taught a woman who was 38 at the time we began. I used Phonovisual and this lady who began reading at a third grade level was soon able to read at seventh grade level, thanks mainly to this program. After 44 years of teaching in one way or another, Phonovisual has been a constant in my "bag of tricks." Thank you so much for continuing to produce this program. It is such a valuable tool for children and adults alike." ~ Carolyn McCarthy, retired teacher.

"I have been in education for over 20 years and have seen many different phonics programs. I have yet to find one as complete and efficient as Phonovisual. It is a program that is easy for both children and teachers and it works miracles." ~ L. Najaka, Primary Day School, www.theprimarydayschool.org

"Quite frankly, Phonovisual works perfectly as a stand-alone phonics program or as a supplement to any modern phonics or whole langauge method. The linguistic layout of the charts remains unsurpassed. I use the Phonovisual Charts in my classroom every day. I am absolutely convinced that there is not a better set of phonics charts and materials on the market. I continue to do what I can to encourage teachers to use the Phonovisual Method." ~ D. Potter, Odessa, TX