From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishphonicsphon‧ics /ˈfɒnɪks, ˈfəʊ- $ ˈfɑː-, ˈfoʊ-/ noun [uncountable] SEa method of teaching people to read in which they are taught to recognize the sounds that letters representGRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?Phonics is followed by a singular verb: He believes that phonics is the best way to teach reading.
Examples from the Corpus
phonics• Currently, phonics advocates are painting whole word theory advocates as products of the hippie takeover of education in the 1970s.• After years of concentrating on literature, California public schools are re- emphasizing phonics as a key method for learning to read.• Most reading educators in both camps value phonics and whole stories. 