How does phonics effectively fit within daily classroom instruction? Today on the podcast, we’re joined by author Heidi Anne Mesmer. In her new book, Letter Lessons and First Words, Heidi Anne provides a research-based vision of what lively, engaging phonics instruction can look like, along with practical, classroom-tested tools to make it happen in your classroom. Filled with classroom activities and easy-to-use frameworks, her book is a one-stop shop for phonics instruction. Nell Duke writes in her introduction to Letter Lessons and First Words, that “the stakes are high for phonics instruction.” We started by asking: “why?”