Teaching phonics is recognised educationally as an essential part of the teaching of reading and writing. The Macmillan English Explorers Phonics Reading Series complements the first four levels of the existing Explorers Reading Scheme in a way that will teach children how to sound out words and blend sounds to read words and to segment the sounds in the words in order to spell them accurately. The phonic focus is set within the context of a story to ensure that reading for meaning is retained. Popular and familar characters from the Macmillan English Explorers series can be found, along with the introduction of new contexts and characters. Detailed Teacher's Notes show how to focus on letters and sounds to support pronunciation, reading and spelling. Each of these titles is perfect for use alongside the existing Macmillan English Explorers reading scheme to add further depth and context, or as a stand-alone phonics reading scheme.