Every syllable is organized around a vowel, making vowels the engine of word reading and spelling. However, mastering vowel sounds and spellings is one of the most complex tasks we ask young learners to tackle in the early elementary years. Effective phonics instruction builds a child’s understanding of what a vowel is, how vowel sounds connect to spelling patterns (and how those patterns relate), and how to apply that knowledge to multisyllabic and unfamiliar words flexibly.