This research study looks at phonics instructional strategies, determines the key elements of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), and investigates whether there is a way to apply CGI to a phonics lesson. The initial question that sparked the study was can students use problem solving strategies, like in CGI, to construct their own understanding of phonics? Initial review of the literature showed that many studies have been conducted to determine the effects of CGI in a mathematics setting. However, very little research has been conducted to help determine what CGI could look like in other subject areas. The purpose of this study was to determine if cognitively guided phonetic instruction could have a positive impact on student achievement and self-efficacy. A pre and post assessment and survey were administered and used to compare student achievement and self-efficacy. These assessments were used to answer the essential questions of the study which are; can students who are in tier two and tier three interventions show growth at the same pace as their high achieving and gifted peers in their ability to read phonetically, write phonetically, and remember phonics rules when all students receive cognitively guided phonetic instruction? Do tier two and three students show similar levels of self-efficacy as high achieving and gifted students when all students receive cognitively guided phonetic instruction? The results of this study will be determined at the end of March of 2019
