Tip #78 from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley & Trombly) - phonics vs whole language
Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.
#78
The
Tools in Your Toolbox
One of the greatest and simplest tools for learning more
and growing is doing more.
You may be aware of the
current tug-of-war many professionals in education struggle with year after
year. It is the debate whether phonics or whole language is the best way to
teach kids how to read. Luckily, as a parent, you do not have to commit to one
or the other. You can simply commit to helping your child become the best
reader he can be.
Simply put, phonics is the dissecting of a word into
chunks* (or parts—letter sounds and symbols) and putting them together to form
a recognizable word. However, the hard reality of the English language is that
not all words are phonetic. In fact, many
cannot be "sounded out.” This has traditionally been the primary way
teachers have used to teach children how to read. First by letter sounds, then
by putting letters together, and finally by putting those chunks of words
together to create whole words.
In the 80's came the whole language movement. Experts felt
that if a child is immersed in good literature and sees words often enough, he
can learn to recognize them without ever having to sound them out. The reality
here is that, sadly, many classrooms and homes are not equipped to provide an
infinite supply of quality literature and endless opportunities to be
surrounded by print. Even if a child is lucky enough at school and home to have
this, there is no guarantee he will pick up on it all and become a good reader
without any direct instruction.
You have the opportunity
to balance these two very different approaches to teaching reading. You can
learn to think of each concept as a tool in your ever-expanding toolbox of good
ideas for helping your child become a good reader. If looking phonetically at a
difficult word helps your child, do it. If he is learning to read by being read
to and some of the other ways you are beginning to try from this book, then
stick with that. Use both methods whenever they seem appropriate. A balance of
the two should be the perfect recipe for helping your child learn to read.
*A “chunk” is a common term in elementary school for a part of a word. It is like a syllable.
It consists of a vowel and the letters that come after it. Here are
some examples: the “ale” in sale,
the “ope” in hope, the “est” in
best...
Phonics They Use by
Patricia Cunningham is a great resource book that cleverly combines the principles
of phonics with the natural practices of whole language.
Cindy McKinley Alder Patti Trombly
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