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Frequently Asked Questionsabout Reading |
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Reading Room HomeParents
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Whenever I am asked questions about the phonics we teach, I make sure the person asking the question understands that, although different reading programs view the role of phonics in different ways, we believe the following points about its role in our reading program. Phonics instruction is not synonymous with reading instruction. Phonics is an important tool that is part of the reading process. It is included as a part of the three different kinds of cues used when reading: Phonemic awareness, including rhyming, blending and segmenting phonemes aurally, is essential to learning to read, and should be taught, starting in the home in infancy. Students who use multiple cues whil reading, balanced readers, are the most successful readers. Some students learn to read without phonics instruction. Some students absorb needed phonics generalizations through their experiences with print. Others rely on other cueing systems to read in the early stages, but need phonics instruction for more advanced, independent reading and for spelling. Students should be taught to use phonics interactively with meaning and syntax. Students should be given opportunities to make links. Phonics rules have limited or no use. It is more useful to help students discover and use phonics generalizations. Students should spend much more time actively involved with books (reading) than in phonics instruction. Phonics instruction should be on-going and relevant to the needs of the students. Different students in each class have different needs and understandings, and should be taught according to those needs. Reading, writing and speaking are interactive and reciprocal. Phonics should be practiced through all three modalities (multi-sensory approach). Phonics activities should be presented from easy to hard, from teacher-modeled to student-applied. Most reading materials should not be contrived or controlled to match the phonics being taught. It limits the students' opportunities to become flexible readers. Phonics must be taught as part of a program which seeks to help children learn to read and write meaningful texts that have some relevance to their own lives. Students do not have to be taught every phonetic element, but only enough so that they can begin to make their own generalizations about words. The goal of phonics instruciton is to encouraage students to be independent processors or print. The emphasis of any reading program should be on children, not programs. Teaching phonics with a pre-packaged program is easy. Teaching phonics according to the needs of the children is more difficult but more meaningful. Answers to the FAQs about Reading have been prepared by Dozie Herbruck, former Learning Specialist at University School. |
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What is the role of phonics in a reading program?