09/10/2002

Systematic Phonetic Reading Instruction

QUESTION: As parents, we read to our children every night. Should we be teaching them phonics, too?

ANSWER: There are many approaches to teaching reading. Exposure to the written word from an early age is vital, to inspire interest and to expose children to the stories and ideas and fun of reading. From there, a child's curiosity and desire for mastery will contribute immensely to learning to decode (read).

I asked Elliott Woolwich, special educator, executive director of LEAD Educational Resources, and a developer of reading instructional materials, for his thoughts about instruction and instructional materials in phonics for both parents and teachers. He offered the following comments:

"If a child cannot read, that child cannot achieve in school or obtain a good job later in life. School failure leads to frustration and twelve years of compulsory frustration that may lead to delinquency and trouble with the law. If one cannot decode, one cannot comprehend. No amount of money invested in elegant libraries, fancy electronics, modern science labs or gimmicky reading programs is going to help if the students cannot read.

"Reviews of reading research literature provide ample evidence of the link between academic failure and delinquency.* It can also be shown that this link is welded to reading failure. It is proposed that research based reading instruction like systematic phonetic instruction can be used to reduce recidivism, and increase employment opportunities for incarcerated juvenile offenders.

"Those who are served poorly by inappropriate instructional approaches and materials share common problems of low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy and humiliation. Reading failure is most likely the cause for the frustration that can and sometimes does result in delinquent behavior.

"For too many, there must be direct and explicit teaching in order for the potential reader to break this code. For years, as we have heard from those who have utilized the systematized phonetic approach, success in reading has been achieved.

"Particularly encouraging to notice currently is the firmness with which so many outstanding researchers are indicating the crucial relationship of phonological awareness to the reading process. This is true for all of us, and how fortunate for those of us who develop that awareness painlessly. The research in this area is so compelling that the question is not, should we teach phonological awareness, but when should we incorporate it into the particular approaches which are being used in the teaching of reading? Phonological awareness taught effectively to the youngest of our school age children has the tremendous potential of breaking the cycle of reading failure.

"It is an often stated myth that the English language is not a phonetic language, and yet with today's modern technology where computer generated synthetic speech is commonplace, it has been found that 87% of the language is phonetically regular. The other 13% comprise words where roots are from other languages, might be spelled irregularly or have no pattern (sight words) as indicated in most systematic phonetic programs.

"Since there are more than 500,000 words in the unabridged English dictionary, it should be evident to all that learning the alphabetic code first, so that any of the 435,000 regularly spelled words can be sounded out and read, is the most effective way to teach reading.

"Current research indicates that the vast majority of reading disabled children have phonological deficits. Without direct instruction in phonemic awareness followed by systematic phonetic instruction (sound-symbol correspondence), these children and adults generally fail to obtain adequate reading levels. Approaches by several programs over the years have proven to be effective. Programs such as Open Court, The Wilson Reading Program and the LEAD Program have contributed to children's success in reading, writing and spelling of the English language. These programs incorporate the following strategies:

• Direct instruction in language analysis and alphabetic code
• Explicit instruction in segmenting and blending speech sounds.
• Processing of progressively larger portions of words
• Utilization of techniques that make the sounds more concrete
• How to add, omit, substitute and rearrange sounds in words
• Review previous reading lessons and relate to current lessons
• Regular practice with reading materials that are meaningful
• Inclusion of words that the child can decode (read)
• Teaching to the automatic level
• Exposure to more irregular words after regularized words are at the automatic level
• Teaching of reading and spelling simultaneously
• Teaching the relationship between spelling and reading and how to spell the words read
• Positive, explicit and corrective feedback

"Suggested programs that have integrated phonetic instruction within their materials are: The LEAD Program, The Wilson Language Training Program, Lindamood Bell and Open Court."

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Lead Educational Resources, Inc., is the publisher of the LEAD program. LEAD is a not-for-profit, 501c tax exempt organization dedicated to providing services for teachers, parents and students in the instruction of basic language skills. LEAD is located in Bridgewater, CT. Phone: 860-355-1516
Lead Educational Resources

Wilson Language Training Program

Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes

Open Court Reading Program

* "Reduced Recidivism and Increased Employment Opportunity through Research Based Reading Instruction"
by Michael Brunner:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse
633 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20531

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Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.