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Many people are confused by the term phonics, because the term can literally have two meanings. As Miriam Balmuth explains, “in the historically earlier sense, the phonics of written language are the letters and spelling patterns of that language’s alphabet and the speech sounds they represent—put very simply, the sounds that the letters make (Balmuth, 1982). This explains the fact that many different written languages have different phonics systems. Some letters are used the same in different languages, but the letters are assigned different speech sounds. The second definition of the term phonics is what most people attribute to the word. The historically more recent definition of phonics refers to a technique of reading instruction (Balmuth, 1982). According to Charles Fries, “Phonics in this sense means the practices in the teaching of reading that have aimed at matching individual letters of the alphabet with specific sounds of English pronunciation (Fries, 1963). The first definition might date back further than the second, but both are used in the instructional reading techniques today. The whole word approach has been often referred to as the “look and say” approach, and has dated back to the eighteen hundreds. Balmuth defines the whole word approach as “an approach that consists of first presenting a block of written language, rather than single letters, and then breaking down the clock into its components (Balmuth, 1982). Whole language is a process that teaches children to guess at words by looking at pictures on a page, memorizing a few words, and skipping over words that are not familiar. A familiar form of the whole language approach is illustrated in the books of “Dick and Jane” by publisher Scott Foresman (Chall, 1983). These books were brought about by the publisher sending out slick salesman to every school district to demonstrate how easily children could be taught to read through Dick and Jane (Chall, 1983). These stories had color pictures of Dick, Jane, and Spot (the dog) doing whatever the one-syllable word described. Look and Say dominated the school system as a result of a strategic marketing plan carried out by the publisher (Schafely, 1996). The school systems have had educational backgrounds molded after whole language, and its time for a phonics approach. It is now more crucial than ever for a change in the system. It would be impossible to expect the educational system to completely change the way children are learning to read, but the system must make small, quick changes over a short period of time to encompass the use of the phonics approach. Not all children have the same learning capabilities, and that is one of the main arguments against phonics. Many people in opposition say that not all children can learn from the phonics approach. What people opposed to phonics do not understand is that phonics can be incorporated into the learning process along with whole language to ensure a balance and complete understanding of the English language (Unkown, 1994). With whole language as the basis to the learning process, I believe that the schools are giving out good grade cards to children who are good at guessing and memorizing words. With this in place, parents don’t realize that their children are being taught to guess instead of learning to read properly. It seems as though the schools have placed more priority on self-esteem and appraisal than on literacy. It has come to a point where children no longer are told they are incorrect, but instead are appraised for trying. The competition in schools are becoming non-existent with the removal of spelling bees, honor rolls and even class rankings. Many schools have taken out the letter grade system (A, B, C, D, and F) and replaced it with G (good), S (satisfactory) and U (unsatisfactory). Replacing the traditional letter grade system has hindered the whole language approach by allowing children not to strive for excellence. Knowing that satisfactory is all right, children do not have to strive for that A+ grade. Children should be instilled with the need to learn, want to learn idea. Children should learn that life is competition, and the rewards go to those who work hard and achieve correctness. Children, who are told they are incorrect, will try harder if they have the need to learn, want to learn idea within them. I believe that self-esteem should be the reward for achievement and hard work, not for trying and being wrong. Children should understand that an education is a privilege, and should not be taken for granted. Whole language allows for too much to be taken for granted, in hopes that children’s self esteem will not be negatively affected by being told they are “incorrect, try again”. It seems to be that with the whole language approach children are not told they are incorrect, but instead are rewarded for being incorrect while trying. The following story was written by the top speller in the second grade class in a Riverside County school. This student was considered so exceptional she was often sent to first-grade classes to “tutor”. (Her mother asked that the school and district not be revealed.) oneic a potime there was a hors her name was cnow buote But for short her oner cald her snowe for andher oner toke her out for a rid But there was a stor and the hors went out of cuntor and her oner fel down and the hors ran Bak to his ehtre oner and they tid to But they did But ifer wort out” According to the student, the following is what the story said: Once upon a time there was a horse. Her name was snow beauty, but for short her owner called her Snow. Her owner took her out for a ride but there was a storm. The owner fell off and the horse ran back to his mother. They both ran back to the owner who fell off. The owner went back on the horse’s saddle and when they got back home his wife asked what happened. He said, ‘I fell down but Snow came to help me,’ So it all worked out (Holgate, 1998). The above story could be an isolated case where a child slipped through the system, but this child was rewarded for being an exceptional student and she also helped as a tutor! Obviously, the school knew about her spelling and reading capabilities, but I believe that whole language allows for this creative spelling. Creative incorrect spelling and reading have become part of the whole language approach and systems need to be changed. Phonics does not allow children to guess at words. It ensures that children have the understanding of the English language by sounding out each letter to form a word. Phonics also does not allow for inventive spelling and/or creative replacement for words that are not familiar. Instead, phonics requires knowledge of letter awareness, sounds, combinations, and requires the children to sound out words that are unfamiliar until a new word is decoded. The understanding of the word then comes after the child has broken the code and mastered the letters. I believe that phonics-based systems tend to build better pronunciation and word recognition. Phonics can be taught again and again, and can help a child with spelling much better than a memorizing and guessing system like whole language. Children are taught to dissect the words into parts and then combine them to become a familiar word. By learning this process, children have a decoding based learning system that allows them to break down any unfamiliar word they encounter. Phonics and Whole Language in a Classroom to get Children Excited About Reading Schools need to get beyond the debate and use both phonics and whole language in the classroom. In the words of Priscilla Vail, a teacher and a writer, “Proponents of both whole language and phonics want children to read and write easily, accurately, and joyfully…The goal is too important to be compromised by factionalism. We need to move from rival turf to common ground (Vail, 1991). I too believe that the two systems can work together in the process of teaching children to read and creating an environment where children can be excited about reading. Children cannot learn to read without an understanding of phonics. All children must know their ABC’s and the sounds that letters make in order to communicate verbally. The question in early childhood programs is not whether to teach “phonics” or “whole language learning”, but how to teach phonics in context rather than in isolation, so that children can make the connection between letters, sounds, and meaning. Phonics should not be taught as a separate subject with emphasis on drills and memorization. It should be a balanced approach with attention towards each child’s individual needs(Vail, 1991.) Many children’s understanding of phonics will arise from their ideas, interest and knowledge. Other children will benefit from more formal instruction. There are many opportunities for a child to learn the sounds of the letters. For example, the first letter a child typically learns, is the letter of their first name. Phonics is the oldest method of teaching reading(Fries, 1963). Phonics is the systematic teaching of the mechanics of written language. That is, the teaching of letter sounds, letter combination sounds, the rules of putting these combinations together, and then sounding them out to make words, sentences, and ideas. Phonics seems to work well with most children. However, if phonics is used in isolation or used inappropriately, children can misunderstand what reading is all about. For example, children should not be forced to sit for extended periods of time with a deck of flash cards to drill phonics into their minds. This can cause children to decide they don’t like reading, and so avoid the opportunity to try and read. When a child is born we immerse him in spoken language. We coo, babble, and talk to and around our children from the day they are born(McKewon, 1988) Almost every moment of their lives, they are surrounded by spoken language from radio, television, siblings, and adults. We immerse them in spoken language and they naturally learn to speak. Although this works well with verbal language, written language is not that simple to learn. Children should be excited about learning to read. Parents should create activities that can help create a desire for children to read. There are many things that can help your child get ready to read. The next few pages are devoted to ideas that can help children get excited about learning to read. Read to your child everyday. Take the time to cuddle up with a good book and read to them. Make sure to point to the words and pictures as you are reading. When ready, the child can point to the words as you read them. Ask questions about the story and the characters to help build the child’s comprehension skills. Have fun together with songs and nursery rhymes. Sing rhyming songs, have fun with tongue twisters, and read poems together. These activities can help children pay attention to the sounds in words. Sand Writer. Take your child to the park, and write the ABC’s in the sandbox. Encourage the child to draw the letters with you. Sculpting Letters. Give your child some clay and work together form the letters of the alphabet. Encourage the child to say the names of the letters as they are formed. Fun Food Ideas. Purchase snacks like crackers, pretzels, cereals, etc, that have the forms of the alphabet. During snack time, have the child hold up a letter and identify it. When the child is correct, he gets to gobble up the letter. ChalkBoard Fun. Put alphabet magnets on the chalkboard and encourage your students to spell a word with magnets and give the definition for that word. Take a Pretend Shopping Trip. Tell your students you are going on a shopping trip through the class. Make a shopping list that consists of items starting with the letter a and end with an item starting with z. Ask the child to locate the items on the list, and start with the letter a. For example, you could start with an apple, which begins with the letter a. Have the child pronounce the sound that the letter a makes. Picture This. Cut pictures out of magazines of familiar objects like cat, dog, bat, ball, etc. Have the child name the object and pronounce the sounds of the beginning letter of each word. Designate a folder that has the ABC’s, one letter per page, and have the child paste each picture to the page that matches the first letter of the word. Excited Children Can Be Eager Learners I believe that the role of the parent and teacher working together in a child’s learning experience is the key ingredient in a child becoming excited about learning. If all parents would take the time to read to and with their children daily, many children would be more eager to learn to read. Getting children excited about learning stems from their environment and the excitement around them about reading. If the parents and teachers can make learning fun and exciting, with new ideas and concepts, the child will not lose interest. Making learning fun is not difficult; it just takes a parent or teacher who is willing to make their child’s education a priority. The ideas given in this paper do not take a lot of money, nor do they require a lot of time. Spending an hour a day reading, drawing, or even coloring with your child should always be easy. Just turn off the tube, schedule the time with your child, and make learning the number one priority. Our schools are in fact better than most people give them credit for, yet there is still more that needs to be done. Schools need to meet the challenge of educating all children to the highest standards. New, better and different ideas end up forgetting the old and bringing on the new. What is old is left behind, and the new is usually just different. The school systems need to work on intertwining systems already available to ensure the highest possible standard of education for our children. As the critics of both phonics and whole language argue over who is right and who is wrong, our children are the ones who suffer. Once again, I do believe that whole language can not and will not help our children achieve the highest possible standard without the introduction of phonics into the curriculum. Phonics based learning can and will allow children to become the best readers and spellers possible. The challenge will be to find that common ground between phonics and whole language and get our students excited about learning to read. Bibliography: Bibliography 1. Balmuth, Miriam. (1982), The Roots of Phonics: A historical Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2. Chall, Jeanne. (1983), The Great Debate. New York: McGraw-Hill. 3. Cunningham, A.E., Explicit Instruction In Phonological Awareness, The Journal Of Experimental Child Psychology, 1990, v. 50, pp. 434-435. 4. Fries, Charles C. (1963) Linguistics and Reading. New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston. 5. Hayes, R.B., Three Approaches to Beginning Reading, the Reading Teacher, 1976, v. 20, p. 694 6. McKewon, M.G., Learning Vocabulary: Different Ways for Different Goals, Open Publishing, 1988, pp. 42-43 7. Peterson, O. Program for Stimulating Phonological Awareness in Preschool Children, Reading Research Quarterly, 1988, v. 23, pp. 265-268 8. Vail, Priscilla. (1991), Common Ground: Whole Language and Phonics Working Together, New Jersey: Modern Learning Press Articles 1. Holgate, Karen. (1998) Phonics vs. Whole Language: What’s the Big Deal? 2. Schafly, Phyllis. (1996) The Phyllis Schafly Report. Vol. 29, No. 12, July 1996. 3. Unknown. Right to Read Report. Nov/Dec, ’94 Word Count: 2568
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