How do we learn to read? Do children read by recognizing whole words or do they use phonics while reading?
For several years, teaching specialists debated the importance of teaching phonics to children learning to read. Some suggested that teaching whole words and whole language should be emphasized over phonics. However, now researchers agree that teaching phonics is an important part of decoding the written language. The International Reading Association’s policy on teaching phonics also suggests that phonics is an important part of reading instruction. However, the Association does state that phonics knowledge is “critical but not sufficient to support growing independence in reading”. As such, phonics instruction is more effective if it is linked to children’s reading and writing, rather than being practiced in isolation.
The importance of phonics in developing reading skills was also highlighted a couple of years ago, when researchers at NYU showed that all three processes, phonics, whole word recognition and whole language processes, work together to determine reading speed.
- Phonics is the process of decoding words letter by letter by using sounds of each letter. Phonics accounts for 62% of reading speed and is the most dominant process in reading.
- Holistic word recognition is the process of recognizing words by their shape. This process accounts for 16% of the reading speed.
- Whole language processes are processes where words are recognized by the context of the sentences. These processes account for 22% of the reading speed.
These researchers also showed that the three processes work independently of each other and all three are important in reading speed.
Project EASE (Early Access to Success in Education), which has had great success in increasing the reading level of children, suggests several activities to help children develop phonics awareness. The Project EASE Cracking the Code (letter recognition and sound awareness) activity unit introduces the shapes, names and sounds of letters to children, using most of their senses – sight, hearing, touch and movement. Below are some activities, based on Project EASE that we, as parents, can use to teach phonics to our children.
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Making collages of specific letters using words and pictures of items that start with that particular letter. This helps children look at items and think about the starting sound.
- Playing games that involve sound. For example, play a rhyming game, where a child is encouraged to come up with words that rhyme.
- Playing games that require children to sort through various items, and then sort the items into boxes labeled with the 26 letters of the alphabet. This helps children identify the beginning sound and associate the sound with a printed alphabet.
- Reading books which involve playing with letters and identifying the starting sounds of objects. Some recommended books are shown below.
Other Related Posts:
Impact of Early Childhood Conversation and Reading
This post is based on the Project EASE Cracking the Code Activity Unit and the following article:
Devitt, J. (2007). Phonics, Whole-Word, and Whole-Language Processes Add Up to Determine Reading Speed. NYU Today, Vol. 21(1). Accessed at http://www.nyu.edu/nyutoday/article/777.
