Very well written response and well said, " We do need to recognize
all children's learning needs are different and accommodate
accordingly. All children in your classroom may not need the same
intensity of phonics instruction, but some children will. Isn't it our
job as teachers to teach to and for our students? When we take
ourselves out of the equation and do what is best for OUR student,
success always seems to follow.
H. Marchel
Reading Specialist
"If you want your children to be brilliant read them fairy tales.
If you want them to be more brilliant read them more fairy tales."
Albert Einstein
On Jul 29, 2009, at 4:00 PM, djchan wrote:
Well, it could be taught as language, but it's still phonics and a
very important component of reading. We teach comprehension
strategies, and thinking aloud strategies, writing strategies, yet
we don't want to teach decoding strategies? And we wonder why our
society has literacy issues! Phonics and phonemic awareness are the
underpinnings for good readers. Those who solve the reading code on
their own need only next level phonics/language lessons to increase
their reading abilities and comprehension. But those who don't
figure out the whole complex reading thing at 6 or 7 or 8 need
structured phonics lessons and opportunities to practice their new
skills in safe and successful ways.
I work with adults in a community college that lack these same
skills and I wonder how they made it through high school and job
applications without knowing the difference between 'want' and
'won't' or 'there' and their' and 'they're'. This obviously is more
than phonics knowledge; it involves learning about our language
through spelling and sounds. Perhaps we need to stop thinking about
phonics as 'letter naming/sound association' and think about, as
Louisa Cook Moats would recommend, as a sound to spelling pattern
association.
Obviously, my examples aren't matching with this thought pattern I'm
relating, but it is a symptom of a larger problem involving
illiteracy that has roots in the lack of phonics and structure of
language that aren't taught in our schools. Have you ever watched
the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC and wondered how those
students can figure out how to spell words they've never heard
before? It goes back to their home study of a good phonics
foundation followed by learning spelling patterns and Greek and
Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes. That's why they always ask for
the origin of the word.
Phonics instruction is essential in the development of good readers.
The students who receive RTI or special services because of reading
difficulties would benefit tremendously from structured multisensory
language instruction. We need more advocates and supporters for
phonics instruction in our schools, and better understanding of the
research that supports it as an integral part of reading
development. We also need better trained teachers who acknowledge
this thinking. Don't abandon what the students need just because you
don't like to teach it! Or worse, don't think that because the
phonics is imbedded in the lesson all children will internalize the
information and transfer it to working knowledge. We do need to
recognize all children's learning needs are different and
accommodate accordingly. All children in your classroom may not need
the same intensity of phonics instruction, but some children will.
Isn't it our job as teachers to teach to and for our students?
Deidra Chandler
MA Early Childhood Ed
MA Reading
MultiSensory Structured Language Intervention Tutor
----- Original Message ----- From: <ldybugt...@aol.com>
To: <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 11:47 AM
Subject: [MOSAIC] phonics instruction in 2nd grade
I know many people are against direct phonics instruction in
the classroom, however, being that I taught 3rd grade for
six years, it drove me crazy that many children come into
class and have no phonics knowledge or phonemic awareness
at all.? We have to teach them comprehension when they can not read
to begin with.? I will be teaching second grade this year and want
to be
sure that their 3rd grade teachers do not have to worry about
emphasizing
phonics.? Are there any suggestions on how to teach phonics
without "teaching phinics?"
_______________________________________________
Mosaic mailing list
Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org
.
Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
_______________________________________________
Mosaic mailing list
Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org
.
Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
_______________________________________________
Mosaic mailing list
Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.