Phonics, a key to success in Reading

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Learn & Love to Read : Phonics

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Phonics is knowing that sounds and letters have a relationship. Phonics instruction is designed to help beginning readers understand how letters combine to make sounds and words. Through the phonics instruction, children can understand letter sound correspondences and spelling patterns.

Many parents of beginning readers or children who want to learn English may hear about phonics from friends or teachers. You may wonder what phonics is, why my children needs phonics, if phonics is essential and how I can help them to learn phonics efficiently ?

This kiosk will answer all these questions and help you to enhance your knowledge of phonics . It is useful to find suitable phonics materials for helping your children by addressing valuable resources.

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Many experts and researchers stress various advantages of phonics instruction, indicating phonics is an essential ingredient in reading.

The knowledge gained by understanding the relationship between sounds and letters helps children to read and decode unfamiliar words automatically.

As children gain letter sound skills, they can transfer the sound into spelling. This instills confidence in children’s writing.

Mastering explicit phonics helps children to improve reading comprehension. In order to understand what he/she reads, reading all sentences quickly and accurately is firstly required. Phonics facilitates this process.

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Role of Phonics in Reading

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Approaches to Phonics

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All contents in this kiosk are from following resources,

• Children’s Books and Reading, Synthetic Phonics, Retrieved from http://www.childrens-books-and-reading.com/synthetic-phonics.html

• Children’s Books and Reading, Teaching Phonics using Analytical Phonics, Retrieved from http://www.childrens-books-and-reading.com/teaching-phonics.html

• National Reading Panel (2000), Phonics Instruction, Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/254

• Parlapiano, Ellen H., Sounding Out Phonics, Retrieved from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=10219

• Time 4 Learning, Pre-Reading Skills – Phonics, Retrieved from http://www.time4learning.com/readingpyramid/phonics.htm

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Role of Phonics in Reading

3-4s

Pre K

Kinder

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Print Concepts

Phonemic Awareness

Phonics

Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehension

On-Track Reader Prepared for Success

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Phonics is one of five essential components of reading that children must to be taught in order to learn to read : Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. Each component takes a large role in achieving success in reading and also affects other parts which are vital in improving abilities to read.

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Pays attention to sounds in words

Hears the rhythm of language

Knows that words are made of sounds

Distinguishes separate sounds in words

Identifies words with same beginning sounds

Knows that letters in each word correspond to sounds

Identifies syllables in words

Blends sounds into words

Changes sounds by adding, deleting, or substituting phonemes

By mastering nine skills, children can accomplish goals of phonics instruction which have a great effect on children’s process in reading and comprehension.

The Role of Phonics

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Over the past decades, there has been the phonics controversy. Some researchers indicated that phonics instruction is unnecessary because children can learn to read naturally without such instruction. They believed that we can help children to have ability to read by encouraging them to read good books.

However, many experts had researched on the topic and concluded that early phonics learning results in excellent reading achievement.

Adams (1990), one of the supporters of phonics teaching, indicated the role of phonics in reading by saying,

“Phonics instruction by itself in not enough, however. To support skillful reading, the information in all the processors must be richly interconnected. To learn to read skillfully, children need practice in seeing and understanding decodable words in real reading situations and with connected text. The purpose of word identification instruction is to establish paths from the print to spelling, speech, meaning, and context. This can be done when phonics is part of a reading program that provides ample practice in reading and writing. Encouraging children with connected text can also show them the importance of what they are learning and make the lessons on phonics relevant and sensible”, (p.93-94).

Dr. Marilyn Jager Adams

Cognitive psychologist

Approaches to Phonics

The main goal of phonics instruction is to provide children with key knowledge and skills and to encourage children to apply the knowledge in their reading and writing. In order to support children’s phonics, there are several different methods available. It is important to know each approach’s basic concept and pros and cons because selecting a method will be varied according to what you and your child need.

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Not all methods are created equal

Synthetic Phonics

Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between the letters and individual sounds. In addition, it teaches how these relationships are used to read and write words. There are five approaches to phonics instruction: Analytic phonics, Analogy phonics, Embedded phonics, Phonics through spelling and Synthetic phonics. All approaches aim to teach students to systematically recognize familiar words and decode new works independently.

Analytical phonics and synthetic phonics are main methods for phonics teaching. By clicking the below menu you can have more specific information of each approach.

Others Analytical Phonics

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The role of parents is essential in early child education. Since phonics instruction is most effective when introduced early, parents should adapt appropriate programs and teach their child carefully. Indeed, parents should assess the needs of their child before applying the program for phonics teaching.

Along with knowing that phonics is only one component of the reading activity parents should give their child phonics instruction integrated with other reading components such as phonemic awareness, fluency and comprehension.

In order to facilitate children’s enthusiasm to learn, having various learning activities is a valuable way. Many programs in different types offer helpful resources and effective curriculum for your child. For more information about programs, please see the resources section in main menu.

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Why & How Parents should use Systematic Phonics Instruction

According to the research by National Reading Panel (2000) “systematic phonics instruction has significant benefits for students in kindergarten through 6th grade and for children having difficulty learning to read”. Children who were taught phonics systematically in their early years are better able to decode and spell words and to read text. It has also positive effects on English learning children who are from a variety of backgrounds.

Synthetic Phonics

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Synthetic phonics starts with the 44 sounds in the English language

and teaches children the combination of letters used to represent

each of these sounds.

Letter - sounds first, words laterMost widely used in the world

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Concept of Synthetic Phonics

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There are 44 sounds in the English language, represented by one, two or more letters put together. Children are taught each of these sounds systematically and the letters used to represent them.

Sounds are represented by • one letter : /m/ in ‘map’• two letters : /wr/ in ‘wrist’• three letters : /igh/ in ‘light’• four letters : /ough/ in ‘dough’

Children start to learn each of 44 sounds. After mastering sounds, children are taught how to these sounds can be blended together to make words.

Synthetic Phonics method is most widely used in countries such as the US, the UK, Germany, and Austria to help children’s reading skills.

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Advantages Disadvantages

• The fast pace of learning new sounds helps children not to get bored. It will take less than four months for children to read simple books.

• As children learn sounds represented by more than one letter, they can easily understand when they see individual letters sound different in different words. For example, an “a” sounds different in “cat” than in “rain”.

• This method gives a logical structure to the writing system : Phonics connect reading to spelling and writing.

• In the beginning of the learning process, the synthetic method does not focus on children’s comprehension of what the words mean, which is essential to reading ability.

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Analytical Phonics

Analytical Phonics starts with the 26 letters of the alphabet and

teaches the sounds associated with each of these letters. In addition,

children are taught to recognize groups of similarly spelt words.

Words first, letter - sounds later

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Concept of Analytical Phonics

Spill = Sp + ill

Goat = G + oat

Boat = B + oat

A single syllable word = Onset + Rhyme

Analytical phonics recognizes that a single word has two parts: the onset and the rhyme.

For example, in the word “spill”, “sp” is the onset and “ill” is the rhyme.

Children are taught to analyze whole words to detect spelling patterns and then split them into the onset and the rhyme. This decoding enables them to make a comparison with other words.

For example, if the child knows ‘goat’ and ‘boat’, then the word ‘float’ or ‘moat’ will be easy to read. By varying the onset, one rhyme can generate numerous words. These groups of words are called rhyme families.

Children learn the names of the letters and the sounds first, and then are taught how to blend letters together to make words.

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• The analytical approach is good to help children develop a large sight vocabulary for both reading and spelling.

• Learning the rhyme is useful to recognize and learn other words which have the same rhyme. For example, after learning the rhyme “ould” in “would” children can easily learn either “could” or “should”.

• Learning the sounds and their blends can be boring for young children.

• By encouraging guessing to read words, it may promote children to read inaccurately.

• It normally takes one week to master one letter sound, which is longer than other methods, resulting in children getting bored easily.

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Advantages Disadvantages

Other phonics approaches

• Analogy phonics

Students are taught unfamiliar words by analogy to known words. For example, reading “brick” by analogy to “kick” or reading “stump” by analogy to “jump”.

• Embedded phonics

Students are taught phonics skills by embedding the phonics method in reading text.

• Phonics through spelling

Students are taught to separate words into sounds and to select letters for those sounds.

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Synthetic Phonics Analytical Phonics Awarded the best how-to book in

2000Aimed to improve comprehension and reading skills

Provides daily lesson plans that are detailed and easy to follow

More information and tips available @ here

Highly simplified phonics programs

By providing games, children are encouraged to learn reading and decoding skills

Click on each book. You can see more information and reviews on Amazon!

Designed for mainly home use

Provides 20 lessons for children to read

Valuable tips and materials for this book are available @ here

Most widely used for learning to read at home

Uses a unique system of letter making(DISTAR), used to accelerate the teaching of many irregularly spelled words

Helps to teach essential skills to blend sounds

Books

Create your own curriculum

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software/materials Worth paying for

Internet based software program

Has animated episodes to teach phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension

All contents and design on the program reflect scientific research

“all lessons are highly interactive and provide multiple opportunities for practice” – from the review by Florida Center for Reading Research

Provides books and materials world widely

Developed in 1968, Letterland has worked for teaching phonics literacy by providing child friendly design contents and various resources such as games, painting, and songs

Awarded as “most practical for preschool” in 2010

One of the most widely used programs Provides parents with learning materials that are fun, effective and easy to learn

Research based strategies and child friendly activities Listed by The Children’s Reading Foundation as a good resources for parents

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Click on each site. You can see more information!

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Opened in 2002 to help children learn to read

Has four different categories to facilitate children’s phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension

Each section provides valuable tips and resources

Selected one of “five sites too good to miss” in 2006 Supported by the BBC

and designed mainly to help children gain knowledge of phonics

All games and activities are divided into five modules which each focus on different areas of phonics learning

The Sadlier company has been working for children’s education in various fields such as mathematics and reading. On their web site there are many useful resources for parents and teachers.

Sadlier phonics provides numerous activities which are leveled from pre-k to grade 6. All activities empower children to use their knowledge of words, sounds, and letters.

Click on each site. You can see more information!

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Tips for parents to support children’s phonics learning

Work with teacherCommunicate with your child’s teacher regularly and share your concern about your child

Listen to your child’s reading every dayHelp your child to read unknown words and check her/his strengths and weaknesses in reading

Encourage comprehensionBy asking questions such as “what will happen?” or “why did the boy cry ?” you can help your child improve understanding of what s/he read

Read familiar booksReading easy books helps to improve phonics and fluency

Read aloudThis is the best way to boost children to have fun in reading and to learn new words with phonics

Let your child know the joy of readingBy having many books at home or visiting libraries frequently, you can encourage your child to read and learn

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