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Learn - Practice - or Review the important
phonics sounds and rules
Although there are only 44 sounds used in
American English,
some sounds can be made by several different spelling patterns:
For example - the short o sound can also be made by letters "au" and "aw."
All common spelling patterns helpful in phonics
decoding of words are below.
In order to read and spell American English at the fastest rate possible,
it is essential to learn these 44 sounds as well as additional
common spelling combinations and reading rules.
Do you know how your child is learning to read? Do you understand the two
approaches to teaching reading in the classroom? Read on to learn about both
sides of the great debate...
The ongoing debate over the best way to teach children to read focuses on two
methods: phonics-based and whole language reading programs. There have been
countless arguments on each side, but never any strong enough to convince people
that one is clearly better than the other.
What's the difference?
The traditional theory of learning established in the 19th century draws on the
notion that children need to break down a complex skill, like reading, into its
smallest components (letters) before moving on to tackle larger components
(sounds, words, and sentences). Phonetic reading instruction applies
this theory; children are taught to dissect unfamiliar words into parts and then
join the parts together to form words. By learning these letter-sound
relationships the student is provided with a decoding formula that can
be applied whenever they encounter an unfamiliar word.
Whole language learning is less focused on rules and repetition than
is phonics. It stresses the flow and meaning of the text, emphasizing reading
for meaning and using language in ways that relate to the students' own lives
and cultures. Whole language classrooms tend to teach the process of reading,
while the final product becomes secondary. The "sounding out" of words so
central to phonics is not used in whole language learning. Instead, children are
encouraged to decode each word through its larger context.
There are pros and cons to both methods of teaching.
Phonics-based reading programs tend to build better pronunciation and word
recognition. The phonics formulas can be applied again and again, and will help
a child with spelling far more than the memorization and guesswork of whole
language. If only taught phonetically, however, a child may have difficulty
understanding the full meaning of a text, due to the constant breaking down of
words into parts. Phonics critics also state that the rules and rote learning it
entails are stifling and may cause children to develop the attitude that reading
is a chore.
Whole language learning is thought to provide a better understanding of the
text, and a more interesting and creative approach to reading. However, whole
language learning may come at the expense of accuracy and correctness. A child
might be awarded high marks for "overall language use," even if he or she has
misspelled many words.
Which is best for your child?
Small children tend to fall into the categories of either visual or auditory
learners. Visual learners, on the one hand, are more likely to benefit from the
whole language approach since their strength is in recognizing words and word
sequences that they have seen before. On the other hand, auditory students learn
what they hear — so they rely more on phonetics.
Does that mean you should try to categorize your child, and push for one
teaching method? Probably not. Despite the differences in how children learn,
most learn through a combination of techniques. That fact, plus the different
strengths that each method offers, suggests that a mixed approach for each child
will probably be most beneficial.
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