What does it mean to teach phonics?
Almost every reading expert and long-term primary teacher knows that the use of phonics is an important skill for readers. Forty years of research not only confirm phonics as a valuable skill but also offer convincing evidence for the direct teaching of phonics in the primary grades, at least for a significant percentage of American children. (See Chall, 1969; Adams, 1990; National Panel on Reading, 2000.)
In like manner, almost every reading expert believes that all skill instruction should be developed in balance with valuable children's stories and books. We agree that phonics should be part of a balanced program of literature and skill instruction.
This course, however, aims primarily at defining phonics and showing how to teach phonics directly and systematically. We recognize a teacher's need to use various strategies for teaching phonics skills depending on the needs of the students. Since the research evidence favors direct teaching of phonics for the majority of children, we will focus our efforts on a direct teaching plan. (See Research Base Bibliography.)
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
