phonicsversuswholelanguage.docVIP

Phonics versus Whole Language Chris Bennett Amanda Cress Jennifer Decker Kristen Limpert May 15, 2002 Diversity Hot Topic In The News Dr. R. Helms EDE 300 Phonics or Phonetics? Phonics is not the same as phonetics. Phonetics is an area of linguistics that involves the study of sounds in speech, not print. Phonics, on the other hand, focuses on the relationship between sounds in speech (phonological patterns) and spelling patterns (orthographic patterns). Phonics, by definition, stresses the sounds of spelling patterns rather than individual letters. This is because the sounds of letters - particularly vowels-depend upon their position in the word (we versus wet), adjacent letters (coat versus coop), or the presence of markers (mad versus made). Phonics instruction must be systematic and thorough enough to enable students to become independent and fluent readers, yet still efficient and streamlined. It should not overshadow an abundance of engaging whole language reading experiences. Its generally acknowledged that students can use three types of cues when reading unknown words: semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic. Semantic and syntactic cues involve using meaning and grammatical structure to predict what a word may be - in other words, using context. Graphophonic cues entail the use of the sounds of spelling patterns - using phonics. Growing evidence shows that teachers should give phonics, or graphophonics, at least equal weight in beginning reading instruction. Phonics Instruction and the Developmental Continuum Because phonics is an essential strategy for figuring out unknown words, it plays a crucial role in allowing students to pass through the spelling-sound stage. A selective-cue stage, in which beginning readers pay much more attention to context than to graphic information A spelling-sound stage, in which students use spelling-sound strategies to decode words. An automatic stage, where students essentially become