Using Synthetic Phonics For Improving Reading Essay

In this article, Moats provides an overview of the whole language reading instruction approach as well as a critique of the approach, its shortcomings in literacy based on scientific studies, how and why it is still pervasive in classrooms today, and how educators can fix the situation. First, Moats presents the reader with the background of the phonics instruction versus whole language instruction “reading wars” debate which led many educators to try to synthesize the two different types of language instruction under what she refers to as “balanced literacy”. Whole language is literacy approach that deemphasizes phonics in favor of meaning; advocates of this approach believe that literacy is similar to natural language acquisition therefore children can acquire skills through exposure to print and teaching modeling without explicit phonics instruction.

Roskos and Neuman (1994) too note that "from Pestalozzi to the present there has been an abiding belief in the importance of the physical environment as an agent in young children's learning" (p. 251) And that this belief forms "the cornerstone of an interactionist view of human development" (ibid). Skilled teachers, therefore, working with the age that is mentioned in this module, devise ways of doing so focusing on a variety of listening, talking, reading, and writing activities.

Learning to read and write as a child is an experience that all can relate to. The average child learns to read and write at the early ages of three and four. Developing literacy at an early age is crucial to academic development as well as to performance in life. Early development can be just what a child needs to stimulate their minds, which in turn is assisting in the evolution of their future. The early and latter stages of development in a child’s literacy journey are the makings for their reading and writing skills. It also plays part in their analysis of obstacles as well as their developed or problematic literacy future. A child

Introduction to reading comes through phonetic reading boxes. The reading boxes are cleverly organized, going from simple to the complex. Reading does not follow the same process of writing, which is taking our own thoughts and symbolizing. When we read, it is not our language with which we are working with, it is the author’s language. Reading is the analysis of the language followed by a synthesis. Story telling and socio-dramatic play in the environment can help the child develop an imagination that fosters a higher capability to understand what is being read to them.

There are a million adults who cannot read, one in six Londoners is functionally illiterate and people who cannot read or write are excluded from opportunities and may eventually become alienated and turn to crime (Johnson 2010, cited by Gross 2010). Gross (2010) expresses her concern and believes it is not where the children live, it is how they were taught to read and how they were properly motivated to learn to read. She endorses the synthetic systematic phonics approach as opposed to that of the whole word approach and believes we must place our focus on reading as it is indispensable.

As the standards of education change a consistent factor remains the focus on reading. Early childhood educators must provide an atmosphere that is both developmentally stimulating to the student while also meeting the standards of education. The methods used to help recognize phonics and begin the transition into emergent readers vary from student to student. Without the foundation of phonics research shows that a child will not learn to read. All children must know the alphabet in order to communicate effectively. Phonics cannot be drilled into the child. This will only produce memorization. Instead, educators must understand a child’s individual needs as well as balance. There is no true need to teach phonics as a separate subject. Most children will develop a sense of curiosity from their own knowledge, ideas, and interest. There will of course be a select few that may benefit from a more formal instruction. When children

There are different aspects to phonics that should be taken into account by teachers. The first is how important phonics is to children. It is said that “both phonics and fluency need to be taught, practiced, and nurtured in the earliest stages of reading instruction and provided to students at

Language can be both seen and heard, it can be written or spoken. Signs, body language, gestures and facial emotions are all visual forms of communication. Whilst, songs, groans and sighs are verbal forms. For many children, Jeanee Chall believes that they “will spend their first three years of school learning to read, and then they will start using reading to learn”. On Chall’s condition, this would signify that visual language has a great importance in a child’s life as it strengthens their ability to learn information beyond basic language and communication. In addition to Chall’s statement, authors behind the ‘Literacy and its Impact on Child’ article expressed the following, “Early education is the time in which young children develop

There have been many debates over which literacy instruction produces the most favorable outcomes in terms of test scores. During the 1960’s, teachers favored the phonics approach in helping students become literate because they believed that it made the most

Reading is a skill often taken for granted but it is essential in order to progress in life. For a child being able to read well helps them learn new things, give ideas and enables use of imagination. National literacy trust (2015) suggests that children’s early language skills can have a major impact on a child’s development of literacy skills. Five-year olds with poor language and literacy have a higher risk of underachieving at age seven and beyond. Reading skills encourage more opportunities in life and it can affect a child’s wellbeing if they do not achieve this effectively (Finnegan,2015).

There are many benefits in reading aloud to children not only an enhancement of literary skills but also increase in the ability to communicate with teachers and parents. Children also develop memory skills, imagination and creativity (Family Literacy, 2002).

Reading to a child has a tremendous impact on their language development. The more a child is read to the more connections are made in the brain. Rereading the same book helps the child make connections between the way the words look and sound.

Reading is defined as the process of identifying and decoding symbols in order to get meaning out of the symbols. Reading is key in communicating and understanding the world we live in. It is vital to teach children to read, therefore, students can intake knowledge from the texts and books they read. Teaching a child to read from an early age has plentiful benefits such as early literacy, confidence in the class, increased vocabulary, as well as independence. Reading also serves a purpose to those who are hearing or speech impaired. Reading is often a skill that is overlooked and not seen as a necessary tool. Reading serves as a universal way to communicate all over the world, from the prehistoric world to the 21st century.

Reading is believed to be an easy task, something we all learning and develop through the years as we grow, however, is it really that simple? To reading and understanding are both essential when a student begins to read. It is a complex action that requires a multitude of different actions/components, all working at the same time, to become a successful reader. The components that are pertinent to reading are: comprehension, oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency and vocabulary. Without these components, reading may very well be irrelevant because it does not make sense to read and not understand what is being transmitted/relayed. According to the National Reading Panel (NRP), “a combination of techniques is effective for

Reading helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of the eyes and it is also an activity that involves greater levels of concentration and adds to the conversational skills of the reader.