This is a student's worksheet practicing Phonics.
I believe in teaching Phonics to children rather than using a whole language. I think it is important for children to learn how the letter sounds rather than just repeating the word that their teacher tells them. When using the phonics approach students are learning how each letter sounds and figuring out the word on their own. Also, they can apply their knowledge of phonics in future text. In my field experience, my teacher using Phonics in her classroom and the children sound out all the words. I learned to read by using a Whole Language approach and I do not think that I am a good reader because of it. My teacher just told us the word and we memorize it. I still have the feel of coming to a long word and not being able to pronounce it. I want my students to be able to pronounce any word they come across to in their text because they understand the sound that the letter makes. In my E341 class I had a chance to explore a phonics website that I would use in my classroom for my students to practice phonics. The website is www.starfall.com. Starfall is very fun to play on and the children would love to learn phonics on it. I will use Phonics in my future classroom because I think children should be able to uncover words on their own. My students would be encouraged to read the words exactly as they appear on the page. According to Wren (2009), " Children are explicity taught "rules" about the way words are written and spelled-sound relationships. After a teach provides an explicit lesson in a particular Phonics rule, the child is presented with a passage of text that contains many words consistent the rule( called decodable text); this provides the child with the opportunity to apply each Phonics rule on a variety of words in the context of a passage"(website reference) This way students can apply the rules to any word that they encounter.
4 comments:
My teacher uses embedded Phonics in her classroom. If a child does not know a word she/he has to sound out the word instead of the teacher telling the student the word. The student breaks down the word by syllable therefore the child is learning how to work independently. Also, in the future the child will know how to pronounce big words because he/she will know how the letter are suppose to sound. It is important for the teacher to teacher letter and letter combination sound so the child can understand how the word sounds.
In order for my students to have a core in reading and writing, they must understand phonics or working with words. I think it is important for my students to understand what sound every letter makes. I would go over letters and the sound they make. By learning how letters sound they will be able to sound out words they do not know. After my students can recognize letter, I would build words with them. For example, if I were teaching words ending in AT, I would make a worksheet with different letters at the top and blank spots at the bottom. Students have to find words that end in the AT sounds. This allows students to build words on their own. In my classroom, I would display a word wall with common words listed from A to Z. I would add words to the wall during the year. The word wall must be an area where my students can see it clearly. The word wall helps students remember how to spell common words without asking the teacher for help. I would go over 5 words a week, and I would do different activities with the word wall words. For example, I would play Wordo, which is similar to Bingo but with words. Wordo is a game where students write some of word wall words on a piece of paper. During the game then I will randomly call out words, students have to listen for the words and recognize the words on their paper. In order for students to practice letter sound recognition I would create a Name Brand Phonics activity, where students have to listen to similar sounding words compared to the Name Brand. Phonics plays important role in students’ reading and writing abilities because they can sound out words they do not know how to spell or read. When student understand phonics they will have an understanding of words and letter sounds.
I did not realize that there different types of phonics. I decided to research more about phonics. I found different approaches to teach Phonics. Savage explains " different approaches to phonics offer teachers different options in light of different children's needs. All aim at helping children become competent and confident readers and writers"(http://www.epsbooks.com/downloads/articles/Three_Approaches_Phonics.pdf). These approaches help the need of the student.
I think the children should learn through systematic phonics program. Savage describes "systematic phonics programs involve explicit teaching of sound-symbol relationship. Children learn to blend individual sound-symbol relationships into syllables and words. The aim of direct systematic phonics instruction is to make decoding skills automatic" (http://www.epsbooks.com/downloads/articles/Three_Approaches_Phonics.pdf). Although some people may disagree that phonics is taking away from the reading process if the students do not understand how the letters sound then they can not ready the word. Another approach of teaching phonics is integrated instruction. Integrated phonics is described as using direct instruction of sound symbols relationships and is included in basal readers, children's literature and other reading programs. Children practice the elements by doing worksheets and various activities such as word sorts, world building. According to Savage " children are presented with lists of words containing specific phonic elements, blends digraphs, short vowels, vowel digraphs with multiple sounds, silent letters, and the like. By analyzing these elements children learn the sound - symbol correspondence of their language" (http://www.epsbooks.com/downloads/articles/Three_Approaches_Phonics.pdf). Usually integrated instruction is analytic. The goal of integrated instruction is to incorporate it into reading and writing. Another approach that is embedded phonics. Embedded phonics is sound-symbol built right in the authentic reading opportunities. This way children are learning phonics and they engage in reading and writing in the classroom. This allows students to decode words as they are reading the story. I think it is important for a teacher to find the best approach to fit the needs of the students. I will need to find out what my students strengths and weaknesses are before picking the best approach. Each approach will help students become better readers.
Routman states (2003) some important aspects of teaching phonics
• There is no way best way to teach phonics
• Effective teachers use a combination of approaches
• Phonics instruction is most effective if it mostly completed by first grade.
• Intensive phonics Instruction is not effective for older, struggling readers.
• Students both systematic, explicit phonics, and phonics taught in the learning context, at the point of need.
• Children learn a lot about phonics through invented spelling in their writing.
• Excellent phonics instruction is necessary but not sufficient for becoming a reader.
• AN early phonics emphasis does not necessarily translate to increased comprehension
• Phonics and reading need to go hand in hand: “ Phonics instruction should aim to teach only the most important and regular letter-to-sound relationships… Once the basic relationships have been taught, the best way to get children to refine and extend their knowledge of letter-sound correspondence is taught repeated opportunities to read” (Routman, R. (2003) Reading essentials. Portsmouth, Nh: Heinemann, p. 185-200).
This article helped to me to understand the important aspects of using Phonics in my classroom. It also helped me understand that phonics needs to incorporated into reading and writer instruction rather than just learning phonics as a separate subject.
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