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HETEROGRAPHY REIGNS!
California *scores* again (unfortunately). Read about the latest reading scores, and what you can do to raise them.
Feature Article: HETEROGRAPHY REIGNS!
WORKSHOP
SPELL CZECH
KUDOS & UPCOMING NEWS
HETEROGRAPHY REIGNS!
Once again California distinguishes itself by having reading
scores near the bottom, despite a decade of trying to
overhaul teaching methods by every possible approach.
The recently released 2005 results of the National Assess-
ment of Educational Progress showed that California 4th
graders scored an average of 207 out of 500 points on a
reading test last spring -- tying for next-to-last place with
students in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico.
*Every approach possible* may have been tried -- but most
classroom reading programs are missing the very things
that are absolutely essential to achieve reading success.
It's like baking a cake and leaving out the baking powder,
and still expecting it to turn out well!
1--WHOLE WORDS are either taught first or along with letter
sounds. This is equivalent to being given a song to play
at the same time you are still learning the notes on a
piano keyboard. The rationale for diving directly into reading
words prior to learning their component parts is that it
makes reading more interesting to the student, but in fact
the opposite happens -- frustration breeds disinterest.
Sometimes reading is taught first by syllables, but there is
a substantial difference between a language sound and
syllable. Students need a great deal of practice becoming
comfortable with the language sound system and see
phonemes for what they really are, word building blocks,
prior to moving on to syllables.
2--INVENTED SPELLING is frequently considered acceptable.
The rationale is that students will *grow* into correct spell-
ing later, but once again the opposite tends to happen --
what we learn the first time tends to stick. Haven't you ever
learned someone's name incorrectly, and then tried to correct
it? You tend to keep on calling them by that incorrect name.
It takes time and energy to correct, does it not?
*Heterography* is a noun meaning a spelling that is different
from the one in use. It's from the Greek hetero (different)
plus -graphy (writing). When English was mainly a spoken
language it was a free-for-all, spelling wise. Any spelling was
good as long as you could make yourself understood.
Even Shakespeare spelled his own name in various ways:
Shaxspear, Shakespear, etc.!
With the advent of printing in the 15th century, spelling
began to become standardized and by the 19th century
most words had a single *official* spelling. (Excerpted from
http://www.wordsmith.org, used by permission.)
3--DECODABLE TEXT is the ingredient most lacking in almost
all classroom programs today. Most of the beginning readers
have sight words from the very beginning, assuming it is not
possible to read text that is totally decodable. Wrong! As
Herotimus said more than a thousand years ago, *We are
dragged along by consistency. A thing may be consistent
and yet false.*
We would no more send a beginning driver who has only
had one lesson on a busy freeway than we would expect
a child to play a sonata just because they have learned
the piano notes, but this is exactly what we are doing
when we teach reading today. Even when we do teach the
letter sounds, we expect students to immediately jump
into text that has words they cannot decode. Of course
they are encouraged to sleuth the meaning by using
context clues and/or filling in with a word that seems to
have the meaning needed, but that's guessing! And even
misreading one or two words on a page can change the
whole meaning of the story.
Beginning readers MUST have decodable text to practice
with! It is the bridge between knowing letter sounds and
fluency in reading all of the wonderful literature in today's
classrooms.
A simple test to check out your own reading program
is to look at what has been taught in the very beginning,
and then to analyze the very first few readers. I'll wager
you will soon see a number of non-decodable words!
It is especially important in today's world to have decodable
text in the beginning because of our many and increasing
numbers of ELL students. It may be even more important
today than for other reasons as well, including pesticides
and chemicals in our food which can affect the nervous
system, etc.
To see a list of beginning readers that are truly decodable,
check out http://www.dorbooks.com/resources.html.
Descriptions follow each title, such as age-appropriateness,
etc. I'm sure there are other good readers, but these are
the ones I am familiar with.
4--REVIEW past Phonics-Talk newsletters, which address
and elaborate on a whole variety of issues about teaching
reading. See all archived volumes.
WORKSHOP!
For those of you interested in publishing, I will be speaking
at the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association this
Saturday morning, November 12th. The subject of this
presentation will be the nuts and bolts and history of how
I came to write Phonics Pathways: when I began it, why I
wrote it, how I developed it, who helped me along the way,
where I went for help, and what's happening at the present
time. For more information on *From There To Here On A
Dime: Raising A Best Seller From Scratch* check out
http://www.baipa.net
So if you live in the Bay Area, have some good ideas you've
secretly hankered to develop and would like some tips on how
to do it, we would welcome you to visit this lively and most
informative group of writers and would-be writers!
SPELL CZECH
Sometimes we think we can take short-cuts in spelling because
we have spell check on our computers. (Oh, really? Read this:)
Eye halve a spelling chequer tool, it came with my pea see.
It plane lea marques four my revue miss steaks eye kin not sea.
Eye strike a quay and type a word and weight fore it two say
Just weather eye am wrong oar write, it shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid, it nose bee for to long,
And eye can put the air or rite, its sell dumb ever wrong.
Now aye halve run this poem threw it; I'm shore yore pleased too
no, Its letter perfect in it's weigh -- my chequer tolled mi sew!!!
KUDOS & UPCOMING NEWS
It's always gratifying to receive warm letters from clients and
customers who are successfully using my products, and here's
one I wanted to share:
*Dear Ms. Hiskes:
*I'm a homeschooling mother experiencing great success with your
"Phonics Pathways". My 8 year old has been reading for nearly 4
years using your program and I plan to continue that when my
preschooler begins phonics. In addition, I tutor adults with reading
difficulties through our local literacy program. It wasn't long before
I put away the recommended text and began using yours.
*I'm so enamoured of your teaching method that I've proposed
a book review for a national homeschooling magazine. I'd love to
quote you in the article. If your schedule permits, may I email a
short list of questions to include in the review or as a sidebar?*
I answered her questions, and we've been corresponding since
then. As we speak she is finishing up this article. I'll be sure to
let you know when and where it appears!
We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. As always, please feel free to share it with others, or contact us. Call (925)449-6983 or write (dor@dorbooks.com) with any questions you may have -- we're always here to help!
Best always,
Dolores :-)
© Dolores G. Hiskes 11-05
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