THE *X* FACTOR
OLDER STUDENTS, GROUPS, & RELUCTANT READERS

Sometimes when phonics is taught and students improve their reading even two or three grade levels comprehension still remains static. They are able to read the words, but have no understanding of what they are reading.

But isn't it sufficient just to teach phonics skills? Isn't that all children really need in order to become fluent readers? Not necessarily so -- and thus we arrive at the *X Factor!!!*

Feature Articles:

(1) THE *X FACTOR*

(2) OLDER STUDENTS, GROUPS, & RELUCTANT READERS

(1) THE *X FACTOR*

What is the *X Factor*? Why, it is purely and simply comprehension!
Comprehending what one is reading. This appears to be an issue
in other English-speaking countries as well as in America.

For example, Great Britain has proposed an overhaul of the way
children are taught to read with a return to a *back to basics*
approach. A teaching style known *synthetic phonics*, where
children learn the letter sounds as the building blocks to words,
was recommended in a review of the teaching of reading published
recently by the former schools inspector Jim Rose.

The Rose review was triggered by a seven-year study of the teach-
ing of phonics to 300 children in Clackmannanshire in Scotland. The
research put the children up to three years ahead in reading, but
did not show a significant improvement in comprehension of words.
While phonics speeded up the rate that children could read words,
it did not aid their comprehension of what the word means.
(Adapted from the EducationGuardian.co.uk News)

A closer look at how phonics is frequently taught reveals a signifi-
cant factor contributing to this that is sometimes overlooked:

Many phonics reading systems require students to learn all of the
phonograms first in isolation, prior to reading any real words. While
this approach does produce better readers mechanically, it can have
the effect of divorcing reading from meaning and resulting in a reading-
without-understanding syndrome. After all, a phonogram has no real
meaning in and of itself.

That is one reason I wrote Phonics Pathways so that words and phrases
are introduced as soon as possible, long before all of the phonograms
and phonographs are completely learned. The fact that sounds make
words that have the same meaning when read or when spoken is built
in from the beginning.

Reading for meaning must be emphasized right from the very beginning,
and embedded in all lessons. Actually, no matter what phonics reading
program is being used, it is a simple matter to hook comprehension into
reading with the very first phrase or sentence ever read.

For example, in Phonics Pathways very soon students begin reading
two-word phrases such as *sis sat* on page 38. Ask your students
*Who sat?* and/or *What did sis do?*

Do the same thing with the next phrase: *sun set.* Ask them *What
did the sun do?* and/or *What set?*

The next phrase is *Jim jog.* Ask them *Who jogged?* and/or *What
did Jim do?* And the same with the last phrase on that page, *jam jug.*
*What was in the jug?* and/or *Where was the jam?*

You get the idea! It's a simple concept, one that you and I automatically
do when reading. But like blending ability, it is not a skill students
acquire automatically. Many children need this concept to be specifically taught,
with considerable practice to develop and internalize this skill. It's easiest
with two-word phrases at first.

Continue doing the same thing as you work through the book, especially
in the beginning. It's important that the habit of hooking meaning into
what you are reading gets established early on.

This concept is easy enough to implement, as per suggestions above,
and I will also put a notice on my website summarizing this information.

(2) OLDER STUDENTS, GROUPS, & RELUCTANT READERS

A number of you have written wanting to know how to teach phonics
to older students and/or groups and/or reluctant readers who might
find Dewey babyish, and in reply I am quoting edited correspondence
from a special ed teacher below, with her permission.

Renee Wesley is a special ed teacher at a Day Treatment program for
4th and 5th grade students no school knows how to handle anymore
but are not severe enough to go into a residential program. Half her
students have severe learning problems leading to behavioral problems
and the other half have severe behavioral problems that have led to
learning problems.

Renee wrote:
*In case you were wondering how I found out about your book: Since
our classroom budget is small I was trying to find creative ways to get
my hands on a good phonics method that wouldn't cost hundreds and
hundreds of dollars. Then I started thinking "How do homeschoolers
teach their kids to read, they are surely not spending hundreds of
dollars...". I found websites with positive messages about PP, and the
rest is history.*

*I have checked out many phonics programs over the last few years
and I honestly haven't seen anything that I like as much as Phonics
Pathways. I love how you have set things up. For example, first you
learn the cvc pattern, then you add a consonant to this, so you have
cvcc. In many programs they start with a ccvc pattern right of the bat
which is much harder. I also looooove the completeness of your program.
You really do cover ALL possible phonograms. Many programs only offer
60 or 80% of the most common ones. And all this for such little money!

*My students are 4th and 5th graders who read at a kindergarten level
before we started, and after only 18 lessons can now read many words.
The blending exercises taught them how to decode words, and they now
automatically use the same strategies to decode new and long words.*

USING PHONICS PATHWAYS WITH OLDER STUDENTS:

*I introduced the book /after/ they have learned to read new words.
With my older students I started using your book by not showing it to
them at all. I would read the page I wanted to teach them, and would
then write something on the board or a piece of paper (from your book)
and expanded on it. For example, I would write *mad* and the student
would read it. Then I wrote *made* underneath and explained the silent
e makes the a sound long. Then I would write another word, like *hat.*
The student read it and I would then write *hate* underneath it. This way
the student would learn about this rule without it seeming too over-
whelming.

*After a while, when he was comfortable with this (after one day or one
week) I would show him the page in the book and had him read what he
already learned (from this page). After these students were proficient in
reading these new words I would use the same words for spelling exercises.
I might dictate to them *hat* and *hate* sometimes even in a complete
sentence.

*I have gotten several parents involved in teaching their own kids to read
(better) with Phonics Pathways, borrowed from me. I have taught them how
to use it, and how to dictate words (or sentences) learned that day and
before, to check if they can apply this knowledge. Some students in my
class who were behind in reading and appeared to have a deficiency in
their phonics knowledge are now using PP at home with their parents for
about 15 minutes a day to catch up. The ones who are using it consistently
have made great progress in decoding words, reading fluency and can now
actually comprehend what they are reading. Two of my students who had
horrible spelling are now able to spell correctly, or if they make a mistake,
at least their mistake makes sense phonetically. The parents (and kids!)
are just as passionate about Phonics Pathways as I am BECAUSE IT WORKS!
And you know what is the best compliment to me? When presenting our
weekly spelling words, I am able to apply the phonics knowledge I myself
learned from your book. My students pick right up on it and are wondering
*how come you know so much about English words if you are from Holland
yourself?* All I do at that point is point at Phonics Pathways.*

USING PHONICS PATHWAYS WITH A GROUP:

*When using PP with students who are on different level, I sometimes had
the more advanced students teach the less advanced ones. This reinforced
what they had learned themselves and gave them real ownership over what
they had learned before. They would teach reading or do the spelling/
writing part of the lesson and loved being *teacher* for the day. I would
prepare the lesson the day before with them and they got great self-
esteem from doing this.*

USING PHONICS PATHWAYS WITH RELUCTANT READERS:

*With some kids I used a self-made board game to *trick* them into reading
words or sentences. Each student had a pile of word or sentences. I had
copied these from your book onto index cards and turned them upside
down. Before they could move their piece they had to pick a card from
their pile and read it to me. This way every student got to read at their
own level.

*You could modify the game by making three piles. One with words they
have already learned, one with words they are learning right now, and
one with sentences, using these words. Depending on which pile they
are choosing to read they can roll the dice one, two or three times.

*Or use your own creativity and do whatever your student seems to like.
(Remember that I was working with kids in a psychiatric day treatment
program, so most of them had all kinds of issues and just sitting down
to read with them didn't work. We had to use all kinds of creative ways
around their opposition to do anything, but this game worked).

*Make the learning relevant immediately: Something I do every morning
with older students is 5 minutes of *what's in the news.* I show them the
front page of the newspaper and talk about current events. It's amazing
how much students learn from this. With my reading students I might look
for words or sentences showing the kind of words they are learning right
now. This makes what they are learning relevant. It is not just something
that is tucked away in books they are not interested in reading.

*You could do the same thing on-line, by pointing out, or having them find,
the words/letter combinations they are learning right now on their
favorite web-sites. Here in Hawaii, where surfing is popular, we might go
to a surfing web-site that has live web-cams, showing surfing conditions.
When learning the different ways to write the /ur/ sound (*her first nurse
works early*) you could start with the word *surf.* A student could earn an
M&M (or any other kind of reward that will motivate him) for each /ur/ he
finds. It is fun to see how hard they are willing to work for this, and in
the meantime they are reading a lot.

*The parents of these kids think I am some kind of genius because finally
I got their kids to read. It's so beautiful and rewarding to see their self
esteem grow as well. During our morning affirmations, both students often
times choose *I am smart* as their affirmation for the day. This is what
makes teaching so rewarding! Thank you SOOOOOO much for your book--
I am recommending it to everyone I see!*

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!

In the meantime, have a truly wondrous and blessed Christmas and/or Holiday Season. May your New Year be full of good things for you, your loved ones, our beloved country, and this poor old world of ours that seems to need all the help and good wishes it can get!

Best always,
Dolores :-)

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