PHONICS TALK NEWSLETTER - Volume 4 - May 2002 - by Dolores G. Hiskes, DORBOOKS, Inc.

THE PERILS AND PITFALLS OF TEACHING PHONICS: Part Two Blending Practice, Invented Spelling, and How To Teach Spelling This is the second of a three-part series on the perils and pitfalls to watch for when teaching explicit phonics. The problem is that the word "phonics" means many different things to many different people, and results can very wildly -- depending upon how it is taught! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ IN THIS ISSUE ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ - BLENDING PRACTICE - INVENTED SPELLING - HOW TO TEACH SPELLING - NEXT TIME - THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ BLENDING PRACTICE ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A number of phonics programs do an excellent job of teaching letter/sound relationships, but then move directly into reading. Some children have no problem with that, but many others do! Most students need specific practice with learning how to blend letters together smoothly, and move from left to right across the page ("tracking"). This critical but frequently-overlooked step develops strong eye muscles and helps prevent or correct letter and word reversals. It is important to acquire this skill prior to reading real words, in order to correct or prevent any tendency to reverse letters which might only cement a bad habit. Neurologists now know that early reversals are normal for many beginning readers. Blending prepares students for reading just as crawling prepares us for walking. Interestingly, many of my students who had been labeled dyslexic no longer reversed letters or words once they had learned how to blend sounds into words! Dyslexia is a real and complex problem with no easy answers, but it is also true that sometimes the lack of blending practice when learning how to read can result in symptoms that simulate dyslexia. Blending practice can be very cursory, or taught carefully in a gradually progressive manner. What follows is my particular formula for getting maximum results in the minimum time with the least amount of effort: Blending should begin with two-letter syllables. Teaching consonants together with vowels will circumvent the extra sound appearing when a consonant is said by itself, such as "buh" for "b." It is much easier to say "ba, bi," etc. than it is to say "buh-a, buh-i," etc. Students should move into three-letter words as soon as possible, prior to learning all of the phonograms. Building words as letters are learned provides concrete exemplars for the sounds being taught. Hooking what is being learned to something already known gives meaning to it, making it much easier to remember. Memory experts have long promoted this technique to enhance memory retention. Next, students should begin reading two-word phrases. It's just too big of a jump for many students to move directly from reading a single word into reading a whole sentence. Two-word phrases help bridge the gap between being able to read whole words and reading connected text. Finally, students should move into reading three-word phrases and sentences of gradually increasing complexity. At this point the student should also practice with controlled and progressive little readers, in order to cement the skills he has learned and to develop ease and fluency in reading. And there is one more thing! Syllabication. Some phonics programs stop after students are able to read simple words, but many students subsequently flounder with long, multisyllable words and have no idea how to read them. They need to know how to divide a word into syllables, and have practice in doing so. The longest word in the world is a piece of cake once it is divided into syllables! Students really seem to enjoy the example I use in Phonics Pathways: "antidisestablishmentarianism." Our small grandson delights in reading this word by syllables: "an-ti-dis-es-tab-lish-men-tar-i-an-ism." He reads it over and over again. It must give him a great sense of power! I call this whole process "eyerobics" because that's what it seems to me, exercise for the eyes. It's like a slow stretch with a rubber band - eye tracking strengthens, and eye span increases. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ INVENTED SPELLING ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Some reading experts have promoted invented spelling as a necessary initial step in learning how to read and write. The idea behind invented spelling is that students should remain free and creative, and will grow into correct spelling later. The trouble with this theory is that it just doesn't work. When we learn something wrong the first time, it tends to stick. It takes a lot of time and energy to unlearn what is wrong and then relearn it correctly. Haven't you ever learned a name incorrectly? I have! And it seemed for a long time afterward I was forever calling that person by the wrong name. What we learn the first time definitely tends to stick. Recent research has also revealed that accurate spelling is critical to the reading process. Skillful readers have internalized detailed and precise spellings of words, and in a fraction of a second map them to the speech patterns they represent. Moreover, to the extent that this knowledge is underdeveloped or inaccurate, it is strongly associated with specific reading disability. (Adams, Annals of Dyslexia, Vol. 47, 1997.) Teaching reading and spelling together reinforces and enhances each skill. In Phonics Pathways, reading and spelling are taught as an integrated unit. I am reminded of an old cartoon whereby a young boy dumps a fishbowl of water containing a goldfish onto his lawn saying, "Go! Now you're free!" Invented spelling is NOT true freedom! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ HOW TO TEACH SPELLING ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ When most programs do begin teaching spelling, words are usually taken from the story being read - randomly. It's very difficult to learn how to spell this way. For example, what if we had to learn our times tables randomly: 12 x 7, 8 x 6, 5 x 9, etc.? Most of us would despair, indeed! Spelling improves significantly when taught by pattern, just as we learn math. In Phonics Pathways, when there is more than one way to spell a sound, spellings are introduced one at a time, ranging from simple to complex. For example, there are at least seven ways to spell long "a." Simple silent "e" is introduced first, such as "cane, tape," etc. Complex "eigh" is taught much later in the book, as in "eight, weight," etc. Many programs teach all the possible spellings of a phonogram at the same time. My own experience is that it is easier to both teach and learn only one spelling pattern at a time. But whether you choose a program where they are taught all at once or one that teaches them one at a time, sooner or later you will learn them all. That's just a matter of style and personal preference. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ - NEXT TIME ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The concluding issue of this three-part series will address different learning modes and comprehension issues, including the availability of decodable readers. There will also be a wrap-up of miscellaneous information that might occur to me at the last minute, as well as the surprise gift that I have already mentioned above. I do hope that you will like it! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ - THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Many years ago a dear teacher friend read this little poem to me, and I have remembered it ever since. Now that I'm older (and I like to think a bit wiser myself!) I can see the truth and wisdom of it: "I do reveal the way that I feel By the things that I say and do. By changing the things That I say and do I can change the way that I feel!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ We do hope you have enjoyed this issue of Phonics Talk! Please feel free to share it with a friend. © 2002-2003 Dolores G. Hiskes May only be reprinted with permission from the author