Phonics

Phonics is the study of the way in which spellings represent the sounds that make up words. It is related to phonetics, which is the study of speech sounds in general.

Theory and alternatives

Synthetic phonics is a method employed to teach phonics to children when learning to read. This method involves looking at every part of the phonic without necessarily taking into account the blends or meaning (e.g. "s-t-r-e-e-t").

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Analytic phonics involves looking at the phonic blends (e.g. "str-ee-t").

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Some educators who support the phonic method believe that when children master the pronunciation rules, they can read on their own. The children will be able to tie the written words with the spoken English they hear on television and around the house. (Kids living in non-English-speaking households could have a hard time learning to read this way.)

Related Topics:
Educator - Television

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Educators who oppose this method believe knowing the sound without knowing the meaning of the word does not work. Some educators do not teach the pronunciation rules; words in books are read aloud in class. The children are supposed to remember how each word sounds one by one as they encounter them in the context of a story or other reading materials. Some "smarter" kids recognize certain pronunciation patterns on their own and can then extrapolate how to read new words; the less fortunate can become illiterate if they fail to do enough reading exercises.

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Some school systems, such as California's, flip-flopped between the two controversial extremes over the years. Nowadays, some schools would do both Phonic and the whole language approach because many educators now recognize that the two systems complement each other and each alone has its drawbacks{{fn|(*)}}. This is disputed by advocates of synthetic phonics who argue that their approach must be used alone if it is to succeed, with the comprehension strategies involved in the whole language approach introduced only after the student can decode words on the page.

Related Topics:
California - School - Whole language

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There has been a resurgence in interest in synthetic phonics in recent years, particularly in Britain. A recent report by the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee called for a review of the phonics content in the National Curriculum. The Department for Education and Skills have since announced a review into early years reading, headed by Jim Rose.

Related Topics:
House of Commons - Education and Skills Committee - National Curriculum - Department for Education and Skills

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