fah-niks (phonics)

By Martha Miller Courtesy Better Homes & Gardens

After a decade of being dismissed as old-fashioned, phonics instruction--teaching children to read by connecting sounds with letters and letter combinations--is "in" again, and for good reason. It works. Study after study has found that explicit and direct phonics instruction offers significant benefits to children learning to read. And the earlier the kids are taught phonics, the better.

The tide turned after several prestigious reports came out in support of phonics, including one by the congressionally mandated National Reading Panel. Last year, the 14-member independent panel recommended phonics instruction for all children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The panel looked at the weight of evidence in more than 100,000 published reading studies.

Donald N. Langenberg, chairman of the National Reading Panel and chancellor of the University System of Maryland, says he is so convinced phonics works that he believes not teaching it is akin to a doctor not prescribing a pill known to cure a patient.

"Phonics should be taught. Failure to do so is the teacher equivalent of medical malpractice," Langenberg says.

The other factor in the resurgence of phonics was California. That state was a big supporter of the "whole language" approach to reading until several years ago when fourth-grade reading test scores plummeted. Whole language is a teaching method in which children learn to read by seeing a word's meaning in context as they read.

"California came in very, very poorly on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Reading tests," says John Pikulski, Ph.D., a professor of education at the University of Delaware. "Many attributed the poor performance to failure to directly teach phonics."

Phonics was the major method of teaching reading in the United States between 1955 and the early 1980s. In the mid-1980s, whole language became a popular approach for many school districts and less emphasis was placed on direct phonics instruction.

Despite the change, the expected improvement in reading scores didn't happen. Four in 10 U.S. fourth-graders lack basic reading skills, and 44 million adults--22 percent of the population--have limited reading skills. The Department of Education reports that by 2000 there had been no improvement in the reading skills for fourth-graders across the country. States are making more progress in math than in reading.

"We have problems today because we have had this muted, please-all curriculum that has allowed kids to get by with less than adequate reading skills," says Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, an independent, nonprofit organization working to bring fundamental reforms to schools.

Rote drills not the answer

Phonics teaches children the association between letters and sounds. For example, sounding out the word "cat" as "ka-ah-t" helps the child become aware of the word by how it sounds. "English is an alphabetic language, and our letters cluster together and represent the sounds of language, of which there are 40 to 44 sounds," Pikulski says.

But many reading experts and the National Reading Panel stress that phonics instruction must be individualized for every child. One-size-fits-all phonics instruction doesn't always work and constant rote drills aren't the answer. Children come to school with all levels of reading skills, and teachers must be able to assess the needs of each student and tailor the instruction accordingly.

At the same time, teachers should understand that systematic phonics instruction is only one component of a total reading program. The panel's report says teachers, especially first-grade teachers, should not allow phonics to become "the dominant component." Phonics must be taught, but once a child gets it, teachers need to move on to help children become more fluent and stay interested in reading.

"The bottom line is: The person teaching your child needs to understand how to teach reading," says Allen. "If the teacher can't figure out a child's learning style and what he or she knows and doesn't know, then that child will fall through the cracks."

Parents' role is key

Parents play an essential role in helping their children learn phonics. Parents need to first understand what a phonics-based curriculum is and how important it is, says Susannah Patton, director of academic programs for the Council for Basic Education. Then, make sure your school places an emphasis on it. "Pressure the school to make sure teachers are well prepared to teach phonics, and if that means extra professional development, then so be it," Patton says.

Secondly, while it is important to read with your young child, also spend time working with her to teach the alphabet and play with sounds. A good example of this is to read--and reread--favorite nursery rhymes or poetry. Both help kids become aware of matching sounds to words.

Here are other steps educational experts recommend parents take to help children learn phonics:

* Read an alphabet book, then make a game of finding certain letters in the book. Or make your own alphabet book, searching out letters and sounding them out as you go.

* Play rhyming games. Example: Ask your child to find all the words that rhyme with "cat." Or have them make a list of "word families," such as make, lake, cake, and rake. Ask them to rhyme words in a sentence.

* Consider educational toys that help teach phonics, such as the LeapPad Learning System from LeapFrog. The company founder created this talking book to teach his son phonics. A pen sounds out letters and words. Call 800/701-5327, www.leappad.com, $55, ages 4-6.

* Take advantage of well-designed software, including the following:

Beginning Sounds lets children practice their first phonics and reading skills in a structured yet entertaining setting. Call 800/253-0564, www.schoolzone.com, $20, ages 3-5.

Clifford Reading, one of the top-rated programs, features fun early reading games. Call 800/724-6527, www.scholastic.com, $20, ages 4-6.

Jumpstart Preschool software includes 20 play areas that teach 30 preschool skills. Call 800/542-4240, www.jumpstart.com, $20, ages 3-6.

Reader Rabbit Preschool Sparkle Star Rescue has children explore planet Sparkalot, where they engage in a variety of reading skill activities. Call 800/825-4420, www.learningco.com, $20, ages 3-5.

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START READING

The National Association for the Education of Young Children, www. naeyc.org, urges that parents teach children about language from birth. Here are things parents can do to help their children learn to read.

Infants

* Talk, read, and sing to your baby. Infants learn from everything they see and hear, even in the first stages of life. Bring his attention to objects, signs, and people.

* Add books to the toy list, even if your baby enjoys handling books more than being read to. As your child grows, point out pictures of objects and offer their names.

Toddlers

* Ease the transition from baby talk to developed language by repeating your toddler's words correctly without reprimanding. Let toddlers "read" their favorite picture books by themselves. Or, pause before a familiar word while reading and let him fill in the missing word.

* Buy magnetic and block letters to introduce a toddler to the spelling of her name.

Preschoolers

* Add new books to your child's collection, but keep reading old favorites. Take books on long trips.

* When shopping, help children match product names with names on coupons. As you prepare a recipe, have preschoolers follow the words.

School-aged

* Continue to read to your child, even if she has already learned to read. Take turns reading pages of your favorite books.

* Play such word games as Scrabble, Boggle, or crossword puzzles.