When my kids were young, they started using the “whole word” method to try to teach kids how to read, instead of phonics.
My kids all knew how to read before they were in first grade, because I taught them how to read with phonics like when I was a kid, so what happened at school didn’t impact us, but the “whole word” method did impact a number of families.
Basically, the method suggests that kids learn their first 100 words by sight, but then they have to guess the new words when it’s not a familiar one. They don’t know how to use phonics to sound out a word. It’s a terrible method.
For English, phonics works great. If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.
I agree...
I believe in phonics 100%; however, there are many words in the English language that do not follow the rules of phonics, so we have to memorize sight words and or dulce words that are common to the language. I’m always surprised that students refuse to memorize anything which is a hinderance to all learning.
I visited her school....there was her essay along side of the other kids. Not one vowel in the essay. Asked the teacher..."we don't like to discourage them"...ahs....
It took me a while to introduce the concept of vowels as the tie to our words. brd...became bored...or bird or etc etc...
She just graduated with a PHD in biomedical etc etc something or whatever. She's working at the children's hospital in Philly (CHOPS) as a research analyst. She got a Masters too...while she was at it.
My sister really suffered under phonics. Or shouldn’t it be spelled, ‘phonix?’ ;)
Glad to hear it worked for your kids, though.
I learned to read the old fashioned way and was reading before Kindergarten. Potty trained at 18 months. I know... TMI! LOL!
My sister ended up with a teaching degree, though after my folks forked out mega-bucks for her private-college education (I paid for mine myself!) she decided that she ‘really didn’t LIKE kids’ in the first place and she never taught past her practicums.
She’s also a Socialist Democrat. Make of that what you will.