Why Sight-Words Sabotage Reading and Create Dyslexics

I did not teach myself to read. I entered first grade, age 6 (few kids went to kindergarten back then and those few didn't learn much compared to what is expected now) more than ready to learn to read. In fact, I distinctly remember coming home at the end of the first day, disgruntled because I could not yet read!

I am positive we were taught sight reading. It did not take me long to learn to read, and I have not slowed down since.

I first encountered phonics in college, and it made sense to me, but I could read quite well by then.

My SAT scores were close to yours, and I also made 800 on the GRE verbal.

My older son was in private school in kindergarten through fifth grade. Their curriculum was heavily phonics based. Starting about third grade, he began to really struggle, particularly with spelling. When I sat down with him to work with him, I realized that something was wrong. He was tested and found to be dyslexic.

He still is dyslexic. Phonics have never made any sense to him, and in fact made his attempts to learn to read more difficult, not less so. He really made improvements when we pulled him out of the private school and homeschooled him for a year. I threw the phonics out the window, and also had him spend time every day reading something just for enjoyment.

I can't tell you how many times I've wished we'd pulled him out and homeschooled him sooner. He became convinced he was "dumb" and I've told him many times that "dumb" people don't learn to read in spite of having dyslexia (and dysgraphia). He has struggles with math, too. He does have a tech school certificate and is now attending college, taking developmental classes right now but putting a lot of effort into it and determined to "get that piece of paper" as he puts it.

My conclusions? 1: there is no one right way to teach every child and 2: pushing square pegs through round holes doesn't do a lot for the peg, the hole, nor the ones doing the pushing.

I think however way people learn how to read the important thing is to make reading pleasurable. Some people never find the pleasure in it — it is as onerous as reading an instruction manual.

Once I learned the teeniest bit of Latin, the rest came fairly easy.

Baloney. Or for you, bologna.

A side effect is that I see typos where other people miss them; a handy skill for a computer programmer.

Interesting. I can glance at a computer screen, and misspelled words literally jump out at me. I don't need to read whatever the person is writing, I see just the misspelled words.

I also manage to take in information very quickly. When we get junk mail, for example, I have but to glance at it to figure out it's junk and not worth my time. My husband, on the other hand, will read the whole thing before he can figure out it's junk.

Reading some of the replies on this thread, I see that some learned to read quickly without phonics. I wonder if they used phonics without even knowing it. At some point they must have absorbed the principle of phonics, or else how would they ever know how to pronounce an unfamiliar word?

Possibly, phonics must be taught to the less verbally gifted so that they won’t be left behind. If you teach whole-word only, you could end up with only the very brightest kids reading. Just a guess.

And I agree with those who mentioned that reading must be made enjoyable. Without meaning to be a manipulative mother, I made sure we always had an especially good time at the library and the bookstore. Didn’t realize it at the time. It must have been what my mother did and I just followed suit. Of course we read from books every night too without ever making a lesson out of it.

bookmark

I cuold raed taht....now I’m sacred I hvae a biarn tmuor or smoetihng!

One problem with phonics of today is that half of the rules of 1830 have been forgotten:

Silent Letters

Silent letters are those which do not represent any element; and they must not be sounded in the pronounciation of the words in which they occur.
1. E final is usually silent; as in brave, crime, drone, abide, become, improve; able, marble, Bible.	2. E is often silent before d; as in bribed, changed, hedged; cradled, handled, struggled.	3. E is often silent before l; as in drivel, grovel, hazel, shovel, swivel, weasel.
4. E is often silent before n; as in garden, hidden, kitten, lighten, spoken, taken.	5. I is sometimes silent before l; as in evil, weevil.	6. I is sometimes silent before n, as in basin, cousin, reisin.
7. O is sometimes silent before n, as in bacon, deacon, mason, pardon, reason, weapon.	8. B is silent after m and before t; as in comb, climb, dumb, jamb, lamb, tomb; debt, doubt; subtle.	9. C is silent in czar, and muscle, and before k and t and s; as in back, crack, lock; indict, victuals, scene, scythe, scepter.
10. D id silent in Wednesday, standtholder, and before g in the same syllable; as in badge, fadge, dodge.	11. G is silent before m and n, and sometimes before l; as in phlegm, diaphragm; gnat, feign, consign; intaglio, seraglio.	12. H is silent in heir, herb, honest; and after g or r; at the end of a word and preceded by a vocal; and sometimes after t; as in ghastly, gherkin, ghostly; rheum, rhyme, myrrh; ah, oh, halleluiah; isthmus.
13. K is always silent before n; as in knave, knee, knife, knob, known, knew.

Table of Substitutes

Below is a list of letters frequently used as substitutes to represent several of the elements as given in the first table. The learner should first name the substitute, next the element it represents, and then the example in which it is combined. Thus, ei is a substitute for a (*long a*) as in the word *vein*, and so forth.
ei = a as in vein ey = a as in they e = a as in sergeant ou = a as in bought	i = e as in marine a = e as in any ai = e as in said u = e as in bury	y = i as in spy y = i as in hymn e = i as in english ee = i as in been
o = i as in women u = i as in busy ew = o as in sew eau = o as in beau	au = o as in hautboy a = o as in what ew = u as in new iew = u as in view	io = u as in nation eo = u as in surgeon y = u as in Myrtle e = u as in her
i = u as in sir o = u as in son oo = u as in blood o = u as in wolf	oo = u as in wool ow = ou as in now u = w as in persuasion o = wu as in one	i = y as in onion u = yu as inuse ph = f as in phrase gh = f as in laugh
d = j as in soldier g = j as in gem c = k as in cat ch = k as in chord	gh = k as in hough q = k as in quart c = s as in cent f = v as in of	ph = v as in Stephen c = z as in suffice s = z as in his x = x as in xanthus
x = ks as in wax cho = kw as in choir n = ng as in anger c = sh as in ocean	s = sh as in sure ch = sh as in chaise t = sh as in notion g = zh as in rouge	s = zh as in osier x = gz as in exact

Table of Combinations of the Substitutes:

In this table the substitutes are combined in words which you may pronounce, point out the substitutes, and give the elements for which they stand.
1. Vein, feint, deign; they, prey, survey, obey; oft, for, nor, cord; cough, trough, bought, ought; marine, police, fatugue; any, many; said, again.	2. Bury, buried, burial; spy, fly, type, tyrant; hymn, hysteric, hypocrite; English, Englishman, England; been; women; busy, busily, business; sew, shew, shewn.	3. Beau, bateau; hautboy, hauteur, hautgout; what, wad, squad, squander; mew, pew, dew; view, purview, interview; nation, passion, religion.
4. Luncheon, pigeon, surgeon; myrtle, myrmidon, myrrh; her, herd, perch; sir, stir, fir, bird; son, won, love; blood, flood; wolf, wolfish, wolverine.	5. Wool, wood, stood, how, owl, bower; suasion, suavity, suaviter; one, once; onion, valiant, collier; union, figure, stature; phrase, cipher, graphic.	6. Laugh, tough, enough; soldier, soldier-like; gem, ginger, gypsum; cat, scope, arc; chord, scholar, monarch; hough, lough, shough; quart, quibble.
7. Cent, dice, facile; of; Stephen; suffice, sacrifice, sice, discern; his, prism, usurper; Xanthus, xiphoid, xanthid; wax, axis, expanse.	8. Choir, choir-service; anger, languidly; ocean, social, specious; sure, sugar, pension; chaise, chamois, machine; notion, partial, patient; bastion, question, christian; osier, crosier, usual; exact, example, exist.	9. Ed is often used as a substitute for t; as in placed, mixed, vexed, looked, stopped, rebuked.

Table of Elementary Sounds.

Note. - Let the class, either individually or in concert, first pronounce the word containing the element, and then the element by itself, varying the intensity of the voice as the teacher may think proper ; thus, ale, a, arm, a, all, a, etc.

**Vocals**
Name Power	Name Power	Name Power	Name Power	Name Power
1 A Ale	2 A Arm	3 A All	4 A At	5 E Eat
6 E Bet	7 I Ice	8 I It	9 O Ode	10 O Do
11 O Ox	12 U Sue	13 U Up	14 U Full	15 Ou Out

**Sub-Vocals**
Name Power	Name Power	Name Power	Name Power	Name Power
16 B Ebb	17 D Odd	18 G Egg	19 J, G Jet	20 L Ill
21 M Him	22 N Run	23 R Bur	24 V Ev	25 W Woe
26 Y Yet	27 Z, S Buzz	28 Z Azure	29 Th Thy	30 Ng Sing

**Aspirates**
Name Power	Name Power	Name Power	Name Power	Name Power
31 P Up	32 T It	33 K, C Ark	34 Ch Much	35 H He
36 F If	37 Wh When	38 S, C Sin	39 Sh Fish	40 Th Thin

Note.-In this table, each vocal element is combined in words with all the sub-vocals and aspirates which is known to combine in the language. The class may be required to pronounce these words in an explosive and forcible utterance, both individually and in concert, until the highlighted letters can be easily and perfectly articulated in combination.
1. The sound of a long; as in bate, date, fate, gate, hate, jane, kale, lade, mate, nape, pate, rate, sate, tame, vane, wave, yate, gaze, chain, thane, lathe, shape, whale.	2. a flat, or Italian; as in bar, dark, garb, hark, jar, car, lark, mar, nard, par, raft, salve, tar, vast, waft, yarn, czar, char, lath, father, sharp.	At the time this was written there were conflicts between Webster and Worchester, both of which were in the dictionary business. (Ed Sanders' Note)
(Worchester regards the sound of a in the words raft, vast, waft, lath, intermediate between that of a in fat and a in far. But the sound of a in this class of words, though not quite so much prolonged, is considered by Dr. Webster to be radically the same as it is in far, daunt, etc.; and hence we have put all such words in the same class here.)	3. a broad as; in ball, dawn, fall, gall, haw, jaw, kaw, law, mall, gnaw, pall, raw, saw, tall, vault, wall, yawl, gauze, chalk, thaw, shawl, wharf.	4. a short; as in bat, dash, fat, gat, hat, jam, cat, lad, mat, nap, pat, rat, sat, tan, van, wax, yam, azoth, chap, sang, thank, that, shall, whack.
5. e long; as in be, deep, feet, geese, he, jeer, key, lee, need, peat, reel, see, teem, veer, we, yee, zeal, cheer, theme, thee, she, wheel.	6. e short; as in bet, den, fen, get, hen, jet, ken, let, met, net, pet, rest, set, ten, vex, wet, yet, zed, check, theft, then, shed, when.	7. i long; as in bite, dine, fine, guide, hive, gibe, kite, line, mine, nine, pine, ripe, site, tine, vine, size, chime, thigh, thine, shine, white.
8. i short; as in bit, din, fin, gimp, hit, jib, kit, lid, mix, nit, pin, rio, sit, tin, vill, wit, zinc, chin, sing, thin, with, shin, whit.	9. o long; as in bolt, dome, foe, go, hole, joke, coke, lone, mote, note, pole, rope, sole, tone, vote, wove, joke, zone, choke, thole, those, shoal.	10. o middle; as in boot, do, food, goom, hoot, coop, lose, move, noose, pool, roost, soup, too, woo, ooze, cartouch, tooth, shoe.
11. o short; as in bot, dot, fox, got, hot, jot, cot, lot, mop, not, pop, rot, sot, top, novel, wot, yon, zocco, chop, ssong, thong, pother, shot, whop.	12. u long; as in bugle, due, fume, hue, june, cue, lute, mute, nude, pule, rule, sue, tune, yule, zumie, truth, sure.	(In the words rule, truth, sure, Worchester sounds the u like o in move. But the best speakers, in Dr. Webster's view, give only a slight softening between the vocal and sub-vocal or aspirate, pronouncing the u, in all this class of words, in a less broad and open manner than the o in move, thus giving the letter its distinctive elementary sound.)
13. u short; as in but, dust, fun, gun, hut, just, cull, lull, must, nut, pun, sup, tun, vulgar, yucca, buzz, shub, sung, thumb, thus, shut, whur.	14. u middle; as in bush, pudding, full, sugar, could, bull, pull, put, would, butcher, should.	15. ow and ou; as in bow, down, fowl, gout, how, jounce, cow, loud, mount, noun, pout, rout, south, town, vouch, wound, mouth, thou, shout.

Note.- This table embraces a great variety of the combinations of the sub-vocals and aspirates; and it is recommended that the class be frequently exercised in the pronounciation of them, both individually and in concert. The letters before the colon and dash indicate the sound to be given to the combinations underlined, whose elements are to be clearly and distinctly uttered.
1. Bd:- sobbed, robed.	Bl:- blood, blind, able, feeble.	Bld:- fabled, dabbled, trembled, tumbled.
Blz:- rambles, pebbles, rumbles, bubbles.	Br:- brain, brown, bright, brick.	Bz:- describes, cubs, clubs.
2. Ch:- pitch, much, chimney.	3. Dl:- cradle, idle, middle.	Dld:- kindled, fondled, huddled.
Dlz:- candles, paddles, riddles.	Dn:- sadden, ridden, golden.	Dr:- dream, dress, drive, drew.
Dst:- coveredst, amidst.	Dz:- trades, weeds, sleds, sides.	4. Fl:- flame, fling, baffle, trifle.
Flz:- baffles, trifles.	Fn:- often, soften.	Fr:- frame, frank, friend.
Fs:- laughs, griefs.	Ft:- abaft, left, lift, soft.	Fth:- fifth.
Fts:- gifts, lifts, drifts.	5. Gd:- gragged, begged.	Gl:- gleams, glide, glory, struggle.
Gld:- tangled, mingled, struggled.	Glz:- eagles, jungles, struggles.	Gr:- grown, grand, agreed, regret.
Gz:- rags, eggs, trigs, exert.	6. Jd:- engaged, discouraged, obliged, hedged, dodged, lodged.	7. Kl:- clad, clean, club, circle, sparkle.
Klz:- sparkles, articles, spectacles.	Kn:- taken, forsaken, broken.	Kr:- creep, creek, crying.
Ks:- sacks, cheeks, necks, bricks, looks.	Kt:- expect, looked, locked, picked.	Kts:- acts, facts, insects.
Kst:- next, fixed, mixed.	Ksth:- sixth.	8. Lb:- bulb, bulbous.
Ld:- failed, crawled, told, child.	Ldz:- fiele.P

"Phonics works, sight words don’t." - jimpick

You are correct, but you failed to mention another important factor of which I am sure you are aware and implimented. Learning phonics is the tool by which a child learns to read, but that desire to read must be instilled in the child by the parent. You obviously did a fine job!

My parents did the same. My father told me many times "Son, you can do anything you want in life if you will just read and study what it is you want to do." (I still believe that... Though it is often harder to find the time once we grow older.) Once I had mastered phonics during the first coupled of weeks of school, I kept my poor first grade teacher (kindergarten was not a requirement back then, you just started first grade) running up the hallways on a regular basis - she was having to go to other classrooms to get more books. I found reading to be one of the greatest things I had ever done! I could pick up a book and go to another country, another time, or even another world! By the time I had finished first grade, I was beyond the fifth grade level. I would read out loud to my mother at night until my voice gave out. Thank God that I had an old fashioned teacher that didn't believe in "sticking strictly to a curriculum" for the sake of not having to do a little extra. When I look back, I think about how different things could have been if my teacher had not fed my hunger for more books. I would have become a disruptive child that was bored and looking for something to do in the classroom. I would have soon been in the principal's office and headed down the road toward trouble later in life.

Regards,
Raven6

"Phonics works, sight words don’t." - jimpick

You are correct, but you failed to mention another important factor of which I am sure you are aware and implimented. Learning phonics is the tool by which a child learns to read, but that desire to read must be instilled in the child by the parent. You obviously did a fine job!

My parents did the same. My father told me many times "Son, you can do anything you want in life if you will just read and study what it is you want to do." (I still believe that... Though it is often harder to find the time once we grow older.) Once I had mastered phonics during the first coupled of weeks of school, I kept my poor first grade teacher (kindergarten was not a requirement back then, you just started first grade) running up the hallways on a regular basis - she was having to go to other classrooms to get more books. I found reading to be one of the greatest things I had ever done! I could pick up a book and go to another country, another time, or even another world! By the time I had finished first grade, I was beyond the fifth grade level. I would read out loud to my mother at night until my voice gave out. Thank God that I had an old fashioned teacher that didn't believe in "sticking strictly to a curriculum" for the sake of not having to do a little extra. When I look back, I think about how different things could have been if my teacher had not fed my hunger for more books. I would have become a disruptive child that was bored and looking for something to do in the classroom. I would have soon been in the principal's office and headed down the road toward trouble later in life.

Regards,
Raven6

Honestly, a great teacher will use both phonics and sight learning with a touch of latin.

Phonics is important to understand each letter and sound and give a child the ability to sound out a word BUT there are lots of kids that read phonetically and don’t understand a single thing they just read. They have no reading comprehension. It is just words to them. They don’t realize there is a context and story.

Sight words are very important to teach children because there are some words that simply cannot be sounded out. The word THE is a good example.

Latin is excellent to teach the root of the word and emphasize meaning.

My daughter was taught phonics and sight words with an emphasis on comprehension. She loves reading and has no problems.

There is no single solution or method to teach reading and anyone claiming there is doesn’t understand how children learn.

Sorry for the double post... Strange happenings on my system tonight. Seems to be “stuttering” when I hit “post”.

When my daughter (who has speech problems due to a brain injury) was in 3rd grade, I complained about her reading. She got 100 percent on her spelling tests, but she still couldn’t read.

The district said she was okay, but I knew better. I had an independent evaluation done on her, and they concluded that she had poor phonemic awareness and other problems.

We put her in a private school with a multi-sensory, phonics based reading program, and my daughter finally learned how to read.

It was the best thing we did for our daughter. I’m very glad that we ignored what the district was saying. She would have struggled with reading for years if we hadn’t put her in that reading program.

Then I’m only semi-literate and have a degree in computer science.

I don’t think you need a foreign language or need to type.

I have kids on both spectrums. Two who never needed phonics, and are great readers (they are both gifted). Then I have my other daughter who has speech problems who really needed the phonics to read.

great post

Medical talk is interesting....if you are to take a pill 3 times a day, the doctor writes tid...twice a day is bid. Once a day is qd...based I think on Latin...b stands for bi or 2. tid stands for tri or 3 times a day...most medical terms are of Latin base...anything the ends in itis, means inflamation, ex: appendicitis is inflamed appendix. Learn just a few base words and you can read doctors orders and the official name of any disease...(as I said, I think its Latin based)

Silent Letters

Table of Substitutes

Table of Combinations of the Substitutes:

Table of Elementary Sounds.