by Kevin Mcdaniels

Created on: August 25, 2009   Last Updated: August 26, 2009

Phonics is hands-down the best way to teach a child to read. I will explain and defend this position, plus give some websites to help teach children to read. I will also give reasons why I feel that phonetical reading is much more effective than see and-say (or whole language) reading to create life-long learners who can grow independently over time.

When one learns to read using phonics, they learn the sounds of the letters in order to string them together so they can sound out the word. When a child learns phonetics, they open the door to a world of new words, and in doing so, possibly new ideas. When a child learns phonics, they are able to grow at their own pace. They can sound out the new words and connect the sounds to make words that they wouldn't know by sight.

As a teacher who works with elementary school students, I have been able to use several programs to help students learn to read. Starfall is a fun website that is absolutely free, and fun for Preschool through third grade. Starfall has online games, puzzles, and songs that teach phonics and explain a variety of rules in the English language. Starfall has printable worksheets for parents or teachers to use. My students have a good time learning on the Starfall website.

One reading program I like to use in my classroom is called Readwell. This program is a phonics based reading program which does a wonderful job. I believe that almost anyone can teach the Readwell series. Readwell teaches one letter at a time (you can take 2-6 days to teach each letter). It compounds on the letters from previous lessons in order to create words that the students can read. There are books that come with the series that the students can read over time.

Currently, I am teaching students with multiple handicaps. Last year, I had two students who at the beginning of the year couldn't write their first name. I introduced Readwell into my classroom in November. By the end of the school year, they were reading three and four word sentences. That was so much more than I honestly thought they would be able to do. I was so excited for them, and they were so proud of the progress they had made.

While any student who learns to read phonetically will need to memorize some words, it is easy to say that phonetical reading is the best. If a student only learns by sight words, they will be limited to the words they know. They will be able to put together some compound words, but will not be able to introduce anything new. If a student uses phonics, they will be able to sound out new words to make themselves grow intellectually which may prove useful in the long run.

The major component in any reading program is not only that the student can pronounce the word, but more importantly that they comprehend the word. If a student is reading fluently, but is unable to make sense of what is being read, then what is the point?

If you teach a student to read phonetically, they will read for life.

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