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I just want to disagree with Cheeseburger Commando. When I learned phonics we didn't break down words into component parts, at least not at first. We first learned the sounds of individual letters, then of pairs of letters, and so on. This gave us an excellent foundation for hearing a word and knowing how it's spelled, and for determining how to properly pronounce a word when we see it written.

Whole language is not old school. I'm old and phonics is old school. I have two younger sisters. I learned phonics as did my youngest sister. I can spell as can my youngest sister. The middle sister constantly misspells words in letters and in email. She's aware of this but can't easily recognize that she has spelled a word incorrectly.

My daughter, who is a 4.0 student, didn't learn phonics and has a hard time with spelling and with determining the root of unfamiliar words. My son, who is decidedly not a 4.0 student, did learn phonics and is an excellent speller and learns new words with ease.

Both of my examples are not scientific studies. I realize this. But I know of many other examples.

Whole language is like learning math without first learning the rules. Instead you'd just read and learn math problems. Yes, reading is key, but it's very important to first learn the basics of our language. Learning phonics as an early grade schooler does not have to be boring, and seldom is. I remember phonics lessons as being fun and very much like singing. I can say that reading is boring for a person who can't determine the meanings of words as they try to read. And keep in mind that phonics lessons are commonly recommended to adults who struggle with reading and understanding.

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