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Phonics

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In spite of literacy specialists, computers, standardized testing and other innovations, there is still a significant group of children who have fallen behind in Reading and Language skills during the past several decades. Colleges and universities have found it necessary to initiate remedial English classes. Reading, spelling, grammar and composition skills have been neglected in the crucial early grades. As a retired teacher, who still dabbles in the shallows of the educational pool by working with a few tutoring students, I have strategies which may not be popular with present educators, but which always worked well for me.

I started teaching elementary grades in the late 1950's. Teachers then believed that,for young people to attain future positions of authority, wherein they would discipline others, it was vital that they first master self-discipline. The children sat in rows at desks. They raised their hands to speak and for permission to leave their desks. The classroom environment was quiet and very structured, but within it, I believe the children felt secure. They knew the routine which would be followed each day, and for some, it was the only routine in their lives on which they could rely.

Reading was taught in the morning when the students were most alert. We started with a Phonics lesson. Each letter in the alphabet was assigned a sound, which the children pronounced, and used to decode words. The sounds were drilled daily. Of course, a few words didn't fit the pattern, but the sounds at least provided clues.

For Reading, the class was divided into three or four groups: the fluent readers, the average, the below average, and the struggling. Each group gathered around the reading table daily with the teacher, and each child read aloud at least one paragraph of the story that group was working on. Hearing individuals read each day, and questioning them for comprehension, it was easy to keep track of their progress. The groups were flexible; children often moved back and forth. The teacher spent most time with those groups needing extra help. While one group was reading, the others were working quietly on seat work at their desks. There was silence, order, respect for others, good work habits, and there was learning going on.

In the late 1980's the "Whole Language" system was introduced in Ontario schools. Proponents believed that children would learn to read and write as naturally as they learned to talk. Readers and spelling textbooks

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