Learning to Read Methods

Learning to read is one of the most essential skills a child will master. Reading is the foundation of a child's educational future. The success of one's career and education is dependent upon their reading ability. Without the ability a read, a person cannot enjoy all this world has to offer, such as reading about world history, driving a car, reading a letter from a friend, or learning a new language. Reading unlocks doors that would otherwise be locked forever. In recent years there has been a great deal of debate on the methods used to teach our children how to read; parents and teachers need to determine whether the whole language, phonics or a combination of both methods is the most adequate approach for teaching their children to read.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet first developed the whole language method in the early 1800s. Whole language is just a new name for what was once called the "whole-word", or "look and say" methods. It is the same method just a new name. The method was originally developed for deaf mutes because they are completely unaware of phonetic sounds for letters (Sutton). The whole language method teaches children how to read with complete words, rather than breaking them into parts or syllables. Children are repeatedly drilled with simple words until they can recognize them by sight, and then they are introduced to more complicated words (Ronayne). The whole language approach is considered more creative and interesting for a child who is eager to learn. In a whole language learning environment the teacher would read aloud or tell stories more often than in a phonetic learning environment. You may also see more charts with simple directions written on them in a classroom that teaches the whole language approach. This is to ensure the children's engagement with the materials while providing a creative reading approach. Children are also given more opportunity to go off and read books to the best of their ability. Allowing the children to read on their own helps them learn to comprehend the stories and decipher words on their own. The whole language method teaches children to predict what words might come next in a story, and ask questions about the story; this gives them a better comprehension of what they are reading. Another major approach to the whole language method is teaching children to construct pictures of words in their heads so they can recall them later.

The phonics method was established in the early 1900s. For a long time the phonic method was the only way children were taught to read. This method focuses on learning letters and their sounds, and then combining the sounds to form words. With phonics, a child will learn the alphabet first, followed by matching the name of the letter with the letter itself, and then learning the sounds they make (Treasures). Phonics also teaches children the language rules, which regulate the use of letters in words. This method teaches children to sound out words that are unfamiliar to them. Children learn to dissect larger words to form smaller words and sounds, and then learn to put them back together again. Better spelling is also an advantage to the phonics method. According to the National Reading Panel, phonics instruction improves spelling skills (First). Learning the sounds of letters helps a child to spell words correctly by writing the letters for the sounds they hear. In a classroom that teaches phonics, you will see more charts with special sounds written on them and more