5 Reasons It's So Easy to Teach Reading with Phonics
by Mary Follin
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If you're planning to teach reading with phonics, you might be wondering how to do it. A lot of parents are unsure about how to teach reading with phonics, simply because they weren't taught to read with phonics, or even if they were, they don't remember a thing about it!
If this is you, rest assured, it's actually pretty easy to teach reading with phonics. In fact, my opinion, phonics is the easiest way to teach someone to read, particularly a small child. Phonics is fun for most kids, but it can also be somewhat repetitive, so you'll want to keep your lessons short. Before we jump into why it's so easy to teach reading with phonics, let's talk about why it's so important to teach reading with phonics. |
Many parents choose to teach reading with phonics
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Why is it so important to teach reading with phonics?
Over the past half-century, many school systems have moved away from teaching reading with phonics. Currently, a balanced literacy approach has been adopted by a significant number of school systems in the United States, a system where teaching reading incorporates a variety of techniques. A few of the varied techniques involve 'guessing' a word using the letter sound at the beginning of a word, reading the word in context, or looking at the pictures.
But here's the problem with that. If we all 'guess' words based on context, doesn't that limit the writer to using words the reader expects to see? Sure, I might guess the word 'gold' if I see "All things that glitter are not g____." But what if the writer is trying to express something different? An alternative ending to a Shakespeare play, perhaps? (All things that glitter are not giraffes?)
But aside from stifling creativity, one can only imagine how limited a child's ability to learn to read would be. The written word takes many unexpected turns, and we can't always count on context when trying to decipher words. And what happens in fourth grade when the pictures go away? While many children have no problem with this (they're able to reverse engineer the phonics code, even if it's not explicitly taught), a lot of children can't recognize these patterns on their own, which may be why 65% of fourth graders in the U.S. are not proficient readers as of 2022.
Many school systems are now incorporating a direct instruction, phonics-based approach system of reading into their programs, but many aren't. If your child's school system doesn't teach reading with phonics, it's critical that you teach reading with phonics at home.
But here's the problem with that. If we all 'guess' words based on context, doesn't that limit the writer to using words the reader expects to see? Sure, I might guess the word 'gold' if I see "All things that glitter are not g____." But what if the writer is trying to express something different? An alternative ending to a Shakespeare play, perhaps? (All things that glitter are not giraffes?)
But aside from stifling creativity, one can only imagine how limited a child's ability to learn to read would be. The written word takes many unexpected turns, and we can't always count on context when trying to decipher words. And what happens in fourth grade when the pictures go away? While many children have no problem with this (they're able to reverse engineer the phonics code, even if it's not explicitly taught), a lot of children can't recognize these patterns on their own, which may be why 65% of fourth graders in the U.S. are not proficient readers as of 2022.
Many school systems are now incorporating a direct instruction, phonics-based approach system of reading into their programs, but many aren't. If your child's school system doesn't teach reading with phonics, it's critical that you teach reading with phonics at home.
Why is it so easy to teach reading with phonics?
I believe it's easier to teach reading with phonics than with any other approach. Here are the 5 reasons why:
1. Phonics is sequential and linear.
Because of this, it's easy not only for the student to progress, it's easy for the parent to know what's been learned and what hasn't. Other methods jump around quite a bit, bringing advanced skills into the lessons before the student is ready.
2. Phonics can be compartmentalized.
If you're a busy parent (who isn't?) and your child has a short attention span, phonics can be introduced in 'micro-lessons.' Consistency is key, not long lessons. In fact, you can teach a small child to read in 5 minutes-a-day when you teach reading with phonics.
3. The English language is based on phonics.
While there are many exceptions, most words can be sounded out using the rules of phonics. Because of this, your child will begin to see repetitive patterns in words. You will find that phonics adds 'rocket fuel' to your lessons; once your child 'gets it,' he or she will take off, almost like magic.
4. Phonics is the key code to reading English
Most children get pretty excited about that. They don't need to depend on context or pictures to figure out a word; they can simply use the rules of phonics to sound it out. If your child is not a good guesser or not great at memorizing words, you will see an element of frustration creeping in unless they can decipher words using the rules of phonics. There is nothing like frustration, resistance, and tears to make teaching reading really, really hard.
5. You already know phonics.
On this one, you might be thinking "Yeah, right." But if you're reading this page, you're a phonetic reader, even if you didn't learn to read with phonics. Many people are able to recognize the phonetic sounds and patterns in words, even if they're not explicitly taught how to recognize them. If you didn't learn to read with phonics, your brain took care of that for you! Sadly, not all children are equipped to do this, and they are the ones who struggle if their teacher didn't teach reading with phonics.
Teach Reading with Phonics—It's Easy! |
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Watch this [3 min.] sample lesson.
(Make sure your volume is on!) |
If you aren't sure how to teach reading with phonics, watch this sample lesson to see what kind of guidance comes with Teach Your Child to Read™ and how easy the program is to use. In this short set of instructions, you will learn how to teach STEP 1. When you move on to STEP 2, your child will be able to sound out literally thousands of short words. Hard to believe, I know! But phonics takes a systematic, linear approach, and most children advance pretty quickly. By STEP 6, you will be amazed at what a strong reader your child has become and how easy the whole process is. Teaching reading with phonics is much easier than you might think! “I looked over your program when my son was napping and the instructions are great! [The program] is really well thought out and very clear before you go to the first lesson.” --Leah Joy L., home-based business owner
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Founder and creator of Teach Your Child to Read™, Mary Follin started her career as a systems engineer with IBM.She is also the author of Ethyr, winner of the the Moonbeam Children's Book Award and the Gertrude Warner Book Award. Mary also writes, along with Erika Guerrero, a column titled ASK MOM, an advice column featured in Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine and winner of a 2021 Parenting Media Association award.
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