Kristina Parin - Appalachian State University



Kristina Parin

RE 5710

Question:

What is the role of phonics instruction in developing literacy skills?

Situation:

Being a Kindergarten teacher early in my teaching career, and currently a second grade teacher I have truly have been influenced on how pertinent phonics instruction is for learning to read. My reading methods background was that I needed to teach reading with literature. I was never formally taught about letter sound relationships or other types of phonological based instruction in my reading methods courses. Being at the school that I now teach at I realize the importance phonics instruction has on literacy skills, and that is one of the main motivations why I wanted to receive a masters in reading education. Many of my students had never been to pre-school before Kindergarten, and some of my students had never been read to as young children because their parents were illiterate. When they came to me in Kindergarten some of my students did not even know what letters were, let alone what sounds letters represent. In second grade, I noticed that if a student had not been given a foundation of the relationship between letters and sounds, they would truly struggle in their automaticity of words and fluency which in turn makes reading a real challenge.

In this paper I plan on answering three significant questions to show the importance phonics instruction has on developing literacy skills. Those questions include: what is phonics instruction, what is it’s importance, and what are the best practices for instruction. Let me commence on the first question by explaining, what is phonics?

What Is Phonics?

Phonics is a part of reading instruction that is under the umbrella of phonological awareness. Within phonological awareness there are different types of reading skills such as phonemic awareness, which according to Cunningham et al., is an understanding about the smallest units of sound that make up the speech stream: phonemes (1998). There is also phonics, which according to Mesmer and Griffith, is a system for encoding speech sounds into written symbols (2006). From an educational perspective, I believe it is the relationships between letters and sounds, and how a teacher teaches to use this system to recognize words is how a child learns to read. Given that English is an alphabetic code which means that the spoken language is written in a form using letters to represent the sounds in words (Mesmer & Griffith, 2006), the letter-to-sound model can be a one-to-one correspondence (e.g., bag, step); a two-to-one, letter-to-sound pattern (e.g., beat, this); or a more complex pattern (e.g., ax, like). This becomes start of a foundation of developing literacy skills in the early grades. If a child has mastery of these skills they are better able to become fluent readers of more complex works in the future. Phonics skills enable the reader to automatically decipher words rapidly, facilitating understanding and appreciation of fine literature.

I was also interested in how readers use phonics and Mesmer and Griffith again give a great perspective on how this happens. Since English is one of the most complex alphabetic languages, Mesmer and Griffith address how English can be broken down even deeper into three even more complex layers: a straight sound layer (e.g., bit, got); a pattern layer that is more complex (e.g., chick, lake, straight); and a meaning layer, which maintains unusual and irregular sound-symbol meanings due to morphemes (e.g., hymn and hymnal) (2006). Giving students more complex strategies for “breaking the code” (Shaffer et al., 2000), students again begin to attain the skills needed to read more complex passages with enhanced automaticity.

Mesmer and Griffith give some insight by referring Ehri, on different strategies readers use to recognize a word: 1. predicting-using context clues to make a guess, 2. decoding-converting individual letters and patterns of letters to blend into sounds, 3. analogy-using word parts to analyze the structure of a word, and 4. recall-retrieving a known word from memory. Decoding and analogy strategies both require knowledge of phonics (2006). Overall, Mesmer and Griffith suggest, with reference to Stahl, “early and systematic emphasis on teaching children to decode words leads to better achievement than a later and more haphazard approach” (2006). Therefore, we now have an understanding that phonics is the letter-sound relationship to words and it is a fundamental basis for early literacy skills. Next, I will begin to discuss the importance of phonics instruction.

What Is The Importance of Phonics Instruction?

There is beginning to be a vast amount of literature affirming the importance of phonics instruction. Most recently the emphasis of phonics instruction has been brought to the forefront with the publishing of the National Reading Panel Report in 2000. In the report it states that, explicit and systematic phonics instruction is crucial for the beginning reader (2000). If a lesson is explicit, then the teacher tells children directly what she or he is trying to teach (Mesmer & Griffith, 2006). According to Mesmer and Griffith explicit instruction refers to lesson delivery. Systematic instruction has two connotations: scope and sequence (Mesmer & Griffith, 2006). Scope includes the content of the phonics instruction, the range of letter sound correspondences and sequence defines and order for teaching letter sound correspondences (Mesmer & Griffith, 2006). In the National Reading Panel Report it states that there are different categories for explicit and systematic instruction, such as synthetic phonics - systematic instruction which students are taught letter sound correspondences first, and then are taught how to decode words (2000). Analytic phonics word sorts and word study – a systematic approach in which student are taught some sight words first and then phonics generalization from these words (2000). With my experience with teaching I find that a balance of explicit and systematic instruction is necessary for some students. In Kindergarten I began to show what letters are because to children with no outside influences, letters appear to be scribbles on a piece of paper. As an educator, I think it is essential to get our students on a level playing field because according to Cunningham et al., home experiences that are filled with interactions with print are crucial to the development of early literacy skills (1998). Unfortunately, many of my students do not have those experiences so it becomes even more imperative to have those interactions with print all day at school. In every subject, from reading to social studies, I find a way to integrate rhyming songs, riddles, and read aloud books to show my students that reading is crucial to learn new information.

In maintaining the fact that phonics instruction is important we look to Shaffer et al., who surveyed teachers to see where educators stand on the importance of phonics instruction. Throughout their study, Shaffer et al. discovered that, 1. instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness is a necessary and an important element to learning to read; 2. it is moderately present and developed in their instructional curriculum; 3. that more work needs to be done with phonics and phonemic awareness in grades K-2, and 4. teachers are in need of more pre-service and in-service experiences in the delivery of instruction in this area (2000). I know that with my personal experience, all of these key ideas of phonics instruction are relevant in my teaching and I echo the teachers surveyed in Shaffer’s study.

As for importance for readers we look to the International Reading Association and their brochure titled, Phonemic Awareness and the Teaching of Reading (Cunningham et al., 1998). Phonics is important to instruction because it supports the understanding of the alphabetic principle (1998). The logic is that, children who understand that there is a relationship between letters and sounds, and when learning to read they discover that it is those units of sounds are represented by symbols (letters) on a page and thus gain phonemic awareness (1998). I will now go through what the best practices for phonics instruction are for teachers, and what practices have research to support their findings.

What Are The Best Practices For Phonics Instruction?

When responding to the final question of my paper I wanted to show the difference of commercial based basal readers approach to phonics instruction and how educators feel phonics instruction works best for students. A study I came across was Readers, Instruction, and the NRP by Wilson et al., 2004 which examined the impact of phonics instruction of three different reading programs, Direct Instruction, Open Court, and Guided Reading (2004). The Direct Instruction program was extremely scripted for teachers, Open Court program provided teachers with detailed lessons, and Guided Reading taught phonics within the literature provided to the teachers (2004). While I was reading this study I was brought to my own reading program, and before I discovered their conclusions, I was thinking to myself that I use Guided Reading in my classroom, and I feel my students have a good grasp on phonics cues, if they have a solid foundation of phonics from grades K-1. It was my thought that Guided Reading would be the best approach for teaching phonics, and sure enough that is what this study discovered. The students in the Guided Reading program had better phonics strategies and developed more constructed meaning within text than those students who were taught with Direct Instruction and Open Court (Wilson et al., 2004). Teaching to a curriculum makes the curriculum, rather than the learners, the center of decision making. Instruction that is based on students’ strengths and needs is a necessity, and teachers need to be able to draw on solid and broad knowledge of effective reading instruction (Wilson et al., 2004). The blanket adoption of commercial phonics-based programs will not automatically create effective readers.

As educators we need to be proactive for our students to make sure the reading adoptions our districts make for our schools have a multi-faceted approach to reading instruction. A homogenous mix of explicit and systematic phonics instruction is imperative to making sure our students have the best possible reading instruction.

I will now elaborate on what teacher’s believe are the best approaches to phonics instruction for their students. I came across a study, Teaching Word Recognition with Blending and Analogizing: Two Strategies Are Better than One by Wanzek & Haager, 2003, who follow an exceptional student’s teacher, Mrs. Lopez, who uses intensive instruction of word recognition to help her students with severe reading difficulties (Wanzek & Haager, 2003). Her approach is to combine letter sound blending and word patterns to assist her students with reading. Wanzek and Haager state that letter sounds and blending are necessary pre-skills to word recognition and believe these approach should be taught first (Wanzek & Haager, 2003). Mrs. Lopez starts with letter sound correspondence by teaching individual letters that are found more frequently such as /s/ and move on to more infrequent letter sounds (Wanzek & Haager, 2003). Mrs. Lopez then moves onto decoding with letter sound blending where she isolates /s/ /a/ /t/ and see if the children can combine them to create the word sat. After her students master letter sound correspondence and letter sound blending she moves onto word families, analogizing, and advanced letter combinations. She teaches her students word families to begin and uses rime patterns that contain only the sounds the student has mastered. The teachings of high-utility rimes are important to teach because students can access many words that they will encounter in text (Wanzek & Haager, 2003). Once the student masters these skills, Mrs. Lopez moves onto advanced letter combinations to help them understand additional spelling word patterns (2003).

Wanzek and Haager highlight that this type balanced word recognition instruction helps students who struggle with reading. Unfortunately, the majority of beginning reading programs available to general and special education teachers do not combine both of these methods of instruction (Wanzek & Haager, 2003). The need to adapt programs to this type of instruction requires expert knowledge of letter-sound blending, word families, and an understanding of the roles these strategies play in reading. As for my own personal experiences, I know that without the training I have received with my masters in Reading Education, it would be more difficult for me to teach word study this way because many reading curriculums do not give lessons with this balanced approach.

After I read this article I came to realize that this is very similar to my word study program that I implement in my small reading groups during Guided Reading. Even with my students who come to me struggling with reading skills, after the lessons in my word study program done consistently every day, I can see the “light bulb” come on when they struggle with a word in text or even in their writing. I know that a balanced approach to word study in an explicit and systematic manner, along with Guided Reading, when they utilize those skills in text, greatly improve reading skills.

It is significant for districts to follow suit and choose reading curriculums that help to facilitate this type of instruction. I am fortunate to say that in my district, Winston Salem, NC, teachers have come together to adopt a reading program that encompasses the needs for developing a strong foundation of reading skills for our students. For my conclusion, I will discuss what that reading program is and organize some final thoughts on how that program will help the students of Winston Salem.

Conclusion

Educators in Winston Salem, NC have adopted Guided Reading as their reading program, and teachers are now in charge of choosing leveled text for their reading groups, along with a commercial based phonics program to help develop literacy skills. The phonics program our school has chosen is, Words Their Way, which follows an explicit and systematic approach to phonics instruction just as the National Reading Panel Report suggests. Words Their Way has a focus of letter sorts and word sorts to help with the letter sound relationship along with word patterns. When you combine Words Their Way and the leveled texts of Guided Reading teachers are truly starting to see a difference in their student’s literacy skills. Students are making use of decoding strategies with the phonics based instruction, and with Guided Reading they are now able to construct more meaning with the text and their comprehension is improving.

Overall, with the research I have presented in this paper, along with my personal insight, I believe I have established a strong argument that phonics instruction indeed develops literacy skills. What is essential now is to take what research has given us on the importance of phonics instruction and unite that with quality literature to develop a balance to reading instruction. If researchers, educators, and curriculum developers come together I genuinely believe that we can reach our students who are struggling with reading, and give them the tools to be life long readers; who not only read for information, but for the joy of reading.

References

Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., Johnson, F., (2004). Words Their Way. New Jersey, Pearson Education, Inc.

Cunningham, J, Cunningham, P, Hoffman, J, & Yopp, H (1998). Phonemic awareness and the teaching of reading. International Reading Association. 1-9.

Mesmer, H.E., & Griffith, P.L (2006). Everybody's selling it--but just what is

explicit, systematic phonics instruction?. The Reading Teacher. 59, 366-76.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: an evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups (NIH Publication No. 00-4754). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Shaffer, G, Campbell, P, & Rakes, S (2000). Investigating the status and

perceived importance of explicit phonic instruction in elementary classrooms. Reading Improvement. 37, 110-18.

Wanzek, J, & Haager, D (2003). Teaching word recognition with blending and

analogizing: Two strategies are better than one. Teaching Exceptional Children. 36, 32-8.

Wilson, G, Martens, P, Arya, P, & Altwerger, B (2004). Readers, instruction, and

the NRP. Phi Delta Kappan, 86, 242-6.

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