Read complete books and articles on: Phonics

Reading - process of mentally interpreting written symbols. Facility in reading is an essential factor in educational progress, and instruction in this basic skill is a primary purpose of elementary education. The ability to read was not considered important for most laymen until sometime after Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press (c.1450) and the Protestant Reformation, with its emphasis on individual interpretation of the Bible. Until that time reading was generally restricted to the clergy and certain members of the nobility. Although illiteracy is still a problem in many areas of the world, compulsory childhood education laws have assured that most citizens of advanced industrial nations can read.

Physiological and psychological studies suggest that the process of reading is based on a succession of quick eye movements, known as fixations, across the written line, each of which lasts for about a quarter of a second. In each fixation more than one word is perceived and interpreted, so that a skilled reader may take in more than three words per fixation when reading easy material. Depending on the rate of fixations and the difficulty of the material, an adult can read and understand anywhere from 200 to 1,000 words per minute.

There has been considerable difference of opinion about the best method of teaching children to read. By the end of the 20th cent. the educational concensus was largely that a combination of phonics, which emphasizes sound, and the whole-language method, which emphasizes meaning, is the most effective way to teach the skill. Most educators also agree on the importance of remedial work for students whose progress is impeded by impaired vision, faulty eye movements, developmental disabilities such as dyslexia, or personal handicaps resulting from poor teaching.

Bibliography

See G. Hildreth, Teaching Reading (1958); I. A. Richards, How to Read a Page (1959); G. Cuomo, Becoming a Better Reader (1960); H. Diack, Reading and the Psychology of Perception (1960); J. S. Chall, Learning to Read: The Great Debate (1967); M. Cox, The Challenge of Reading Failure (1968); M. J. Adler and C. Van Doren, How to Read a Book (rev. ed. 1972); M. C. Robeck and J. A. R. Wilson, Psychology of Reading (1974).

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14 of the Best Books and Articles on: Phonics

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Phonics Exposed: Understanding and Resisting Systematic Direct Intense Phonics Instruction » Read Now
by Richard J. Meyer. 180 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

What are the implications of teaching phonics via a systematic direct intense program that mandates all children to experience the same scripted lesson at the same time? This book addresses the question through an in-depth play-by-play description of a phonics lesson as it occurred in a real...
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What are the implications of teaching phonics via a systematic direct intense program that mandates all children to experience the same scripted lesson at the same time? This book addresses the question through an in-depth play-by-play description of a phonics lesson as it occurred in a real classroom, followed by chapters that look at it from different angles by "zooming in" on one facet to analyze it closely: *Reading. What is reading? What definition of reading is presented (implicitly) in the phonics lesson? What do competing definitions from the reading research literature say about how important phonics rules are and how they are used by readers and teachers of reading? *Teacher knowledge. What is the role and the place of teacher knowledge as it relates to the lesson? What are the skills a teacher has and needs to use in a lesson that is completely scripted ? *The children. What are their roles and positions during the lesson? What are they learning? *Curriculum. Where does the phonics curriculum come from? Curriculum in general? Who does it serve and how? What is its purpose? * Culture. What is the role of culture in the lesson? How do cultural differences and culturally relevant pedagogy relate to the scripted phonics lesson? *Politics and ideology. Why and how is everything that happens in schools political? How are scripted lessons and resistance to them, forms of political action? *Teacher professionalism. How can teachers act in order to maintain academic freedom expressed as professional decision making in classrooms? The author of this book is not neutral. He presents the difficulties a teacher encounters in implementing mandated systematic, direct, intense phonics instruction and children who are confused and frustrated by it. But at the same time he constantly presents hope in the form of smart teachers, curious children, and possibilities for taking action that can lead to change. His direct, accessible writing style stimulates thought and discussion.
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2.

Phonics Instruction: Beyond the Debate, in The Reading Teacher » Read Now
by Susan Kidd Villaume, Edna Greene Brabham. 5 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...Phonics instruction: beyond the debate by Susan Kidd Villaume...periodically serves as a forum for teachers to discuss phonics instruction. During these online...
3.

Reading, Language, and Literacy: Instruction for the Twenty-First Century (Chap. 1 "Phonics and Beginning Reading Instruction") » Read Now
by Fran Lehr, Jean Osborn. 307 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...Preface ix 1. Phonics and Beginning Reading Instruction...with key aspects of early instruction: phonics, phonemic awareness, and structural analysis...retrospective of...
4.

Children Learning to Read: A Guide for Parents and Teachers (Chap. 4 "Slow Reading: Phonics and Decoding") » Read Now
by Seymour W. Itzkoff. 202 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

This volume brings together the sciences of psycholinguistics and developmental psychology with the practical knowledge of classroom practice in literacy education to create a unique but accessible explanation of how children learn to read. It explains the necessary educational and pedagogical steps...
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This volume brings together the sciences of psycholinguistics and developmental psychology with the practical knowledge of classroom practice in literacy education to create a unique but accessible explanation of how children learn to read. It explains the necessary educational and pedagogical steps that parents and teachers both can take in assisting the child to make a smooth transition from infant babbler to eight-year-old fluent reader. It also points to the possible developmental as well as educational danger signals that tell us that things are not going as they should, and suggests what we can do to help children overcome their problems, slowdowns, and difficulties learning to read and write. Included here is a discussion of such important issues as emergent literacy or reading readiness: phonics and slow reading; fluent reading and the "reading system"; the dangers of the first-grade Rubicon; reading problems of unique children; the dangers and benefits of "Whole Language" reading programs; Reading Recovery" for endangered young readers; the role of writing; parents; TV; and the school program. The book is clearly written, uses nontechnical terminology, and should provide teachers and parents a guide to evaluating the progress of youngsters from the time they approach child-care and pre-school stages of socialization to that point where they should be reading independently for pleasure as well as searching for information and subject-matter competency.
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5.

Investigating the Status and Perceived Importance of Explicit Phonic Instruction in Elementary Classrooms, in Reading Improvement » Read Now
by Gary L. Shaffer, Patricia Campbell, Sondra Rakes. 9 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...their collective perceptions of integrated phonics instruction at several levels. Specific...teachers perceptions toward the importance of phonics, its implementation...
6.

Defending Whole Language: The Limits of Phonics Instruction and the Efficacy of Whole Language Instruction, in Reading Improvement » Read Now
by Stephen Krashen. 11 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...Defending whole language: the limits of phonics instruction and the efficacy of whole...the source of most of our knowledge of phonics. Whole Language The term "whole...
7.

Early 3 R's: How to Lead Beginners into Reading, Writing, and Arithme-Talk (Chap. 5 "Get Them Ready for Phonics- Orally") » Read Now
by Lee Mountain. 164 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...19 5 Get Them Ready for Phonics--Orally 26 6 Surround...Child-Selected Words for Teaching More Phonics 86 17 Summary of Unit...Whole Alphabet for Reading, Writing, and...
8.

Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read (Chap. 8 "Phonics and Mediated Word Identification") » Read Now
by Frank Smith. 371 pgs.

Collections: Education, Psychology, Entire Library

...Chapter 8 PHONICS AND MEDIATED WORD IDENTIFICATION...out of individual letters. Chapter 8, "Phonics and Mediated Word Identification," is...words cannot be recognized as...
9.

Word Recognition in Beginning Literacy (Chap. 13 "Phonics and Phonemes: Learning to Decode and Spell in a Literature-Based Program") » Read Now
by Jamie L. Metsala, Linnea C. Ehri. 403 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...Rebecca Treiman 289 13. Phonics and Phonemes: Learning to Decode and Spell...explains how Word Work differs from typical phonics programs and presents three case...
10.

Use Phonics Activities to Motivate Learners with Difficulties, in Intervention in School & Clinic » Read Now
by Karen B. Moni, Michelle Morgan. 3 pgs.

Collections: Education, Psychology, Entire Library
11.

Helping Children Link Sound to Print: Phonics Procedures for Small-Group or Whole-Class Settings, in Intervention in School & Clinic » Read Now
by Laurice M. Joseph. 5 pgs.

Collections: Education, Psychology, Entire Library

...Helping children link sound to print: phonics procedures for small-group or whole-class...students with basic reading difficulties need phonics instruction that focuses...
12.

When Should Fonnicks Be Tot to Kollage Stewdents, in Journal of College Reading and Learning » Read Now
by Joann Yaworski. 6 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library
13.

Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent's Guide ("The Debate about Phonics" begins on p. 97) » Read Now
by Lucy Calkins, Lydia Bellino. 324 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

The nationally acclaimed educator who transformed the way children learn to read and write in school shows how to nurture children's imagination at home, from the earliest days of babytalk to the start of school. Drawing upon her influential philosophy of active learning, as well as her personal...
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The nationally acclaimed educator who transformed the way children learn to read and write in school shows how to nurture children's imagination at home, from the earliest days of babytalk to the start of school. Drawing upon her influential philosophy of active learning, as well as her personal experience as a parent, Lucy Calkins shows how to stimulate curiosity and spark creative thinking in children.
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14.

Preparing to Teach Writing: Research, Theory, and Practice (Discussion of phonics begins on p. 103) » Read Now
by James D. Williams. 346 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

...Overview 99 The Psychology of Reading 100 Phonics 103 Arguments Against Phonics 104 Phonics From Another Perspective 108 Connections Between Reading Skill...