Byron Harrison and Jean Clyde
Continuing our discussion of VAS Theory and the need for synthetic phonics to prepare for school and augment giftedness:
http://www.vasresearch.com/index.html
"Guessing however is inherently inaccurate… Knowledge of sounds needs to reach the stage where, when you see a letter, you automatically associate it with its most common sound. [Note: this is exactly what The Godfrey Method does for young children]
"In other words most failing children lacked basic phonic skills: because of confusions between names and sounds and because their whole word guessing strategies were inaccurate.
"If, after at least 4 years of compulsory schooling, children still don't know the sounds of the alphabet, cannot blend 3 letter sounds and cannot blend syllables together, this is clear evidence that these failing children lack the most basic phonic skills. The 85% of children who misread words due to inaccurate guessing betray the fact that word-guessing had been taught and that it had failed.
However we have no doubt that every one of the schools attended by these children will claim that they DO teach phonics. Therefore, how do schools that claim to teach phonics can end up producing students with massive phonic deficits?
"The urgency of this teaching challenge becomes apparent when we look at the statistics on the poor readers for there we find that, during the critical period between the ages of six and eight years of age, one failing child in three displayed name/sound confusions with the consequent undermining of their phonic skills.
"Whole Language advocates will doubtless try to attack these findings on the grounds that the words were presented in isolation. They need to merely answer two questions.
Which is the handicapped reader: the child who can read words regardless of whether the words are in isolation or within sentences or the child who can only read words within sentences?
"When did the public give permission for their children to be made dependent on guessing and context?"
Clackmannanshire Study
"The literacy progress of 300 children has now been followed from grade 1 to grade 7.
Group 1 were taught traditional (synthetic) phonics. Group 2 were taught analytic phonics (whole language fiasco method). Group 3 were taught analytical phonics plus some phonological awareness training.
After 16 weeks, 20 minutes per day, children taught traditional phonics were;
* reading words 7 months ahead of their chronological age;
* reading words 7 months ahead of both group 2 and group 3;
* the best group at reading irregular words;
* the best group at reading words by analogy;
* spelling 8 months ahead of chronological age;
* spelling 7 months ahead of groups 2 & 3.
6 years later , by grade 7 the authors found that;
* the children taught the traditional phonics from the outset have maintained their superior reading and spelling performance.
* The phonics-first approach had also eliminated the literacy failure in males usually associated with analytic phonics.
* The phonics-first approach had significantly reduced the literacy failure normally associated with having a low socio-economic background.
These findings are consistent with VAS Theory expectations.” Actually, these findings are huge.
The author's children somehow missed the Whole Language fiasco of the 1990s, probably unaware of the problem because they could already read well by synthetic phonics through The Godfrey Method before kindergarten, and were largely unaffected by what the teachers were doing. This in itself is a testimony to NOT teaching letter names before school, just letter sounds and blending sounds into syllables and words!
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Another activity associated with the Crossroads Art District and Community Association in downtown Kansas City, and more family friendly, is called Second Saturdays. Check out http://www.kccrossroads.org/ for more info. On the second Saturday of the month, tour the Crossroads as a small group, interacting with the artists, merchants, musicians, chefs and entrepreneurs who make the neighborhood what it is.
The Art District is between Broadway, Grand, and Troost streets near I-670. It is a viable neighborhood with all kinds of boutiques, restaurants, and galleries to visit. The sidewalk tour is well worth it!
According to the website http://www.visitkc.com/member-details/index.aspx?id=34170:
If you're looking for a more structured, family friendly outing, check out our Second Saturday program, featuring a guided tour of area retailers & galleries the second Saturday of each month. Participants enjoy educational presentations at each venue, and lunch is included! A small fee of $10 per person (kids are free) makes this opportunity possible. E-mail contact@kccrossroads or info@kccrossroads.org formore information on how to participate & to receive monthly schedules.
TYPE: Art Galleries
LOCATION/DISTRICT: Downtown/Conv Center Area
ADDRESS: P. O. Box 414806, Kansas City, MO 64141
PHONE: 816-994-9325
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