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Teaching Reading: a systematic, balanced approach
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Dr. Seuss has made reading fun for generations
All too often we take things as an all or nothing approach to doing things. This is demonstrated in many of the school curriculums. They use a “just phonics” or just “whole language” or “sight words” approach to reading, but the question is: why? Why does it have to be an exclusive approach when it comes to learning styles? Too many studies point to the fact that all children learn at different rates using different learning styles. Of course, each subject can’t be individualized to every student in the classroom; that would just be irrational to make 20 or so individual curriculums. On the other hand, you can do a combination of phonetic and sight words to encourage at least two of the learning styles very easily.
Who can forget Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat? It is a treasured story that has been used by multiple generations. I bet you can’t recall why Dr. Seuss created this book; in 1954, Life Magazine wrote an article about the increase in illiteracy among school children. Among the conclusions included a theory that chldren were bored with reading. As a result, his publisher gave him a list of 348 important words, in which Seuss used 236, to write this treasured book for beginning readers. Consequently, this book began his direct participation in writing numerous beginning level readers, which includes repetitive phrases and predictable rhymes.
What would I suggest? Based on numerous studies, I would suggest beginning with a phonetic approach in the first two to three years, but this must start early to be the most efficient and reap the most benefits. It is important for letters and sounds to be taught in a systematic approach, meaning that they must be taught in a logical sequence. Children should not only be exposed to the alphabet and the sounds, but it should become very concrete before stepping ahead to the next level. After all, how can one learn to sound out a word, if there are fundamentals that they are missing. If you are wanting to lose a child’s interest in reading, focusing just on worksheets and instruction is an easy way to do so. It is important for young readers to have a balance of good, entertaining read-a-louds along with short stories that the children can read themselves during a free reading period. A good teacher will provide their student with a variety of enrichment activities that will enhance the learning process (read-a-louds, silent reading time, shared reading, creative writing, file folder games, make your own books, and writing letters).
After the fundamental alphabet and sounds are learned, children need to be exposed to high frequency words on a continual basis. In my own opinion, there is no need for a child to sound out every single word, especially when the words are seen over and over again. Eventually, they will learn it on their own, but it is a good idea to give them a head start and expose them when you are teaching early reading strategies.
This systematic approach to reading instruction is for more than just the average student; it appears to benefit those with learning disabilities, as well. A good reading program will have a well-prepared teacher that is willing to be open to a variety of reading strategies, a well-stocked reading area (which can be stocked with library books as an alternative to buying books), and a teacher that recognizes the importance of mastering fundamentals before moving on to the next level in a child's reading journey.
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