Learning to read can be the single most important skill gained by children. Improved reading skills increase skills in all other academic areas, as well as verbal functions such as vocabulary. Combining Hooked On Phonics, or similar phonics-based programs, with a whole language approach, addresses the unique learning styles of different children. By tailoring a literacy program to the individual needs of children, parents and teachers can help the children improve reading skills and enjoy the process of learning to read.
What is Hooked on Phonics?
Hooked on Phonics is an extremely well-known program that was initially started for the purpose of teaching reading skills, but has since expanded into spelling, math, and other programs. It uses phonics, which helps students connect certain sounds with letters or groups of letters. Phonics can be a great tool for students learning to read, but can also cause problems when it comes to words that don't follow common phonics rules. For this reason, combining phonics with a "whole language" approach can be beneficial.
Some disadvantages of the Hooked on Phonics program include:
- Expensive materials
- Spelling problems due to words with similar phonetic profiles, but different spelling
- Requires a great deal of teacher-student interaction
Advantages of the program include the following:
- Games and activities make the program easy for kids to follow
- Learning phonics rules helps children sound out new or difficult words
What is the Whole Language Method for Literacy?
The whole language approach emphasizes memorization of commonly used words, encouraging children to learn to read in much the same manner that they learn to speak. Children are immersed in language, books and stories, and taught to recognize words by sight, rather than sounding out each individual letter or syllable. This absolves children from learning complicated phonetic rules in early reading, and allows them to move straight into early reading materials.
Disadvantages of the whole language method include:
- Memorization is difficult for some children
- Memorizing the number of words necessary to be able to read to any appreciable degree requires a large investment of time and effort from both teacher and child
Advantages of the whole language method include:
- This method does not require a large investment of money, although sight word flashcards can be helpful
- As the child's vocabulary improves, his reading skills improve quickly as well
Combining Methods to Improve Reading Skills
Combining the methods used by phonics programs, such as Hooked on Phonics, and the whole language approach, provides an effective means of improving reading skills. By learning phonics rules, children are able to sound out words that are unfamiliar.
Memorizing common sight words, as well as words that do not follow phonetic rules, allows children to avoid attempting to decipher words that cannot be sounded out. Merging these very different approaches to literacy gives teachers an advantage when helping children learn to read.
Resources:
Reyhner, J. "Reading Wars: Phonics vs Whole Language." Northern Arizona University, (December 13, 2008).
Victoria Nicks - Victoria Nicks has a Master's Degree in IT, and extensive hands-on experience with various types of hardware and software.
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