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Phonics help children learn to decode language ADVERTISING FEATURE or some years, there has been Fan ongoing "debate" among ___ parents, teachers and educaâ€" tional researchers on the teaching of reading. This might be loosely entitled "Whole Language versus Phonics." The saddest thing about the ensuing tragedy is that it should never have happened in the first place. Whole language was never meant to replace phonics as a method of teaching reading. It was originally conceived as a philosoâ€" phy, aimed at empowering children by exposing them to an enriched language environment. Somewhere along the way, whole language seemed to become synonymous with "whole word." The "sight word" or "look/say" approach became, first the primary, and finally the exclusive method of teaching reading. Phonics, if taught at all, was soon a totally separate subject, completely divorced from reading. Rudolph Flesch, author of "Why Johnny Can‘t Read," refers to this sight word only approach as "word guessing." He claims it encourages children to scan the page looking for familiar words. They also look up frequently to any picture clues that might be available. Thus, their OAKVILLE r‘l Parent-Chlld OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, Aug. 31st 10:00 amâ€" 12 noon Thursday, Sept. 8th 10:00 amâ€"12 noon Please call us 337 Kerr Street, _ A member for more Oakville agency of the for more information Give Your Child.... THE TRADITION OF MARTIAL ARTS and THE COMPETITIVE EDGE FOR LIFE THE TRADITION OF MARTIAL ARTS * â€" SELEF DISCIPLINE INCREASED FOCUS IMPROVED CARDIOVASCULAR CAPACITY INCREASED FLEXIBILITY AND ENERGY A PROVED SYSTEM OF SELF DEFENSE Parenting Education LIBRARY * LARGEST DOJO IN THE AREA «e 6 BLACK BELT INSTRUCTORS e SPACIOUS CHANGE ROOMS « WEIGHT ROOM Studies show that an increased level of physical fitness makes learning in other disciplines easier and can significantly increase mental capabilities. A multiâ€"resource center for parents,caregivers children JIUâ€"JITSU 825â€"4223 461 NORTH SERVICE ROAD | Children‘s Programs ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS United Way Ontmario Centes For Martiaa Arts Yes, in these early stages it is very important. Not only are the eye muscles being trained to move smoothly, but the part of the brain that deals with visual sequential processing is being stimulated. eyes are constantly flitting about the page. Is tracking important? Does it really matter if a student skims and scans a page as long as he or she understands the overall content? Marilyn Adams, a psychologist currently researching how reading is learned, affirms that "good readâ€" ers, without exception, read from left to right and from top to botâ€" tom." ‘Whole language was never meant to replace phonics as a method of teaching reading.‘ | nfoline for PARENTS! | KLDZ BIZ offers you a gold mine of nformaâ€" J | tion to cover all your Backâ€"toâ€"Schootneeds, ; From fashions for tots to teens, to programs andsupplies. Information on top quality locc\\l | shops, programs and convenient shopâ€"cT- f home services. KIDZ BIZ | | INFOULNE [| | | FREE! It‘s FAST! | It‘s for you and P _ your ki Bfiz | , CALL NOW KIDZ BIZ I NFOLL NE Lt‘s FREE! Lt‘s FAST! It‘s for you an your kids, THE COMPETITIVE EDGE FOR LIFE e LOGICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS INDEPENDENT AND COOPERATIVE LEARNING PROBLEM SOLVING SELF CONFIDENCE Adams concurs, saying her research shows "a solid working knowledge of sounds is critical to reading. Children need to be instructed in phonics." Functional difficulties with the mechanics of reading contribute to low selfâ€" esteem. Are phonics advocates trying to say that phonics are the beâ€"all and endâ€"all of reading? No, certainly not! Phonics are simply a tool to help children acquire the crucial skill of decoding language. Even students without any forâ€" mal teaching in phonics, still appear to learn phonetically. According to Adams, human beings are selecâ€" tively "wired" to "hear" phonyms. Research studies show that when reading, children don‘t focus on the whole word. Rather, they move their eyes along the word, letter by Dr. Barbara Bateman, a profesâ€" sor of Special Education, maintains that, to learn, children need "sysâ€" tematic, phonetic instruction." infoline for parents This happens even with children who have never been taught phoâ€" netics. It seems that without being aware of it they actually teach letter, and put sounds together until they can read it. MEXX; ESPRIT; NO NO NO; COATS AND SNOWSUITS HAVE ARRIVED! themselves their own system of phonetic decoding. It‘s just a longer, more tedious process for most of them. With no formal eduâ€" cation, many never achieve masâ€" tery. Reading remains at best a