Using Phonics to Teach Beginning Readers

I am currently in a lab in which we are using phonics lessons in unison with predictable text books that scaffold the specific phonics lesson that we are learning.  As a product of phonics-free education, I am having a hard time adapting to this alien teaching technique.  I do not think that phonics and predictable text alone allows children to have enough experience to learn how to read.  Phonics is such a wishy-washy theory because there are so many expectations to each word.  I know so many people who grew up learning to read solely by use of phonics (yes, I grew up in the "Hooked on Phonics Worked for Me" era).  These people to this day cannot spell many of the words that are commonly used words. Words such as "come" and "of" are not phonemically decodeable.  So how do you teach this to children who are stuck to using their phonics knowledge? Also children that learn to use letters by remembering a rhyme or motion that has to do with the sound it makes is also misleading.  It sounds like a foolproof way to remember vowel pronunciations, but what happens when after first grade you have summer break and then return to find you do not remember any of those rhymes or motions anymore?  Then you are stuck having to relearn all of the letters and letter combinations from the last year.  Phonics supporters do not believe in the use of word walls. I have come to find that word walls are very useful after using it in lab experiences with third grade students.  I think that a combination of phonemic decoding, sight words, and other techniques need to be used together to teach children how to read.  This way children have many options and techniques to use in order to decipher unknown words and read on any level.

Buddy Reading

I really like the idea of buddy reading. Whether or not scaffolding is being used, buddy reading helps kids with reading a lot.  Sometimes it makes the book more enjoyable, whereas sometimes it makes it easier to understand the book if you can read it with a friend.  Students can discuss confusing parts of the story, express your thoughts on the plot, and help each other with vocabulary.  As adults, many people take part in book clubs. This is very similar to this idea.  If a child sees his or her parent in a book club, then doing something like this in school can be very engaging and motivating because the student sees it can be for fun and not just for work.  Many high school and college level classes use a form of "buddy reading."  I would like to use this in the classroom so that my students can have pleasurable experiences as well as to scaffold enriching reading material that otherwise may not have been decipherable.  I have used this in lab experiences when teaching a small group of advanced readers. They really like doing this, even when it comes to reading aloud which often times can feel overwhelming and scary when in front of a larger audience.  Buddy reading facilitates cooperative learning.  Doing many activities and projects that involve cooperative learning at an early age helps foster positive communication and teamwork that will be used throughout life.  Even in adulthood, people have to work together often (for example: designing a proposal, writing a grant, or marketing a new product).  I encourage others to incorporate a lot of buddy reading, even it is just to allow buddy reading during free reading so that children learn to work and learn together.  You would be surprised to see the accomplishments children can make when they just work together!

Whole Class or Individualized Spelling Lists

For many teachers, finding the best way for children to learn spelling is an ongoing process of trial and error.  Varying by grade and curriculum, spelling lists can focus on many different aspects of the school year.  Traditionally, teachers give the whole class somewhere between ten to twenty spelling words each week, with a test given on Friday.  From personal experience, I know this is not always the best fit way to teach grammatically correct spelling to each student.  As an inherently blessed speller, unlike many of my friends, I found these tests ridiculously easy.  I would breeze through the homework in about 5 minutes per night doing assignments such as copying the word five times, writing the definition, making it into a crossword puzzle, and using it in a sentence.  Each of these assignments were more like time consuming chores to me rather than instructional practices.  Now that I have begun my curriculum in teaching as an undergrad at Auburn University, I have learned about some different approaches in this area of teaching instruction.  Individualized spelling lists generated from a preknowledge quiz of words in an age appropriate word bank can be determined at the beginning of the week.  From this list of misspelled words, ten to twenty words can be chosen at the appropriate level for the child's learning.  Of course, some children may have a tremendous deficit in this subject in school, but it can be met halfway by having a few more challenging words included in this area while mostly staying in the present level of functioning.  From these individualized lists, more effective assignments can be given.  Things such as word relations can be created to relate spellings of these words to other commonly known ones such as nice (dice, lice, mice, rice) for younger or lower level learners.  Also creating stories with related words in a list help as well. This allows them to use them in a way that is meaningful to them, not just in a sentence that does not always makes sense. Individualized spelling lists allow above, on, and below level learners to see success in this subject while also showing progress over the course of the year.  It also creates a sense of ownership of the list, because it words that are determined by the student and not generated by the teacher.  Individualized spelling may not be the most time efficient way to teach spelling as opposed to a book generated list, but it is far more effective in the long run.

Desks or no desks

A recent debate over the use of traditional desks in classrooms has become a very hot topic in the setting of the elementary classroom.  While some teachers support the structure and professionalism of traditional desks, others have branched out to more eccentric styles.  Group tables are one of the more favorite alternatives. Teachers say that this allows for more communication and group work as opposed to the isolation that individual desks suggest.  Another alternative is no desks or tables at all.  Beanbags, pillows, or rugs are the modified workspace.  Teachers using this describe this learning environment as more laid back.  This cultivates more imagination, a less formal and invasive feel, and allows children to feel more at home.  In my opinion, a blend of the traditional and non traditional room setup works best.  Having observed classrooms using both styles, I see the pros and cons of each.  Using desks allows for a more organized room and has children behave more "socially accepting," especially in certain school districts.  When children come from home lives where they do not have many guidelines or expectations, desks help set the tone for the behaviors and mindsets expected in a school setting.  Children in this kind of lifestyle may not react maturely with a more laid back classroom with pillows and other areas where you sit on the floor and have more freedom.  It would be easy for children to take advantage of this, and they would be more likely to sit with friends that lead to poor behavior choices such as talking out of turn and being off task.  On the other hand, this freestyle desk-free environment allows children that can be mature about this setup really excel.  With a more tranquil and homey feel, children seem to exhibit more creative and out of the box thinking.  Being able to move around, sit in a comfortable area, and not be stuck to the seat of a desk allows them to be more themselves.  In my classroom, I would like to have tables and free seating areas.  Tables allow you to do more formal and structured activities like taking tests, and the free seating areas allow them to relax and enjoy yourself for things like reading, creative writing, and group discussions.  The key to finding the balance between the traditional and nontraditional classroom setups is getting to know your students and determining whether it is appropriate for the curriculum.  I encourage fellow teachers to explore both ways, and determine which they prefer.