| "There is more than one way to skin a cat" is | | | | Council, and the National Reading Panel, have all |
| saying that means there are multiple ways to | | | | conducted research and released finding reports |
| accomplish something. I have heard this used a | | | | that support this statement. The National Reading |
| few times and although it is a little bit disgusting, it | | | | Panel's report on their quantitative research |
| makes me laugh. In most cases it is absolutely | | | | studies on areas of reading instruction was |
| true; there is usually more than one solution to a | | | | published in 2000. The panel reported that several |
| problem and different ways to approach most | | | | reading skills are critical to becoming good readers: |
| tasks. When talking about teaching reading, there | | | | phonics for word identification, fluency, vocabulary |
| are several approaches that have been | | | | and text comprehension. With regard to phonics |
| researched and debated. The aforementioned | | | | their meta-analysis of hundreds of studies |
| idiom also means that an issue can be approached | | | | confirmed the findings of the National Research |
| in different ways but the final result will be the | | | | Council: teaching phonics (and related phonics skills, |
| same. With reading, that is not the case. The | | | | such as phonemic awareness) is a more effective |
| manner of instruction is just as important, if not | | | | way to teach children early reading skills than is |
| more so, as what is instructed and it significantly | | | | embedded phonics or no phonics instruction (taken |
| affects the results. | | | | from National Institute of Child Health and Human |
| What is explicit phonics? | | | | Development. (2000). Report of the National |
| Explicit phonics, also referred to as synthetic | | | | Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An |
| phonics, builds from part to whole. It begins with | | | | evidence-based assessment of the scientific |
| the instruction of the letters (graphemes) with | | | | research literature on reading and its implications |
| their associated sound (phoneme). Next, explicit | | | | for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. |
| phonics teaches blending and building, beginning | | | | 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government |
| with blending the sounds into syllables and then | | | | Printing Office) |
| into words. Explicit phonics is scientifically proven | | | | Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that |
| and research based. | | | | explicit phonics instruction is the single most |
| What is implicit phonics? | | | | effective approach for all students. Obviously, |
| Implicit phonics, also referred to as analytical | | | | many students can learn to read without such |
| phonics, moves from the whole to the smallest | | | | instruction; however, it is not only the at-risk |
| part. Phonemes associated with particular | | | | students who achieve greater success under a |
| graphemes are not pronounced in isolation. | | | | phonics regime - so do those in the average and |
| Students analyze words and look for the | | | | below reading groups (those who do OK, but not |
| common phoneme in a set of words. Through | | | | really well). A large scale study by Barbara Fman |
| comparison and identification they deduce what | | | | and colleagues from the University of Houston |
| grapheme to write or phoneme to read. Blending | | | | found that explicit, systematic phonics was by far |
| and building is not usually taught and students | | | | the most effective approach. It was also more |
| identify new words by its shape, beginning and | | | | effective in reducing the occurrence of reading |
| ending letters and context clues. This analysis | | | | problems than any of the one-on-one tutorial |
| (breaking down) of the whole word to its parts is | | | | programs that were evaluated, including Reading |
| only necessary when a child cannot read it as a | | | | Recovery. Her findings are consistent - both with |
| whole word. This is a whole language approach. | | | | currently accepted theories of reading |
| Which approach is best? | | | | development and instruction, and with other |
| Research has been conclusive that explicit phonics | | | | empirical research emphasizing student outcome |
| instruction is the most effective. The U.S. | | | | measures. |
| Department of Education, the National Research | | | | |