The value of exposure to authentic texts is woven throughout the "Everything you want to know about phonics (but were afraid to ask)"
article by Stahl, Duffy-Hester, and Stahl, and the Tompkins chapter on "Cracking the Alphabetic Code," amidst their exploration of phonics and reading instruction. Even at the youngest age or earliest skill level, connecting phonics and the use of the letters and sounds that make up words to meaning is crucial to inspiring readers.
"Thus, children should be reading and listening to connected texts before they know, and as they are learning, the names of all of the letters of the alphabet." (Stahl et al., 1998, p.341) This idea makes sense in light of the consensus surrounding the value of reading to children throughout early childhood and even before birth, however it may not be expected in connection to the sequential nature of phonics based instruction.
The thought of teaching phonics skills along with read alouds and other connections to real text ties into the emphasis in "Cultivating Genius" of connecting joy to skills and intellect. According to Gholdy Muhammad's (2020) explanation of the history of the skills aspect of her Historically Responsive Literacy model, .."literacy was identified as cognitive acts of reading, writing, and speaking skills - as being able to read and write print independently. Finding meaning in language and the construction of meaning was the central goal for their literacy development." (p.57) Demonstrating the relevance of reading to even our youngest students can spark a lifetime search for meaning and a respect for and love of literacy from the beginning of their time in school.
As a future ESOL teacher, I can certainly appreciate the importance of learning phonics and the alphabetic principle. I value the many ways that Stahl and Tompkins demonstrated to teach the basic building blocks of reading and writing, however I also find great value in exposing children to authentic reading and listening materials to both practice their skills and give them a purpose for their reading. I believe that phonics certainly has a role to play along with connected texts in a balanced reading program.
Jen, in the last line of this entry, you bring up an important point regarding the need to approach teaching phonics as part of a balanced literacy program. This is certainly what Tompkins advocates for on p. 166. As you thought about all of the different types of instructional activities that you might want to include in a balanced program you would design for a certain group of learners, are there certain components that you would want to be sure to include on a routine basis?
ReplyDelete