+OK 6672 octets Received: from smtp06.nwnexus.com (smtp06.nwnexus.com [206.63.63.45]) by mail3.halcyon.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id LAA23330 for ; Wed, 16 Jun 1999 11:32:39 -0700 (PDT) From: KHolg10296@aol.com Received: from imo19.mx.aol.com (imo19.mx.aol.com [198.81.17.9]) by smtp06.nwnexus.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id LAA30480 for ; Wed, 16 Jun 1999 11:32:29 -0700 (PDT) Received: from KHolg10296@aol.com (4243) by imo19.mx.aol.com (IMOv20) id uQBNa01253; Wed, 16 Jun 1999 14:08:35 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 14:08:33 EDT Subject: Phonics does work To: LDekoning@aol.com, ZorroFRR@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 for Windows 95 sub 62 Status: >From Parents National Network: We all need to know that there are teachers out there who are doing GOOD things. This is this month's article from http://paul-revere.org. IT’S NO SURPRISE…PHONICS DOES WORK! by Karen Holgate Recently I had the pleasure of visiting two 1st grade classes at Tovashal Elementary School in Murrieta,CA. What a delight to see children reading, not just one or two children—or even several—but EVERY child in both classes. Teachers Pam Barret and Lucy Blumenshine are very different. Barret is an experienced 1st grade teacher who, this year, was named "Teacher of the Year" by the National Right to Read Foundation. Blumenshine has never taught 1st grade. In fact, after taking 11 years off to raise her own family, this is her first year back in the classroom. She admitted she was a little nervous to teach 1st graders because she realized the importance of ensuring that children read and write before leaving 1st grade. But these two teachers, with very different teaching experiences and teaching styles, do one thing the same; they use phonics instruction and they teach children to read. To prove it they had children come to me one by one to demonstrate their reading skills. As I sat in 1st grade chairs with my knees under my chin, I watched. Some children breezed through the story (a new story—not one they had memorized); others read with more difficulty. Yet I was thrilled to see those who were having difficulty sound out the words—even repeating the rules. The smiles on their faces when they conquered the word reminded me that self-esteem comes from accomplishing a difficult task successfully—that it is earned, not taught. These children were conquering obstacles and winning. Barret and Blumenshine use "Open Court" curriculum, the "Phonics Game," and this year added "First Reader" by Phyllis Schafly. As I watched them play the "Phonics Game" with the students, I found myself learning too. Later when the students were reading to me, I sometimes asked them about a specific rule. In every case, the student was able to tell me why the word sounded the way it did in a particular sentence. I was impressed! While wandering around the room looking at samples of the students’ work, I was amazed to see that they not only knew how to read but these students knew how to write complete paragraphs with introductory sentences, three points and a concluding statement. They understood punctuation and capitalization. One boy even raised his hand to point out to Mrs. Barret that he thought one of her instructions on the blackboard might read better if she changed the wording slightly. I asked if these were exceptional children. The answer: "No." Mrs. Blumenshine assured me she has a severely learning disabled student. Laughing, she told me I had watched him read. I asked: "Do you believe all children can learn using phonics?" Both teachers said "Yes." They are convinced that all children can and should be reading by the end of 1st grade. Barret also showed me samples of her student’s math and art projects. She explained that some criticize her and Blumenshine’s success by saying they spend all their time on reading; that their students suffer by not having time to draw and paint. Those critics are wrong. The samples I saw were numerous and showed that the students do, in fact, experience the full range of 1st grade enrichment programs. Is Tovashal unusual? Not according to Ann Edwards, a 1st grade teacher at Blandford Elementary in Rowland Heights. For eight years Edwards taught phonics at Blandford. Her children excelled year after year—until this year. So what was different this year? Ann’s principal insisted that she switch from Open Court’s phonics curriculum to Scholastic’s Literacy Place which uses 80% whole language and only 20% phonics. Mrs. Edwards saw a sharp decline in her students reading ability this year. After trying to gain approval to reinstate phonics and being repeatedly rebuffed, Ann is fighting back. She has taken her fight to the local school board, the state board of education, state legislators and to the media. Her story has been highlighted by various newspapers including the prestigious Investor’s Business Daily. All three of these teachers know that children CAN read by the end of 1st grade. They know it doesn’t depend on the teacher, it depends on the curriculum. It depends on using phonics. If you listen to national leaders, including President Clinton, some state legislators, and far too many educators who should know better, you will hear them proclaim that all children should be able to read by the end of 3rd grade! Third grade! What a travesty! What a disservice to today’s children. How many parents know California law mandates that phonics be taught? How many parents know that there are still arrogant educators who refuse to accept the truth and who ignore the law? In some cases it is the administrators who interfere and prevent teachers from doing what they know is best. Other times it is misguided teachers who stubbornly continue using whole language to the detriment of California’s children. Whatever the reason, it is up to parents to insist that their children be given the same advantage as the students in Pam Barret’s, Lucy Blumenshine’s, and Ann Edwards’ classes. Phonics is not hard to teach, anyone can do it. Learning the rules is easy. Just ask the 1st grade students at Tovashal, they’ll tell you. -end- (Karen Holgate is president of Parents National Network and writes monthly articles on education. They can be found on the Internet at: http://paul-revere.org/pr/holgate.) .