For 60 years, confusion and misinformation have reigned supreme whenever the subject of teaching phonics comes up for discussion. The paper considers various phonics programs, both old and new, and appraises their effectiveness. It also discusses works on phonetics by some well-known researchers and experts in reading, among them Frank Smith,…

This booklet presents a simplified and improved method of writing or spelling English, which simply uses the standard 26-letter alphabet to spell words the way they are pronounced. The booklet criticizes the conventional English spelling system as unnecessarily difficult, inconsistent, and illogical and suggests that easy-to-learn "Basic…

Presents case that English is not as unsystematic as it appears nor is it a severe obstacle to learning for both native and nonnative speakers by describing the ideographic, syllabic, and alphabetic writing systems. Suggests teachers need a greater awareness of the nature of the English writing system and how to teach it. (BK)

Discusses the pros and cons of phonics for spelling. (MP)

States that in the 1970s, sight words existed in a "topsy-turvy world" in which the variety of definitions was confusing. Suggests that readers recognize sight words as single, holistic units without segmenting and attending to letters one at a time, and without sounding out and blending letters sequentially. Explains the connection…

Traditional methods of teaching spelling emphasized that pupils might write each new spelling word correctly and repeatedly from a weekly list in the spelling textbook. Some weaknesses in this approach are that rote learning is being stressed without emphasizing application of what has been learned, and that there is nothing which relates the…

Arguing that following some simple concepts can drastically reduce the rate of illiteracy, this booklet maintains that the extent of the literacy problem is teacher-induced and can be reversed by the systematic teaching of the phonics of the English language. The booklet argues that students in grades 1-3 are just beginning to learn how to read…

Noting that the word "phonics" has become so politically charged that it is probably the most widely misunderstood and misrepresented aspect of language education today, this book takes a fresh look at the debate about the use of phonics in reading instruction. After defining phonics, the book addresses the science, teaching, and…

Reflects on a small-scale survey of nine schools in England where results of the National Curriculum test in spelling were particularly high. Discusses common approaches among the schools, including the teaching of spelling patterns and phonics; the fostering of early independence in writing and reading; and the regular learning of spelling at…

Large differences exist among individuals in their ability to process speech sounds within syllables and words, and this ability is crucial for reading and spelling alphabetically beyond a very elementary level. The conception that speech is made up of segments (phonemes) is natural to those who read and spell alphabetically, but arguably: (1)…

Discusses how and when the written word should be introduced in second language teaching and how interference between spelling and pronunciation can be avoided. Describes a technique for presenting the printed text simultaneously with the oral utterance. Notes that students are aware that the text is a source of interference. (SED)

A "national cry" has gone out that phonics and phonemics awareness must again be taught. True literacy involves much more than merely reading. Students need to be equipped to think, write, spell, and express themselves orally and on paper. This helps them to clarify their own thinking. The English alphabet is a sound/symbol system, not a…

Cognitive psychology has provided an information processing model that distinguishes between input processes such as listening to speech or reading and output processes such as speaking or writing. It is useful for spelling reformers to consider reading (input) and writing (output) processes separately, because the demands of the reader and of the…

The premise of this paper is that English orthography has formed a system that represents more than phonetic values, but also represents semantic, etymological, and preferential values. The paper notes that English is a fairly regular and complex system in which both sound and meaning share leading roles in determining spelling. Studies are…

This paper argues that the ability to rapidly compare phonemes is a primary sensory-cognitive function underlying self-correction in word recognition and spelling and thus, indirectly, reading comprehension. Such phonological defects can be addressed both preventively and remedially using procedures that are fundamentally different from typical…