A review of research on phonics, concluding that phonics instruction should be minimal. (DD)

Investigates the degree to which native speech perception is superior to non-native speech perception. Shows that language specific speech perception is a linguistic rather than an acoustic phenomenon. Discusses results in terms of early speech perception abilities, experience with oral communication, cognitive ability, alphabetic versus…

Discusses the importance of phonics instruction and the different types of phonics instruction. Notes that phonics instruction in these technological times means computers, and the Internet can be a valuable resource to teachers who wish to provide drill-and-practice opportunities, particularly for students who seem unmotivated to learn. Provides…

Critiques Freyd and Lytle's evaluation of the IBM Writing to Read program in the same "Educational Leadership" issue. Claims that WTR helps kindergarten and first grade students produce stories they otherwise would not have written and that research results were misinterpreted. IBM should be allowed to compete in the language education…

In round two of a debate begun in November 1988, this article again reemphasizes the poor quality of Jeanne Chall's experimental phonics research and reporting inaccuracies that invalidate her conclusions. The basic flaw might lie in Chall's belief system. Includes 57 references. (MLH)

Furthering the "Kappan" phonics debate, the author claims that her research results were misunderstood by critic Marie Carbo and that evidence concerning phonics' instructional benefits is cumulative, particularly for children at risk. Based on 80 years' empirical and theoretical support, Carbo's "no conclusion" stance is unsupportable. Includes…

Examines what is entailed in effective phonics instruction and shows how such instruction can be integrated into a wide variety of approaches to the teaching of beginning reading. Discusses nine guidelines for exemplary phonics instruction that can be incorporated into classrooms using basal readers, whole-language philosophy, or shared reading of…

In state legislatures and school boards around the country, the approach and the quality of reading instruction are under attack because of a decline in reading scores. The best reading instruction draws on the strengths of different philosophies. School boards should encourage schools to teach both phonics and the whole-language approach. (MLF)

Investigates whether Brazilian Portuguese-speaking prereaders who have mastered letter names are capable of processing letter-sound relations to learn to read words in which the letters correspond to phonemes contained in the names of the letters. Suggests they can use their knowledge of the names of the letters to learn to read by processing and…

Evaluated the Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence (RITE), a phonics-based program that addressed at-risk students' failure to develop reading skills and provided teacher professional development. Data on K-2 students in intervention and control schools indicated that the RITE program successfully increased RITE students' reading abilities,…

Notes the author was a member of the Arizona Reading Achievement Task Force, established by state law to report on how to implement the "phonics law" passed the year before. Presents the minority report, which outlines some principles of achieving reading excellence and which was not included in the Task Force's report. Suggests keeping…

Describes professional development program in Ontario school district to improve student reading and writing skills. Program used food-pyramid concepts to help teacher learn to provide a balanced and flexible approach to literacy instruction based on student needs. (PKP)

Considers and discusses different ways of teaching phonemic awareness. Suggests that 5 factors should be included to have an adequate background for informed decision making about phonemic awareness instruction. Describes 10 books, guidebooks and activity books with phonemic awareness or phonological awareness in their titles. (SG)

Concludes that a large number of student teachers and experienced teachers at the elementary level cannot define the concepts and terms they are teaching. (RB)

A study investigated the usefulness of six different but related phonics rules used to pronounce words. The phonics rules examined are: (1) When two vowels are adjacent, the long sound of the first vowel is pronounced and the second is not; (2) When two vowels are separated by one or more consonants and one of the vowels is a final e, the long…