DOCUMENT RESUME CS 013 851 ED 437 638 Osborn, Jean; Stahl, Steven; Stein, Marcy AUTHOR Teachers' Guidelines for Evaluating Commercial Phonics TITLE Packages. International Reading Association, Newark, DE. INSTITUTION 1997-00-00 PUB DATE NOTE 17p. International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road, P.O. AVAILABLE FROM Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139 ($4.95). Web site: http://www.reading.org. Non-Classroom (055) Guides PUB TYPE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Beginning Reading; Instructional Materials; *Media DESCRIPTORS Selection; *Phonics; Primary Education; *Program Evaluation; *Reading Instruction; *Reading Materials; Teacher Role *Commercially Prepared Materials IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT The number of packages--kits, games, computer discs, audiotapes, and videotapes--offering phonics instruction is growing almost daily. These commercial packages are marketed to parents to use with their children or to teachers and school districts as supplements to classroom programs of reading instruction. This booklet outlines questions which should be asked about these programs and offers some ways to evaluate their effectiveness. The booklet discusses some characteristics of good reading instruction and considers how good phonics instruction fits into the instructional plan. (Contains 13 additional sources of information.) (NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY =.16.4. I riAl'n Teachers' TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 E valuatin mmerci acka U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION- Cu.. of Eoucztionsi Researcn arta :,:venent EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Jean Osborn Steven Stahl Marcy Stein 7 Lots of people seem to be interested in phonics instruction.... How do we know? The number of packageskits, games, computer discs, audiotapes, and videotapesoffering phonics instruction is growing almost dai- ly. Marketed to parents to use with their children or to teachers and school districts as supplements to classroom programs of reading instruction, these packages often promise quick and easy mastery of reacting. What is in these packages? The materials in these packages differ in many ways. They vary in the way they look, in the way they approach instruction, and in their length, cost, durability, and ease of use. Their intended audi- ence also variessome are developed for young children, others claim to be useful with students of any age, and a few are for adult learners. The phonics packages also differ in the types of materials they provide and the instructional media they use to present the materi- als. Some are in the form of video- or audiotapes; others are de- signed for the computer. Some.depend on traditional print materials such as workbooks, flash cards, and storybooks; others take the form of games or toys. Some packages combine different materials and media. 3 (1) How effective are phonics packages? In the years that the International Reading Association has been monitoring this growing industry, we have found some disturbing trends: Advertising claims are often confusing and misleading. Materials are difficult to evaliliate: Claims of effectiveness are almost impossible to verify. This booklet has been developed to help teachers and other potential users make some decisions about whether they should purchase a phonics package, and if so, what they should look for in a package. The suggestions in this booklet are based on research on phonics instruction and on a careful analysis of more than 20 of the available phonics packages. First, let's talk about reading.... Reading is complicated. Children who are readersthat is, children who react eagerly, with pleasure and understandingcombine the meanings of the printed language they are reading with what they already know. They use the knowledge they possess to help them comprehend what they read. Children who are readers also know how to identify printed words quickly and accurately. They can focus on the meaning of what they are reading because they know how to read the printed words effortlessly. They can relate the words in print to their own knowledge of those words' sounds and meanings. Essentially all of the commercial phonics packages focus on the relationships of letters to sounds. Some people think that instruction about the relationships of individual letters and groups of letters to their sounds (for example, /s/, /m/, /bl/, /sh/, /oi/, /ea/) is all that children need to know in learning to read. Although this kind of in- struction can he helpful for many children, it is only one aspect of learning to react. O 4 What kinds of activities will help children become readers? Activities that help children learn about letters and sounds are certainly important. But many other activities are equally important, especially the kinds that help children develop an awareness of print; encourage children to hear sounds in spoken words; provide children with opportunities to write letters, words, signs, messages, and their own stories; offer children lots of opportunities to practice by reading books and other print materials; familiarize children with different kinds of literature, both fiction and nonfiction; and encourage good discussions to stimulate language and vocabulary growth. What about reading books to children? Children need to hear lots of stories read aloud. Listening to books read aloud is an important part of learning to read. While.they listen to books and talk about books, children are hearing and using the kinds of words and sentences they will soon be reading themselves. While they watch someone read a book and turn its pages, they are not only looking at the pictures, but are also developing important ideas about printed letters and words. Reading aloud to children provides them with experiences that expand their horizons and stimulate their imaginations. Most children love to hear their favorite books read over and over again. These experiences help them understand that the goal of reading is mean- ingand that books are interesting, informative, and entertaining! How do children learn about letters and sounds? Many children learn about letters and sounds when they are read to. A child can learn about the sounds of words when his or her parent reacts: "And then the bad, baaaad wolf roared," and then says, "I'll tell you he rrrrealllly rrr000aaaarrrred!" Children have other experi- ences that promote the learning of letters and sounds: looking at alphabet books, playing with magnetic letters on the refrigerator, using letters to play games and do word puzzles, writing letters and words with crayons and pencils, or watching while an adult transcribes what they dictate. What about organized letter and sound instruction? Research about beginning reading instruction indicates that, for many children, early and organized instruction about letters and sounds will help them understand how the patterns of letters in written words represent the sounds of spoken words of English. This is called the alphabetic principle. Most young children learn to recognize many words out of con- text or "at sight," and they can also identify street and store signs, package names, and other words within their familiar contexts. Still, children need help in applying what they are learning about letter- sound relationships to figure out words they have never seen be- fore. They need to learn to how to "sound out" unfamiliar words tncl: to use this strategy for making sense of words they encounter when they react. But sounding out is only a phase in learning to read, and it is only one of many useful strategies children learn to use. With suf- ficient practice, children will begin to recognize most words quick- ly and easily, and they will put their word-identification strategies to use only when they encounter unfamiliar words. The term phonics instruction is most often used to describe the aspect of reacting instruction that helps children understand letter- sound correspondences. Good phonics instruction can help children learn how to figure out the pronunciation of new words that they encounter in print. O 6 The purposes of phonics packages Parents, teachers, and school district personnel purchase commer- cial phonics packages for many different reasons. They may want to introduce children to the alphabetic principle in an organized manner. They may want to provide some supplemental instruction for children who seem to be lagging behind in learning to read. Or, they may be concerned about improving children's spelling skills. Identifying your expectations for a commercial phonics package is the first step in determining which of the many packages best fits your needs. You may realize, however, that your classroom activities for reading instruction are sufficient and that you do not need to purchase a commercial package. If you are thinking about purchasing a phonics package because you want to provide children with an additional experience with let- ters and sounds, then some of the letter and sound games and toys may meet your needs. However, if you intend to purchase a package to help struggling readers, we would like to caution you to examine the content of the packages carefully and to be wary of unrealistic claims. There is no "quick fix" for children who are struggling with reading, despite the claims made for many packages. Claims that sound too good to be true often are just thattoo good to be true. If a phonics package implies that its instruction is all that is needed to turn children into readers, be cautious! Some characteristics of good reading instruction Listed here are some characteristics of good reading instruction that have been verified by reading research. You will find that some phonics packages demonstrate these, characteristicsand some do not. Specific questions to ask about the commercial phonics pack- ages are included for you to use as you evaluate a product for classroom use. Good phonics instruction is only one part of beginning reading instruction. Reacting instruction has many different goals. In addition to helping children learn to recognize words quickly and accurately, reading instruction and practice should help children comprehend what they read, enjoy reading, value reacting as a worthwhile activity, and feel competent as readers and writers. A question to ask: In addition to letter and sound instruction, does the package provide or recommend including other types of reading and writing activities? Good phonics instruction helps children recognize the individual sounds that make up spoken words. Phonics is the relationship between patterns of letters and sounds in written words. To best understand phonics instruction, children need to understand that the patterns of sounds in spoken words can he separated into distinct sounds. This is called phonological awareness. Learning to distinguish the individual sounds that are contained in spoken words is part of learning to read. For example, children are revealing their phonological awareness when they understand that the "stretched-out" sounds of the spoken word cat /cccaaat/ can he put back together into the spoken word cat. Of course, they also need to recognize that the word cat stands for something they know. Phonological awareness contributes to ease of learning to read. Activities that promote phonological awareness include learning nursery rhymes and other poems, listening for and segmenting beginning and ending sounds in spoken words, substituting initial and final consonants in spoken "lists" of words, and doing word "stretching" exercises that involve saying a word slowly and then putting it back together again. Questions to ask: Does the package include rhyming activities? Does the package include other activities that will provide children with practice in distinguishing sounds in spoken words? CD 9 Good phonics instruction helps children recognize letters and also understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they stand for. Good instruction, designed to develop children's awareness of the relationship between letters and the sounds.they stand for, can en- hance the possibility of children's learning to read and write suc- cessfully. Look for instructional activities that help children learn to identify the letters, distinguish one letter from another, and identify the sounds that individual letters or groups of letters represent. Good phonics packages provide instruction in letter recognition that is sequenced so that the letters presented in a lesson are not con- fusing. For example, b, d, and p should not be presented in the same lesson because they look so much alike and their names are so simi- lar. Likewise, if pictures are used to help children learn letters and sounds, they should be clear and not confusing. For example, a picture of a cup that looks like a mug could be confusing; is the first sound in its name /m/ for mug or /c/ for cup? Questions to ask: Does the package provide for the teaching of letter names? Does the instruction help children understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they stand for? Are the instructions clear? Are the activities instructive? Remember: Not all activities that are labeled "phonics instruction" are effective. Effective phonics instruction fits into a comprehensive program of reading instruction. -2E 10 (T)