Reply to Why are we still teaching reading the wrong way?

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[quote=Anonymous]12 year veteran of teaching kids to read in first grade.  It's been years since I taught, but I do not share the opinions of the writer--or the "experts" she interviewed.
I taught kids who struggled and I taught kids who picked up reading quickly.  I taught kids who came from very, very poor homes with no books or reading materials, and kids who had lots of advantages.
One thing I learned:  all kids do not learn in the same way.

Here is where I agree:
1. Reading is not a "natural" process.  Some kids may appear to pick it up on their own--but, there is likely a lot of exposure that is not being documented. (Those that "pick it up" have likely been read to a lot.  They have also likely been exposed to alphabet books and had parents who asked guided questions while they were reading to them.  The parents likely taught them left to right when reading to them and also used books with rhyming words.  These are the same parents who likely pointed out signs on the road and encouraged kids to talk about them.
2. Phonics instruction is very important.

Where I disagree:
1. Phonics is not the be all end all in learning to read.  It is necessary to have good word attack skills, but some kids struggle with it and, while they should be taught phonics, they also need other options.
2. Whole language has some good points.  (I agree it should not be the exclusive approach.)  
3. Sight words have their place.

Reading is a complex process and there is not magic bullet.
Why have scores gone down with testing?  Kids are being taught to pass tests--not to learn to read.  Those are two different skills.[/quote]

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