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On Tue, 1 May 2001, Dawn Sardes wrote: > I don't know why I'm even telling you all this, except to say that no single > program "works" for every kid. I have seen kids thrive on whole language and > end up frustrated with phonics too. Whole language does not mean (and never > has meant) that basic skills such as phonetics are ignored. Kids do not > learn by osmosis. > I think this is the bottom line -- that no one program is perfect for every learner. Personally, I prefer a blend or balance. My son got off to a slow start due to a hearing problem. I placed him with the teachers who were a little more structured including one who incorporated DISTAR into a whole language program. He leaped ahead. My daughter, on the other hand, really required no instruction and never really had any phonics instruction at all because it was never needed. She broke the code by herself after a lifetime (short as it was) immersed in books and reading. The only thing I ever worried about was her conventions -- a common concern among those who fuss over whole language programs. But in reality, she progressed at just about the same rate I did as a child. We pulled out all the letters and compositions my mother saved from when I was a child and compared one rainy afternoon. The similarities were remarkable. Today, at 15, my daughter works as a writing intern for a major record company. I don't worry about conventions anymore! My only objections to "phonics" come when someone speaks of phonics as the only instruction needed as if it were something that stands alone by itself and is sufficient in doing so. There is much more involved than that! Imagine the reader who can only decode and can only decode using phonics. ========================================================================== "Obscenity and hate speech alike only become free speech issues when their foes turn from censure to censorship. When we decided to let a thousand flowers bloom, we always knew that some of them would be weeds." -- Henry Louis Gates Jr., educator, c. 1990 ========================================================================= J. Rathbun, Library Teacher Lincoln E.S., North Las Vegas Email: jrathbun@orednet.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-= All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law. To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST 4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv. For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.html See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors: http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=