What is “phonics” and how is it different from “whole language”?
Phonics teaches the sounds and syllables of the English language so you can put them together like building blocks and be able to read big words. Whole language teaches (1) guessing at whole words from pictures on the page, (2) skipping over words you don’t know, (3) substituting words that seem to fit (e.g., pony for horse, holiday for vacation), (4) predicting what you think the word could be based on the context of the story. In whole language, you do not learn the letters, sounds and syllables; you just look at the configuration of the whole word. Guessing, skipping, substituting and predicting are NOT reading; they are a fraud. For more complete information, see “Phonics vs.
