Whats the difference between phonics and the whole language approach?
The topic of phonics vs. whole language has actually been labeled the “Reading Wars,” and there are volumes written about it. Briefly, phonics teaches children the different phonemes (sounds) in the English language and the rules of how to blend (connect) these sounds together. The whole language approach focuses on having children reading books right away by giving them books where the words in the books are easily guessed by associating them with pictures on the page. Then, through memorization and association, children learn to read. Currently national studies suggest that no home school curriculum or preschool lesson plan is complete with out phonics.
