Phonics Phirst

The first thing that caught my eye in this chapter was when Williams' cited D. Graves who argued that "young children use drawing as a rehearsal for writing, and certainly it is not unusual for preliterate children to combine pictures with scribbles as they "compose" notes for friends and relatives." (p.152). I completely agree, and I've seen this plenty of times throughout my years of working with young children.

When I worked at My Gym Children's Fitness Center, "art" time (normally during Summer Camp or PNO - Parent's Night Out) was my favorite activity. Not only did I get a break from chasing kids around the gym but it was always fun to watch them draw, color, and scribble on their papers, using their imagination to its fullest. It was always interesting to see what they were thinking written or draw on paper, and when I'd ask what it was they drew or wrote, even if a dime-sized amount of the paper was used, I'd get responses that told a whole story!

So, I definitely agree with Graves in that drawing is the first step or milestone in writing for children.

But I guess the bigger picture of this chapter was Phonics vs. Whole Language.

I've never heard of whole language before this reading, and I must say, I was very intrigued with this method of teaching reading and writing. I grew up the phonics way, for sure, but I think that the philosophy of whole language should be incorporated into the curriculum as well. Although some might see these two methods of teaching as parallels with the need of only one, I believe they both should be used because they convey two different messages. Phonies, I think, should first be used with younger children since it’s the basis of learning the different sounds and meaning of words. That’s one thing I didn’t like about whole language – allowing children to “invent spelling” (p.156). Children already invent their spelling when they begin to write so I don’t see the point of that method when you’re going to correct them at some point anyways. That just seems like an unnecessary step to me. And then I think it should also be taught through their schooling years. However, I do believe that writing in journals in all grades and at all age levels will help them practice writing and improve their writing, both personally and professionally as well. Both methods of teaching reading and writing should be incorporated into the curriculum to allow children to see there is more than one way to read or write and then they (with some guidance) can choose which method works best for them.