HOW TO SOLVE THE READING CRISIS IN OUR SCHOOLS

By: Mary F. Pecci (07/29/13) Views: 1072 According to current statistics, there are 30,000,000 illiterates in our country. 63% of our prison population are nonreaders. In 2001, "No Child Left Behind" proclaimed that in order to improve reading scores in our schools, only reading methods backed by scientifically based research must be implemented. This resulted in a mandate that Phonics must be a required component of reading instruction - in opposition to the Whole Word reading method which was targeted to be the cause of the reading crisis. Yet, 12 years later, we still have a minimum of 20% of children who become victims of the reading crisis each year - with all of the academic, social, emotional, and financial pitfalls involved for them and their helpless parents. As a Reading Specialist and Consultant for over 40 years, working with every possible type of reading disability and dyslexia, I have found that there are 3 built-in reading TRAPS in all of our present Phonics methods that actually CAUSE reading disability and dyslexia. The real mystery behind the reading crisis isn't "Why some children CAN'T read" but "Why some children CAN read" - those children who have the ability to find their own way around these 3 built-in reading TRAPS. Yet, there is an easy, proven, solution to the problem. Following is a brief description of each TRAP, along with the solution: TRAP I: Some children do very well at first with "decodable text" readers which CAN be sounded out letter-by-letter (Ex. Pat sat and sat) but later they have great difficulty transferring to "real English text" readers which CAN'T be sounded out letter-by-letter (Ex. Once upon a time there were three little bears). (The solution: Use "real English text" readers right from the beginning, but introduce ALL words with Phonics - as will be demonstrated.) TRAP II: Some children are successful at transferring from "decodable text" readers to "real English text" readers but they later experience great difficulty handling the numerous sounds and exceptions that are introduced for many of the letters and letter-combinations. Ex. "a" as in: cat, want, father, away; "ea" as in: neat, head, great, learn, heart; "ou" as in: out, soul, soup, young, could; "ai" as in: paid, plaid said, captain; "ch" as in: chin school, machine; etc. etc., etc. (The solution: Teach just ONE sound for each letter and letter-combination - and NO exceptions. When just ONE sound is known, they have an IMMEDIATE response to each letter and letter-combination because only ONE sound is known. This covers about 90% of the Phonics information needed to read -

and it has taken many years of research "on the firing line" to uncover this 90% of reliable Phonics information. When the students have this RELIABLE 90% of Phonics information "at their fingertips," they can easily figure out that small 10% of exceptions ON THEIR OWN {as will be shown}. But when that small 10% of exceptions is taught, it just confuses the TOTAL 100% of words.) TRAP III: Some children are miraculously able to struggle through the first two TRAPS but the constant influx of SIGHT words (words which CAN'T be sounded out) becomes their coup de grace. Ex. once, gone, laugh, come, two, done, eye, have, isle, etc., etc., etc. This feeds the most infamous dragon of reading failure and strikes the blow to helpless "will be" dyslexics with the common teaching procedure: Here's another SOUND for this - but here's a SIGHT word. There's another SOUND for that - but there's another SIGHT word. As a result, some children can't retain the mountainous information, while others are frozen by indecision: What SOUND does this have this time - or - is it a SIGHT word? Consequently they painfully struggle and sputter or they can't read at all. (The solution: TEACH NO SIGHT WORDS. Decode EVERY word phonetically with the 90% of reliable phonics information they have at their fingertips. When they hit an exception, they'll KNOW it because it's a "nonsense" word. Ex. head. They would automatically decode this word as "heed" because they have only been taught the ONE sound of "ea" as in "neat." So what do they do? They simply fit the word into the meaningful context of the sentence. Ex. Put your hat on your "heed." This is no problem for beginning readers because their verbal vocabulary far exceeds their reading vocabulary. When older readers can't fit a word into the meaningful context of the sentence, they simply look up the word in the dictionary. Next to each word in the dictionary is the phonetic respelling of each word. Ex. head (hed), vignette (vin yet').) Therefore, there is no hesitation or confusion. They know what they're dealing with at all times (a phonetic word or an exception) - and they know exactly how to handle it - simply fit the word in the meaningful context of the sentence or look up the respelling in the dictionary. Consequently, there are NO TRAPS. They're at the top of their game - so success is assured! Sometimes, there ARE simple solutions to supposedly insurmountable problems! Meanwhile, No reading wars, NO charter schools (and I have spent two years in one), NO homeschooling (and I have worked with home schoolers since 1985), NO billions of dollars poured into the system (and I have spent 20 years in several public schools), NO private schools (and I have spent 15 years in one) or NO Child Left Behind efforts, is going to leave no child left behind and save our children until these 3 built-in reading TRAPS are removed from our reading methods. In 1955, Rudolf Flesch wrote "Why Johnny CAN'T Read!" In 1981 (26 years later) he wrote "Why Johnny STILL CAN'T Read!" In 1995 I wrote a thematic title, "Why Johnny AIN'T NEVER GONNA Read! (A Challenge to the Nation)", explaining why and how we need to remove these 3 built-in reading TRAPS.