According to Barbra Fox, author of the 4th edition, Word Identification Strategies: Building Phonics into a Classroom Reading Program, people whom read and learn to read must know phonics in order to understand that letters represent individual sounds. Fox believes that words are a combination of patterns and interpretations in addition to the idea that letters and sounds form a relationship, along with onsets and rimes. In chapter four, Fox discusses the importance of children learning how to identify onsets and rimes in words which can help children to “sidestep the need to learn exceptions to the conventional way letters represent sounds in the English words” (Fox, pp. 94). In other words when children learn how to say a family of onsets and rimes they can apply that knowledge to other words that they do not know to help give them clues about how to read the new word.
I mentioned in an earlier post, that I did not grow up learning phonics, but as an emergent teacher and mother of a developing reader, phonics helps support readers of all levels. As a beginner to the many aspects of teaching, I am finding a lot of comfort in books like Fox’s. I look forward to the many experiences that I will encounter as a new teacher and all the things that I expect my students will teach me, yet getting the opportunity to read books that explain in detail how to best serve a specific child’s need is incredibly helpful.
I like this idea of emergent teacher. We are emerging and hopefully we will continue to grow and change as we teach. As you said, our students will teach us so much about reading and writing, about science and math, and about life in general. I marvel at the things children say and write. They see and understand the world in a magnificent way. There is much we will learn from our students if we are willing to listen and understand.
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