How Does Systematic Synthetic Phonics Develop Early Reading and How Should Phonics Be Taught?

What is systematic synthetic phonics?

Reading is an integral aspect of succession in life and is required to complete the simplest of tasks. Therefore the teaching of reading, which in England is done mainly through a programme of systematic synthetic phonics, is of great importance in all primary schools. The word phonics, “describes the letters or symbols used to encode a language’s spoken components” (Venezky, 1999. Cited in Mesmer and Griffith, 2006) and the “importance of systematic phonics instruction in relation to the teaching of reading has been increasingly recognised by English-speaking countries” (Wyse and Goswami, 2008). This is most likely due to as Venezky (1999) states, because English as a language is made up of an alphabetic code.

According to the Guardian (2006) systematic synthetic phonics is a sounds-based approach that ensures firstly children learn and understand the sounds which letters make and how they blend into words, before progressing onto learning the letter combinations that make up words. Systematic Synthetic Phonics aids children in their learning of reading by breaking down the confusing alphabetic code we use in this country and helping them learn the sounds before the names of letters. The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) cite that the ‘synthetic’ part of the term ‘synthetic phonics’ describes the synthesising or blending that happens in early reading. (Systematic synthetic phonics in initial teaching training: Guidance and support materials.)

How does it develop early reading?

Practicing Systematic Synthetic Phonics helps to develop early reading in a number of different ways; Ehri (1988) suggested that there were four main ways in which a reader might recognise an unknown w...

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...dren developing early reading. As the guidance which comes with the Primary National Strategy framework states, schools “put in place a systematic, discrete programme as the key means for teaching high-quality phonic work” (DfES & PNS, 2006, p. 7). By teaching children to decode it helps them to develop their early reading and sets them up with skills to tackle almost any unknown word. There are many programmes which school choose to follow such as the government provided ‘Letters and Sounds’ or other schemes such as ‘Jolly Phonics’ or ‘Read Write Inc.’. Though there are many different companies’ schools can choose to follow the breakdown of how phonics should be taught is the same in all: phonics should prepare children to be able to decode any word they come across and teach itself in a multisensory way, one that interests the children and helps them to learn.