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Analytic vs. Synthetic Phonics
What's wrong with the 'old' Analytic Phonics method?
Analytic phonics was the typical method of teaching children to read. For those who use analytic phonics the percentage of children who fail to learn to read is unacceptably high. The main problem with analytic phonics is it is far too concerned with the whole word, and so reading becomes about memorising the look of the whole word. This is a very hit and miss approach which encourages guessing as a first reading strategy.
It is no surprise that across the English-speaking world there is recognition that analytic phonics produced far too many children who were failing to learn to read as well as they should.
Analytic Phonics
Synthetic Phonics
Importance of each sound in the word
Emphasis on the initial sound in the word, e.g. the ‘s’ of ‘sun’. This rule works for short words but is problematic for longer words and encourages guessing as an initial reading strategy.
Each phoneme, in every position is important. We care about the /s/ as much as the /u/ and the /n/.
Position
Emphasis on initial sounds, onset, rhyme and word families.
Emphasis on hearing and identifying the phonemes in all positions.
Speed
It's slow – it can be as slow as 1 letter a week. This unnecessarily delays reading progress.
Fast – 8 sounds over 2 weeks, giving the child a real sense of achievement.
Spelling
Spelling is tackled separately.
Children are taught that the alphabetic code is reversible; if you can read a word you can spell it.
Role of guessing
Encourages guessing. As mentioned, the emphasis is on the initial sound so the ‘n’ in the word 'sun' is ignored. This is fine for short words that can be guessed, but it makes spelling more difficult for the longer words.
The English language is far more logical than people first believe. It doesn't need guessing for successful reading and spelling, it just needs systematic teaching.
Role of the alphabet
The alphabet is central to analytic phonics - concentrating on those 26 letters and their corresponding sounds. Think about these words: 'place', 'kiss' and ‘sell’. All words have an /s/ phoneme but are represented by different letters. Not very easy to understand, or, worse, to explain!
The letter names are not taught initially. Children are learning 44 phonemes and how each can be represented. This enables children, when they come across: 'place', 'kiss'’ and ‘sell’, to understand that phonemes /s/ can be represented many ways: ce, ss and s.
Exceptions to the rule
There are too many exceptions to rules.
There are minimal exceptions. Get Reading Right manages irregular, high frequency words in a child-friendly manner - as Camera Words.
The pronunciation of the sounds
Sounds were often taught incorrectly, e.g. 'S' was taught as the sound 'suh', not the correct pronunciation 'ssssss'. Blending doesn’t work as easily with incorrect pronunciation.
Synthetic phonics places much emphasis on the teachers pronouncing the phonemes correctly when teaching. This is why we have produced Pronounce the Phonemes so that teachers and parents start off on the right footing.
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