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Why are phonemes introduced so late? |
It is recommended in TEACHING THRASS that Phoneme
Location is formally introduced at age 5. I do not consider this to be 'late'.
Rather, it is a sensible time to introduce work on phonemes - once the children
have had ample opportunity to develop good speaking and listening skills, know
the names of letters, have good handwriting skills, know the names of graphemes
(they know that words are made up of 'one-ers', 'two-ers', 'three-ers' and,
even, 'four-ers') and they know that 'print conveys meaning' - and there is
evidence for the successful completion of these outcomes on their THRASS
PROFILECARDS and, if desirable, THRASS CLASS-PROFILE CHART (Sheet 4 in the
Photocopiable Section of TEACHING THRASS, T-50). That is not to say
that children cannot be 'fast-tracked' through to T6. Phoneme Location and T7
Keyword Synthesis, if they have already successfully completed PHASE 1 or have
really come on in their reading as a result of many happy hours " 'reading' the
basewords in signs and favourite stories/books". As is stated on page 10
(Literacy Teaching and the Word Level), "...it is assumed, by most teachers, that
teaching at one level is supported by appropriate teaching at another e.g. in
the same day, or even the same lesson, young children may be exposed to work on
phonics and yet, later, be turning over the pages of a book, with the help of an
older child or adult, to 'pretend-read' a favourite story (apprenticeship
reading)".
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