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Discuss the phonics versus whole language debate. In the teaching of phonics students are taught the rules of printed text. These students are given plenty of reading instruction and then are given decodable text to read. On the other hand whole language instruction is when a child learns to read by being exposed to plenty of text. Believers of the whole language approach believe that students will learn to read by being in an appropriate reading environment.

Discuss the balanced instruction? Discuss the importance of writing to a variety of texts. Balanced instruction is instructing students using both a phonics approach and a whole language approach, which the article points out is hard to do and there are not any concrete theories as to how this should be accomplished. Students who write in the classroom about nonfiction texts, fiction texts, biographies, and autobiographies tend to do better on standardized text. Students need to read a healthy dose of nonfiction to do well on their tests, as well as in their academic futures e.i. college.

What is your opinion regarding science to the rescue? I do agree. Reading instruction should be more student- centered. If a student in your class, learns by using phonics; teach him in that fashion. If a child needs whole-language instruction; teach him that way. Individualized lessons, in theory are the best ways to teach students so that they understand and remember material that is taught. But, that would be a planning and classroom management nightmare. I have no idea how you would teach one or two students in a classroom of 22 or more. I do teach a small group with similar and learning styles, but that’s for 20 minutes at a time separate from whole class instruction. I don’t know how you would be able to do that for 90 plus minutes a day.