Why do We Start this Way?
In order to begin teaching reading, we have selected the method of teaching that is most effective for students who are learning to read. Of the basic approaches to teaching beginning reading, Synthetic Phonics has been found to be more effective than Analytic Phonics or a Whole Language approach. As a result, all the lesson information that follows will be through use of synthetic phonics.
Another highly effective approach for teaching to all types of learners is to use multi-sensory activities. Therefore, word identification skills are presented through a multi-sensory process that facilitates learning for students who have varying strengths.
Our goal is for students to achieve automaticity in word recognition in order to better comprehend what is read; we know that it slows children when they have to stop constantly to sound out words.
To overcome this, as is done in Ready Reading, the key to success is to learn the blending process and have it ingrained in the mind....much as we learned to walk and talk without having to consciously think about the process. This enables students to concentrate more on comprehension of what is being read.