When I (Andrina) worked as a camp counselor over the summer, my interactions with kids revealed something disturbing – they didn’t know how to read, write, or spell proficiently. During my first week on the job, my cabin did a bonding activity that involved writing. During the activity, more than half of my 11 and 12-year-old cabin members approached me, asking how to spell simple words like ‘school’ and ‘house.’ After helping them, I inquired about the issue, asking them if they practiced spelling in school. I was met with responses like, “not really” and “the computer fixes our spelling for us.” Although alarming to me, I brushed it off as times changed. After all, perhaps spelling as a skill will soon become obsolete. The kids were right in a way – computers and cell phones correct spelling easily and sometimes automatically.
However, the real kicker came when I planned a cabin activity in which my cabin members received a note from a ‘mystery person.’ I wrote in big print letters and excitedly planted the note outside the cabin. When the kids found it, I waited for them to read it to me. The group stumbled over the note, which I had intentionally made as simple as possible. My co-counselor, bolder than I, asked, “Can you guys seriously not read that?”
This isn’t just one example; literacy rates are declining throughout the entire U.S. 65% of fourth graders are below grade level in reading. The percentage of kids who read for recreation has declined. I remember reading for hours and hours when I was young, and seeing that current youth isn’t able to read properly is terrifying. Additionally, 21% of adults are illiterate, and 52% read below a 6th grade level (National Literacy Institute). These numbers are concerning and bound to increase if something doesn’t change.
This decline isn’t a coincidence. Traditional reading education includes phonics – using sounds to break down unfamiliar words and matching the sound to known words. However, reading instruction has taken a step away from phonics in recent years. Schools have adopted methods to teach reading outside of phonics, turning to methods like whole word reading. Whole word reading uses the three-cueing system to learn how to read. The three aforementioned cues are as follows: graphic (the look of the word), syntactic (the class of the word), and semantic (a word that might fit). Essentially, when kids encounter an unfamiliar word on a page, they end up guessing it instead of intuitively knowing it. They memorize patterns instead of truly reading a sentence. So, why are kids being taught this flawed method?
The first shift toward whole word reading in the United States occurred in the late 1980s after Ken Goodman, a professor of language, reading, and culture, proposed the theory that a whole word reading system might be more effective at an American Educational Research Association meeting (APM Reports). The idea quickly took hold around the country. Nowadays, many schools have almost completely moved away from phonics and toward whole word reading, despite research showing phonics to be more effective.
The results of these reading methods are not optimal. We need kids to read well. Reading is especially important for critical thinking. Understanding texts deeply, and not superficially, equips kids with key skills necessary for their future. But, without proper reading skills, they’re lacking a fundamental foundation to build new skills upon.
If kids are guessing words in a sentence instead of truly reading and comprehending them, they are not thinking critically about the text, and they won’t be able to.
As kids grow older, they fall more and more behind and can’t catch up. Teachers may give up on teaching reading and move kids ahead, instead of investing the time into teaching kids properly. Suddenly, the kids are older and in high school, and they still can’t read properly.
The use of technology isn’t helping, either. With tools like spell check and voice-to-text, kids don’t have the encouragement to learn how to read and spell properly. Without an incentive to learn how to read or write properly, kids will write grammatically-incorrect sentences. While helpful, these online tools further encourage kids to use outside tools instead of relying on themselves. Relying on technology to provide support, instead of using your own resources, can discourage the development of skills like critical thinking. If kids aren’t thinking for themselves, they won’t be able to think deeply about topics, either.
Additionally, without knowing the proper spelling of words, kids might not be able to correctly identify word parts, like suffixes or roots, or even literary devices. Knowing these parts of our language is extremely important to understand meaning behind literature and write effectively and persuasively.
Literacy doesn’t just impact school grades or test scores, it affects our world. In an increasingly polarized political system, it allows voters to understand important issues. It empowers people to meaningfully engage with their communities. It reduces poverty and leads to sustainable development (UNESCO). Literacy is liberating.
The truth is, schools need to return to phonics. It’s the best method to teach reading. We’re already seeing the domino effect of poor literacy in the United States, and it’s critical that we stop it in its tracks. Children deserve an education that empowers them, but whole word reading holds them back. It’s time for schools to go back to what works.