Phonics vs. Sight Reading? 3 Reasons to Worry.
Phonics vs. Sight Reading? 3 Reasons to Worry.
by Mary Follin
You may be aware that some educators are at odds over which approach is more effective—phonics vs. sight reading (memorizing whole words at a time).
Schools seem to focus more on one or the other, and many parents are left to wonder if their child isn’t missing out on the ‘better half.’
If you’re teaching your child to read using phonics, you don’t need to worry about this!
But what if you’re not confident your child is learning phonics at school? Your child might become one of the thousands of children who struggle to learn to read.
Phonics vs. Sight Reading: The Decoder’s Delight
So what’s the big deal about phonics vs. sight reading? Imagine you’re building a puzzle. Each piece has a unique shape that fits snugly into the overall picture. Phonics works somewhat similarly—each letter or group of letters is like a puzzle piece that has its own sound.
When you learn phonics, you’re essentially mastering the art of piecing together these sounds to form words.
Think of it this way: when you encounter the word “cat,” you don’t just see three random letters; you see a “c,” an “a,” and a “t” that, when sounded out, come together to create a word that tells you we’re talking about cats. Phonics equips your child with the tools to sound out unfamiliar words and understand their meanings, all by following the code of letter-sound relationships.
For many early readers, phonics is the compass that guides them through the unfamiliar sea of text. It’s like being armed with a trusty map while navigating through an enchanted forest; you might stumble at first, but as you understand the landmarks, the journey becomes smoother.
Without this navigation system, your child runs the risk of getting lost at sea.
So let’s look again at phonics vs. sight reading: children who aren’t taught to read with a direct-instruction, phonics based approach miss out on the navigation system, especially as words become more complex and unfamiliar.
3 Reasons to Worry About Phonics vs. Sight Reading
1) Without a systematic approach to teaching phonics, children rely too much on memorization and ‘guessing.’
Many schools have integrated a ‘balanced literary approach,’ which relies on a variety of ‘cues’ to figure out how to read words. Some of these cues might be the sounds of a letter, but others might be reading by sight, looking at surrounding words, or using pictures as clues.
Some kids are good guessers, but others aren’t. Faced with a broad spectrum of clues, many children become confused and don’t know what’s being asked of them.
For these kids, if reading is presented as an unstructured ‘guessing game,’ they’re not going to get it. Later, when they realize being good at this ‘game’ informs everything else they do, anxiety sets in.
2) The ‘cues’ go away as reading materials become more complex.
When the words become harder and the pictures in books go away, many children don’t have the tools to ‘guess’ anymore. They’re challenged to read words they’ve never seen before. Even a strong reader (a smart guesser!) can start to display signs of trouble by fourth grade.
And by then, it’s much more difficult to do something about it.
3) All readers become phonetic readers—eventually.
If you’re reading this page, you’re reading phonetically, even if you learned to read using a sight-reading method. Many people’s brains ultimately begin to see the phonetic patterns in words and use those patterns to decipher words they don’t know.
Why not give children the code early on? Even more tragic, what about those children who aren’t able to organically recognize the patterns? (Many don’t.)
Phonics is foundational; it’s the building block of the English language. Your child must be familiar with those building blocks to effectively tackle new words, recognize meaning, and learn to spell.
So what about phonics vs. sight reading? If you’re teaching your child to read at home using phonics and your child is learning to memorize whole words at school, your child will use his or her phonics skills, regardless of how the words are presented.
If you have been wondering how to teach your child to read with phonics, than you’re in the right place. Learn about our easy to use online phonics program now!
Interested in teaching your child to read using phonics? Try a 7 Day Free Trial of Teach Your Child to Read.
Questions Parents Ask About Phonics vs. Sight Reading
What is phonics?
Phonics is a method of teaching reading that emphasizes the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent.
What is sight reading?
Sight reading, also known as sight words or whole word reading, is a method where children learn to recognize whole words by sight without decoding them phonetically.
How do phonics and sight reading differ?
Phonics focuses on decoding words by sounding out letters and letter combinations, while sight reading relies on memorizing the appearance of words.
What are the benefits of phonics?
Phonics helps children understand the structure of words, improves their ability to decode unfamiliar words, and enhances spelling skills.
What are the benefits of sight reading?
Sight reading can increase reading speed and fluency by allowing children to quickly recognize and understand commonly used words, but should only be practiced after a child has the ability to sound words out. (Phonics!)
Which method is better for early readers?
Phonics should be taught first.
Can phonics help with reading comprehension?
Yes, phonics helps children decode words, which in turn aids in understanding the text as a whole, improving reading comprehension.
Is sight reading sufficient on its own?
While sight reading is helpful for common words, it may not be sufficient on its own as it doesn’t equip children with strategies to decode unfamiliar words.
How can I combine phonics and sight reading in my child’s reading practice?
You can combine both methods by teaching phonics for decoding skills and using sight reading for high-frequency words that appear often in texts.
How do I know if my child needs more focus on phonics or sight reading?
Assess your child’s reading abilities; if they struggle with decoding, focus more on phonics. If they recognize words but read slowly, incorporate more sight reading.
What are some common phonics strategies?
Strategies include teaching letter-sound relationships, blending sounds to form words, and segmenting words into individual sounds.
What are some common sight reading strategies?
Strategies include using flashcards, repetition, and visual aids to help children memorize high-frequency words.
Can sight reading help with spelling?
Sight reading can help with spelling of high-frequency words, but phonics is generally more effective for understanding spelling patterns.
What are some signs that a child is benefiting from phonics instruction?
Signs include improved ability to sound out words, increased reading confidence, and better spelling skills.
What are some signs that a child is benefiting from sight reading instruction?
Signs include faster reading speed, increased recognition of common words, and improved reading fluency.
Are there age recommendations for starting phonics or sight reading?
Phonics can start as early as preschool, around ages 3-4, while sight reading is often introduced once children have a basic understanding of phonics.
Phonics vs. Sight Reading: The Best Way to Teach Reading is with Phonics.
Founder and creator Mary Follin started her career as a systems engineer with IBM. In that capacity, she wrote software manuals to help make complex systems easy to understand and use. Over the course of her career, she has worked in product development, product innovation, market research, and marketing consulting.
Beyond creating Teach Your Child to Read, she is also the author of Ethyr, winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and the Gertrude Warner Book Award, and a regular contributor to DailyMom.com on the subject of children’s literacy.
Mary also writes, along with Erika Guerrero, a feature column in Fredericksburg Parent & Family. Titled ASK MOM, the column offers parenting advice and was recognized by the Parenting Media Association with a 2021 award.
