Now for a little fun with phonics, as if there wasn’t already enough. 
How do you spell fish? > Answer: ghoti (gh as in enough; o as in women; and ti as in nation).
Passing a bit of time early this Christmas morning, I was watching a squirrel in the backyard and felt inspired to poetry. Three words into the poem, my teaching experience jumped up and hijacked the poem [see poem below] because I had already encountered three spellings for the same phoneme. The poem gave way to intentionally finding the inconsistencies in English phonetics.
Because of the inconsistencies, and because, by many, phonics is considered meaningless, rote learning, there is often debate in teaching circles whether phonics should be taught at all; and, if so, why, when and how.
WHY > What is wrong with rote learning? Who hasn’t benefited from memorizing the times tables? And, despite the phonemic inconsistencies of the English language, there is a significant correlation between reading and phonemic awareness. Children who have targeted, clear instruction in phonic decoding are far more likely to read better than their untrained counterparts.
“In the largest, most comprehensive evidenced-based review ever conducted of research on how children learn reading, a Congressionally mandated independent panel has concluded that the most effective way to teach children to read is through instruction that includes a combination of methods. The panel determined that effective reading instruction includes teaching children to break apart and manipulate the sounds in words (phonemic awareness), teaching them that these sounds are represented by letters of the alphabet which can then be blended together to form words (phonics), having them practice what they’ve learned by reading aloud with guidance and feedback (guided oral reading), and applying reading comprehension strategies to guide and improve reading comprehension.” [Source: nichd.nih.gov]
Strong evidence of the effectiveness of two programs emphasizing phonemic awareness was also reported in An Educator’s Guide to Schoolwide Reform, 1999
WHEN > Research indicates that phonics should be systematically taught to the beginning reader and continued for the next two or three years.
HOW > Phonics is taught by using a planned sequence that starts with the most common consonant sounds and adding short letter sounds, most commonly beginning with short a–as in at, mat, pat, sat, cat. Gradually, more vowel sounds, including long vowels (silent e), and vowel blends are added, as are consonant blends. Children learn to decode and then encode new words based on consonant sounds (rhyming). Later, context clues help children using their phonics skills to read unfamiliar words.
IMPORTANT > In my opinion, phonics is best taught after, and in conjunction with, a whole language approach, so that children have the basis of a rich vocabulary, adequate auditory training to hear letter and word sounds accurately, and a love and appreciation for language and story. This gives the learning of reading a deeper meaning, and a sense of joy in discovery. I would liken this to knowing music before learning individual notes. Imagine having to study notes without knowing that they make music. How boring would that be?
And now for my phonemically inconsistent poem:
Frisky squirrel scamper
On roof, through tree
And newly fallen leaf
Be seen a thief, of sudden lurch
And raucous shriek,
Who steals away the arbor space
That they, thy neighbor birds
Would have, who, hasty, flee their
Wooded perch, to take to sky
To search,
To light upon another birch.
