As California launches a new literacy campaign, some advocates worry that for English learners, a focus on sounding out words will come at the expense of learning the meaning of words.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced a new statewide literacy campaign on Tuesday to help all third grade students in the state learn to read by the year 2026. For those learning English, that roadmap may look very different.
In recent years, there have been calls across the country to focus more on phonics — learning how to sound out syllables in words — during reading instruction. Many researchers and advocates for students who are learning English as a second language, however, say that while phonics is important, English learners also need to learn the meaning of the words they are sounding out. They recommend that teachers give students experience reading aloud, vocabulary lessons and lots of practice speaking, in addition to phonics.