Phonics vs. Sight Words: Which Approach Will Help Your Child Avoid Reading Difficulties?

When I first started looking into why my daughter was having trouble reading, I was low-key shocked by what I discovered about reading instruction in many schools today. Let me break it down.

The Traditional Approach: A Mixed Bag

Many schools use a mix of methods to teach reading. They might introduce some phonics (teaching letter sounds), ask kids to memorize sight words, and encourage "guessing" words based on context or pictures. This approach is often called "balanced literacy."

Sounds good in theory, right? A little bit of everything should cover all bases. But here's the problem: it's like trying to build a house with only half the tools you need while ignoring the most crucial elements.

The Incomplete Phonics Problem

Remember learning about short and long vowel sounds? Maybe some basic phonograms? That's typically what schools teach as "phonics." But here's the kicker: it's only a small piece of the puzzle.

Traditional phonics instruction often introduces just a portion of the phonetic system. It's like teaching kids only half the alphabet and expecting them to read everything. No wonder so many words seem "irregular" and need to be memorized!

In reality, a complete phonics system includes: 44 sounds, 75 phonograms (26 letters and 49 letter teams that represent sounds), 30 spelling rules.

With this comprehensive system, kids can decode 98% of English words. Yes, you read that right – 98%!

The Overreliance on Sight Words

Here's where things get a bit tricky. Because the phonics taught in schools is incomplete, many words appear not to follow the rules. The solution? Teach these as "sight words" to be memorized.

Kids are often given lists of words to memorize by sight. These usually include high-frequency words like "the," "said," "was," and so on. The idea is that recognizing these common words quickly will speed up reading.

But there's a big problem with this approach:

It's inefficient. Memorizing hundreds of words takes a lot of time and effort.

It doesn't give kids the tools to read new words they encounter.

Many of these "sight words" actually do follow phonetic rules – when you know the complete system.

The Result: Struggling Readers

The outcome of this incomplete instruction? Many kids, like my daughter, end up struggling. They might seem to read familiar texts well (because they've memorized the words), but they stumble when faced with new words or unfamiliar texts.

It's like giving a kid a fish instead of teaching them how to fish. They might get by for a while, but they're not developing the skills they need for long-term reading success. And their progress stops as soon as they start encountering more complex words.

In the next section, we'll look into what comprehensive phonics really means and why it's so powerful. Trust me, understanding this was a game-changer for my daughter – and it could be for your child too!

Comprehensive phonics is a complete system for decoding words that includes:

• 44 Sounds: English has 44 distinct sounds (phonemes). That's more than just the 26 letters of the alphabet.
• 75 Phonograms: These are the written symbols that represent sounds. Some are single letters, others are letter teams. For example, 'ch' is a phonogram that can make three different sounds: /ch/ as in "chair," /k/ as in "chorus," and /sh/ as in "chef."
• 30 Spelling Rules: These rules explain why words are spelled the way they are. They help readers predict which sound a letter or letter combination will make in a word.

Kids do not need to know all these elements to start reading, in fact in our method we encourage them to start reading (decoding and blending sounds) by the time a child knows only 3 letters. However, the gradual build up of the complete phonetic system knowledge (plus regular practice to make the skill automatic) allows kids to become expert readers.

Why Traditional Phonics Instruction Often Falls Short

Remember when I said my daughter was struggling despite getting good grades? That's because the phonics she was taught in school was incomplete.

Traditional phonics typically covers:

• Basic letter sounds
• Some common consonant blends like 'st' or 'bl' (consonant blends are in reality is not part of phonemic system: they are just 2 separate consonants and it is part of the blending skill)
• A few spelling patterns (like silent 'e')

But it often misses:

• Multiple sounds for single letters (like how 's' can sound like /s/ or /z/)
• Less common but important phonograms (like 'ough' which can make several sounds)
• Crucial spelling rules that explain seeming "exceptions"

This incomplete instruction leads to a lot of words being labeled as "irregular" or "sight words" that need to be memorized. But with comprehensive phonics, many of these words follow clear patterns!

Remember when I mentioned my daughter could read her school books but struggled with a simple sign outside? That's the sight word trap in action. Let's unpack what sight words really are, why they're problematic, and how comprehensive phonics offers a better solution.

What Are Sight Words?

Sight words are typically defined as high-frequency words that don't follow regular phonetic patterns and thus need to be memorized. You've probably seen lists of these words: "the," "said," "was," "of," and so on.

Schools often emphasize memorizing these words because they make up a large portion of the text kids encounter. In fact, it's often said that just 300 high-frequency words make up about 65% of all written material. Sounds efficient, right? Well, not so fast.

The Misconception of "Irregular" Words

Here's the kicker: most of these so-called "irregular" words actually do follow phonetic patterns. They only seem irregular because the phonics taught in many schools is incomplete.

Let's look at a few examples:

With comprehensive phonics, these words aren't exceptions at all!

The Problem with Memorizing Sight Words

Now, you might be thinking, "What's the harm in memorizing a few words?" Here's why it's problematic:

Rethinking High-Frequency Words

Remember those 300 high-frequency words I mentioned earlier? Here's a revolutionary thought: instead of treating them as words to be memorized, we can use them to teach phonograms and spelling rules.

For instance:

• Use "the," "this," and "then" to teach the two sounds of 'th'.
• Use "to," "do," and "who" to teach the /ö/ sound of 'o'.
• Use "was" and "what" to teach the /u/ sound of 'a'.

This approach turns these common words into powerful learning tools rather than memorization hurdles.

As a researcher and a mom, I've always been fascinated by how our brains work, especially when it comes to reading. Understanding this can really change how we approach teaching reading.

When you look at a word, what do you think happens in your brain? You might assume that proficient readers recognize whole words instantly, almost like seeing a picture. But that's not quite how it works.

Our brain goes through stages when reading to read: in the first stage named phonetic stage, the brain processes words letter-by-letter, converting them into sounds. Overtime, as a result of constant decoding practice, most words get stored in the word map of our brain directly linked to its meaning (imagine a directory of words in the brain that has spelling and meaning of each word that is familiar and frequently used by this person). This stage is called the orthographic stage.

At this stage the brain can either still use the phonetic route to decode the word (for less familiar words) or directly access its meaning in an orthographic map.

But the words do not get into the orthographic map by memorizing, they get there by getting the decoding skill automatic and repeated exposure to the words (i.e. reading). Even at this stage, the brain maintains its decoding skills (phonetic route) and processes words through it in parallel.

What This Means for Reading Instruction

This scientific insight tells us something crucial: teaching kids to recognize patterns in spelling (phonics) aligns more closely with how our brains naturally process words and how it learns to read than asking them to memorize whole words.

When we teach comprehensive phonics, we're working with our brain's natural reading process, not against it. We're helping kids develop the exact skills their brains will use when they become proficient readers.

This is why teaching pattern recognition (phonics) is so powerful. Once kids grasp the system of how letters represent sounds in our language, they can apply it to any word they encounter.

The Fluent Reading Brain

As kids become more skilled at quickly processing letter-sound relationships, their reading becomes more fluent. But here's the key: this fluency comes from highly efficient letter-sound processing, not from memorizing whole words.

It's like learning to type. At first, you hunt and peck for each letter. But with practice, your fingers seem to fly over the keyboard automatically. You're still hitting each key individually; you've just become incredibly fast and efficient at it.

Now that we've explored the science behind reading and seen that comprehensive phonics is the way to go, let's get practical. Here are some tips you can use to start implementing these ideas at home.

1. Start with the Basics of Comprehensive Phonics

• Teach all 44 sounds in English, not just the basic letter sounds.
• Introduce the 75 phonograms, including less common ones like 'ough' and 'ei'.
• Learn the 30 spelling rules that explain word patterns.

Remember, you don't need to teach all of this at once. Start with the basics and build gradually.

2. Focus on Decoding, Not Memorization

• Instead of giving lists of sight words to memorize, teach kids how to break down words into their component sounds.
• When your child encounters a new word, encourage them to sound it out rather than guess.
• Practice blending sounds together to form words.

3. Use High-Frequency Words as Teaching Tools

• Instead of treating common words as "sight words" to be memorized, use them to teach phonetic patterns.
• For example, use "the," "this," and "then" to teach the two sounds of 'th'.

4. Make Reading Interactive and Fun

• Use magnetic letters or letter cards to build words and practice spelling patterns.
• Encourage your child to write their own stories using the phonetic patterns they've learned.

5. Be Patient and Consistent

• Remember, learning to read is a process. It takes time and practice.
• Celebrate small victories along the way.
• Try to practice a little bit every day rather than long, infrequent sessions.

6. Choose Appropriate Reading Material

• Look for books that align with your child's current phonetic knowledge.
• Decodable books, which are specifically written to practice certain phonetic patterns, can be very helpful.
• As your child's skills grow, gradually introduce more complex texts.

7. Model Good Reading Habits

• Read aloud to your child regularly. This helps them develop a love for stories and exposes them to rich vocabulary.
• Let your child see you reading for pleasure.

8. Ask Questions and Engage with the Text

• After reading, ask questions about the story to build comprehension skills.
• Encourage your child to make predictions or connections with the text.

9. Address Struggles Positively

• If your child struggles with a word, don't jump in to provide it immediately. Give them strategies to figure it out.
• Praise effort and progress, not just correct answers.

10. Stay Informed and Advocate for Your Child

• Keep up with current research on reading instruction.
• Don't be afraid to ask your child's teacher about their approach to reading instruction.
• If needed, supplement your child's school instruction with comprehensive phonics at home.

Questions to Ask Your Child's Teacher

• What approach do you use to teach reading?
• How do you teach phonics in your classroom?
• How do you handle "sight words" or high-frequency words?
• What should I do at home to support my child's reading development?

Remember, every child is unique, and what works for one might not work for another. Be patient, stay positive, and don't hesitate to seek additional help if needed. With the right tools and approach, every child can become a confident, skilled reader.

Fluent Minds Reading program

If you want to teach your child to read with comprehensive phonics, but not sure where to start, check out our program for parents Fluent Minds Reading. Fluent Minds offers 40 carefully structured lessons that are rooted in neuroscience and phonics, designed to guide your child from recognizing letters to reading with confidence. It is designed specifically for parents with no teaching experience with easy-to-follow scripts, engaging activities, and structured approach that allows for quick results and solid literacy foundation for life.

Check out the details of the program here and happy reading!