Phonics? Dc can learn to read without it? Surely? Those that don't get it.. ANY positive stories?

[Imnotthrowingawaymyshot]

My dd doesn't get phonics.
She just reads the words.
The school is still plugging phonics. Could there be an issue with my dd ie dyslexic? Or something else if she doesn't get phonics?
I just read the old fashioned way. Anyone else have dc who are fine but didn't get phonics? My older dc has very different brain, very ordered she got phonics and it helped her read like formula... Younger dc just bumbles along.
Year 2

My DS didn't understand phonics until he had learnt loads of words.

DD always refused to try because DS had said it was so hard (made a huge fuss over reading). Then when she was 6, picked up a book and read it cover to cover.

Kids are weird.

I didn't use phonics. I used to get so frustrated at being told to sound out words, as like your daughter I could just read them. As long as she's not struggling I wouldn't be worried.

My 19 yr old is at a good uni, doing a course sponsored by an employer. He got a C or B in his two English GCSEs.

He still can't do phonics, cannot make head or tail of words he hasn't seen before. He is totally phonetically clueless.

Keep plugging away at it, but not enough to make him miserable. Reward him for all the other strategies he uses- context, sight, pattern etc.

How is her hearing? I’d get that tested first.

My DD actually did not get phonics too and does have severe dyslexia. She is diagnosed, document, classed as a disabled student.

If you suspect dyslexia, do not wait for the school to act. Get her privately tested with a full battery of tests to determine what kind of dyslexia she has and a list of recommended accommodations that will actually work for her specific manifestation of dyslexia. There is no one size fits all accommodation for dyslexia..each dyslexic is different. School tend to use accommodations in a hit or miss fashion and are slow to act especially if the child is not outright failing. Struggling but passing is looked at as “what more can you expect?” . Don’t buy into that culture of low expectations. It’s ableism as dyslexics actually average a higher IQ than non dyslexics. With the right tailored accommodations, they can and do go on to brilliant academic futures.

Phonics help some children learn to read, but not all. Unfortunately some schools thinks it’s the only way to go. IME teaching KS1, it was a lot of the more able children who found Phonics confusing - they’d learnt to read the words as a whole and breaking the words down did nothing for them.

I hated phonics when I was a kid. I remember trying to argue with my teacher that the word was "the", not "ter-her-eh".

I'm currently a reception teacher and have taught children with phonics and with sight reading. My eldest child is an absolute bookworm, and has been since she was a baby - we'd find her in the dark in bed, sitting up and 'reading' her board books, even though she couldn't actually see anything in the dark! She started phonics in nursery and just didn't get it - I got my old Peter and Jane books (a sight reading scheme from the 70s/80s) down from the loft and taught her to read with those as she was absolutely desperate to learn. Once she'd learnt lots of words, she was then able to start with phonics and was reading pretty fluently before she started school.
Other child learnt first lots of sounds in nursery phonics sessions and then taught herself to read by blending.

Both my dc 'got' phonics but hated it. They were early and keen readers, but found sounding words out really annoying.

DD1 was moved onto a whole word reading programme last year (Yr3) and her reading has come on a lot faster. She's also losing her fear on text- she used to shut down at too much on a page. Phonics doesn't work for her.
She has been tested for dyslexia and it was inconclusive. She shows other signs not just reading.

I don't like the obsession with phonics these days or the pressure children seem to be under. My children who learnt to read in the 90s learnt in a much gentler way just by using 'real books' with no pressure and in their own time. And I learnt in the 60s using, I think, what was called look and say with perhaps a bit of phonics . We all love reading.
I think different children take to different methods they are not all the same so shouldn't all be treated the same.

What other ways is there to teach them besides phonics. My son is in year two, we think he's dyslexic and we are getting him tested next year. I try to teach him phonics and he and I just don't get it, I honestly have no clue how I ever learnt to read as I really struggle understanding how to teach him. What other ways is there that I can use to teach him to read?

My DS (now in his early 20's) did not learn to read using phonics. He could read before he started school and I certainly didn't teach him phonics. He does have a very good memory though.

One of my kids is dyslexic but iv used 'toe by toe' and 'word hornet' and found them helpful

My DD 12 never learnt to read with phonics but is an avid reader & in top sets at school, never a problem for her. My DS did however learn via phonics. Unfortunately most schools have a one size fits all attitude

My DS1 is mildly dyslexic and just couldn't get phonics, he did however get whole word reading. I am a qualified lifelong terming teacher and as part of my teaching qualification I had to learn how everyone learns in different ways, so you can imagine my surprise when the SENCO at DS1's school told me that the ONLY way that children can learn to read correctly is phonetically!?

I pointed out that I had a degree and didn't learn that way and neither did anyone my age and perhaps she should consider adjusting her teaching to suit the needs of my child.

She responded by telling me that I had ruined my sons learning for life. He would never be able to read properly because I had taught him whole words.

This obsession with phonetics is ruining reading for some children. DS1 has just finished an engineering diploma, passed 10 GCSEs including English and is doing very well despite her dire warnings.

*learning not terming. Bloody phone.

Mine is a lot younger (still pre school) but I think she’ll struggle with phonics and would prefer the more traditional methods. She is starting to recognise words already but just doesn’t get sounds. She likes the look of words, naming letters seeing patterns rather than hearing them if that makes sense. In the same way, she does puzzles differently to some of her friends. She looks at the picture and colours- some of her friends look at shape. It’s a completely different way of working and I find it so interesting watching how children approach things and wondering how much of that will shape personality in later life.

I know she’s young and I’m not trying to teach her yet but you can just tell what she finds easier naturally so I’m sure learning styles emerge pretty early on and it must be hard ploughing on with something if you know it doesn’t really work for you at school.

I'm not dyslexic, I'm not a great speller and I clearly remember just reading a book one day, one my dm read with me over and over. The words just clicked and made sense... Then I was known as great reader...

I didn't understand phonics when eldest did it.

It depends on what phonics programme they learn both Jolly Phonica and Ruth Miskin Litereacy are phonic approaches but they are not the same. It can be hard I can get in right muddle with p and b but saying that I think it is important to be able to break down sounds so you can decode new words. The 80, embraced the real books approach and that worked for some but a lot of people hated it.

Fashions come and go in teaching; I was in the game long enough to sit tight and become trendy again three times round.........
Another way of learning to read is "Look and Say" where, (I'm oversimplifying) the pupil learns whole words, one at a time partly from their shape. (Think Ladybird Key Words) This was wildly fashionable as I began my teaching career. No help at all to a child who prefers to decode.
I just escaped the dreaded ITA (Initial Teaching Alphabet) where children were actually taught extra letters which were more phonetically accurate. That one foundered, partly on the vagaries of pronunciation around the British Isles.
Schools which concentrate exclusively on phonics miss the point that English is not 100% phonetic, like, for example, Italian; strictly speaking, that should be "fonetic", as the word itself is not spelt according to the "rules".
It takes no account of homophones (where/wear, reign/rein etc ad nauseam).
But you asked for cheerier stories. My godson was becoming very upset and frustrated with phonics, until good old granny said "Why don't we look at this page and see how many times we can find 'the'?" Turns out he was more of a "Look and Say" learner, and once his confidence was boosted, he was away. He's an architect these days, so I guess visual imagery is important to his way of thinking.
If DD's just begun Year 2, and can already read a bit "the old-fashioned way", it's worth bearing in mind that in many other countries she would not be compulsory school age yet.
I'm not advocating letting things slide, but I'd hold off assessing for a bit longer; if nothing seems to be happening by any method, something must be done, but if she's making progress, I'd just be encouraging.
And me? I'd mastered the basics before I started school, but went along with the odd-sounding noises my beloved teacher seemed to find necessary, to humour her, because I liked her.....

About half the words in the English language can not be sounded out correctly phonetically. Phonics is just one tool to teach reading and, like any other, it won’t work for everyone. Schools should be exploring a wide range of reading strategies and not just solely reliant on phonics.

My eldest learnt to read without using phonics. He just remembered the words - the ‘look and say’ method.

Nothing wrong with your child, they are probably a "sight" reader. My eldest is and got very very frustrated with phonics as the rules don't always work. The reception teacher wouldn't have it but the year 1 teacher confirmed that she is in fact a sight reader. My friend teaches reception and told me to get flashcards so I did and she made rapid progress. I lent them to another mum at playgroup as her daughter was the same.

My ds doesn't get phonics.
He repeated them all right up until year 9. Then it became a pointless task!

6 weeks of 3 times a week interventions for 20 minutes on homophones and he retained 3!

His reading is ok but it's not as fluent as kids his own age and he loses his place easily.
His spelling is dire and around that of a 6yo.

He's currently in yr 11. Has reader and scribe for exams.

Is predicted a range of 4-8 in GCSEs. Already got a 7 in gcse statistics.

I think it's worthwhile trying various different ways to learn and various interventions. But I also think some children really just do not have the brain pathways to gain the skill.

I often wonder if my ds is severely dyslexic.
But as he has asd and a neuro genetic disorder they are not keen on assigning it to another diagnosis.

I was very much a sight reader. Didn't get phonics at all until I was half way through book 2 of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
I remember the point it clicked.

If you think about it you read most things by whole word wihc is why yuo raed htis easily.
It's only new words you stop and work out, and you can memorise a heck of a lot of words... Enough to read Lord of the Rings anyway.