How were children taught to read before everyone started going on about phonics?

[puffling]

I learnt to read at some point, but don't remember being taught at all. Was there a preferred method in the 70's? If so, what was it?

[Sixer]

Peter. ohhhhh Peter and ......

[Twinklemegan]

I seem to remember being taught using a spelling out method, as in "c" "a" "t" = "cat", etc. Is that the same as phonics?

[WendyWeber]

Jane

[Twinklemegan]

Ooh yes, I remember Peter & Jane alright!

[OverMyDeadBody]

flash cards, whole word recognition, and phonics! Long before the phonics schemes we have in schools now where around they where still teaching kids the sounds the different letters made! It's not such a new concept.

[WendyWeber]

I learnt before I started school apparently (or my mum said I did) but I don't remember it, or how I learnt. My school reading books were Janet and John (I started in 1956 )

[OverMyDeadBody]

Yes sounding out is phonics!

[Sixer]

thanks wendyweber, you just go ahead and burst my bubble.

[Twinklemegan]

I think we used Janet and John as well - mine was quite an old-fashioned sort of school.

[WendyWeber]

sorry?

[colditz]

My mother taught me to read, she says practically phonetically, and explaining tricky bits, and correcting me along the way - apparently the most effective way to learn to read is "A bit of everything"

[wildwoman]

phonics have been around a lot longer than when they were given a name and called "new"

[Hulababy]

DD's school still uses Peter and Jane They use it for the key words and have to say it worked really well for DD. They also use ORT ad a whole range of other schemes.

I learnt to read using a rane of way from sounding out (c-a-t) to sight reading.

[Twinklemegan]

Oh sorry WW . Well I meant that I started around 1979 so if you were using Janet and John in the 50s then mine must've been old-fashioned mustn't it? Which it was - it was straight out of the Chalet School I swear.

[Sixer]

mmm agree with most, mum taught c-a-t as well. I really can't remember the ch, sh, ou, qu and others though. Where did that kick in?

[WendyWeber]

Oh dear, sorry back, Tm - I was actually talking to Sixer, but your post got in before mine so it looked as if I was talking to you!

[Twinklemegan]

It's OK WW. I upset someone big time last night with my utter tactlessness so now I'm utterly paranoid.

[Twinklemegan]

Bit too much of the utterly in that sentence I think!

[WendyWeber]

Oh god Tm, been there, done that and got several t-shirts

[Sixer]

that's ok. I really did think Peter was hansom though and as for that Red setter, was it Pat..... always wanted one of those dogs, I still look at them now and think of those books. I also remember wishing I looked like Jane, very pretty girl. Was she Peters friend or sister?

[Hulababy]

Jane is Peter's sister.
Pat was their dog.

[Feenie]

Good teachers have always used phonics!

[maverick]

Yes, Feenie, but there's phonics and Phonics!

Analytic phonics - as used by most teachers in the past:
www.aowm73.dsl.pipex.com/dyslexics/main_method_3.htm

Synthetic phonics - should be in use now, but, unfortunately, due to poor training etc. still isn't happening in many schools:
www.aowm73.dsl.pipex.com/dyslexics/main_method_2.htm

[Heated]

Was taught in the 70s and it was synthetic phonics; there's nothing new in education! Imo think it's an excellent method for teaching reading and spelling.

[JaneHH]

Wow, blast from the past! Peter and Jane and Pat the dog... [wistful] All terribly non-PC (Jane helps Mummy with the washing-up, Peter helps Daddy with mowing the lawn / mending the car / sitting around on his bum waiting for supper etc etc)

Were they Ladybird books? (another classic of the 70s, I think)

Mum taught me, then I taught my younger sister (apparently) before we went to school. c-a-t is the way forward...