History of Phonics: The teaching of phonics remains a hotly debated topic that comes and goes and comes again. This timeline looks at some of the political, and economic history of using phonics to teach reading and writing.
By Gunfranc
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May 5, 1450
The Horn Book
Used throughout colonial times, this precursor to the iPad, holds all the basics of English language arts: the alphabet, phonics, and the Lord's Prayer in one handheld device. Emans, Robert. (1968).History of Phonics. -
Nov 25, 1517
Martin Luther's 95 Theses
After nailing his displeasure to the Wittenberg Church door, Luther moved to make the bible accessible to those who spoke no latin. There was still the problem with illiteracy, however, and Luther saw that his work was useless unless he could somehow be teaching reading of the newly translated books. Always up for a challenge, he and his men set about developing an easy, singular way of learning to read English language. Luther and his followers invented phonics. http//:www.atozphonics.com... -
The World of Sense Objects Pictured by Johan Amos Comenius
Comenius advocates teaching words instead of sounds. Schnarr, Bill. (1968). History of Phonics. -
The New England Primer
This bible based text uses Comenius' focus on pictures to help teach letter sounds. Emans, Robert. (1968).History of Phonics. -
The Revolutionary War
A new nation is offically born and is in need of the basics that define every country. Noah Webster pushes for the legitimacy of a standardized American English vernacular. Emans, Robert. (1968).History of Phonics. -
Noah Webster
Jefferson in 1779 called for simplification of the language of politics, in treaties for example (p. 32). Later [Webster] argued for the priority of usage over grammar. He favored new coinages and new senses because the new culture requires "new words, new phrases and...the transfer of old words to new objects" (p. 32). It is not for the government or an academy to dictate language practices; rather, the popular will should lead. McDavid, Virginia. (Review) The Politics of American English... -
The American Spelling Book
AKA the Blue Back Speller. Webster seeks to create American English pronunciation to further unify the new nation. Webster believes that Americanisms are necessary to separate America from it's British roots. He begins simplifying spelling as well by changing -re to -er; -our to -or. Emans, Robert. (1968).History of Phonics. -
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The Industrial Revolution
America leads the world into the manufacturing age and child labor attrocities setting back reading instruction. -
Horace Mann visits Prussia and Switzerland
Rejects teaching phonics and embraces using pictures and words to teach reading. Emans, Robert. (1968).History of Phonics. -
Whole Words study
Cattel's pioneering study supports new ideas for teaching whole words. He showed that in a given unit of time only a few unrelated letter sounds could be recognized, but in the same amount of time it was possible to recognize words containing up to four times as many letters. Emans, Robert. (1968).History of Phonics. -
Phonics method returns
Phonics now taught using word families. Emans, Robert. (1968).History of Phonics. -
Word Method Returns
A new emphasis on meanings and severe criticism of phonics leads away from phonics and movement to silent reading and sentence meaning. Schnarr, Bill. (1968). History of Phonics. -
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World War I
The Great War that changes the staus of the common man and makes him hope and create lives outside of agriculture and servitude. -
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Phonics Returns
Several researchers discover that when compared with the whole word method, phonics helped readers decypher words. It is easier than trying to memorize all words. Emans, Robert. (1968). History of Phonics. -
The Depression and Education
More than just economic, the Depression transformed every American institution, Schools were closed; teachers' salaries were cut; school programs were eliminated (Baughman, 2001). Individual states now made up the funding and the many of the rules of curriculum. The political trade-off for reduced teacher salaries was increased teacher control of schools; While the Depression had disastrous consequences for American Schools-it was also instrumental in modernizing and professionalizing education. -
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Meaning-based Curriculum
Reading programs focus on comprehension teach children to read whole words by sight, while comprehending the entire sentence. Emans, Robert. (1968). History of Phonics. -
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World War II
Very little done in reading education as the world seeks peace. -
Why Johnny Can't Read
Rudolph Flesch's passionate argument in favor of teaching children to read using phonics. Addressed to the mothers and fathers of America, he also hurled severe criticism at publishers' decisions that he claimed were motivated by profit, and he questioned the honesty and intelligence of experts, schools, and teachers. History of Reading Education in the U. S. (n.d.) Retrieved on January 25, 2017, from http://www.k12academics.com/reading... -
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Whole Language appears
Explicitly de-emphasizes phonics, and becomes the primary method of teaching reading. Emans, Robert. (1968). History of Phonics. -
Whole Language Approach
Uses everything known about teaching reading including phonics with focus on sounds/symbols. Cromwell, Sharon. (1997). Whole language and phonics: Can they work together?... -
The Ebonics Debate Resolved
Dr. Robert L. Williams becomes a modern Noah Webster when the Board of Education of Oakland, California recognizes the legitimacy of and significance of Ebonics in the cultural lives and in the education of African American children. Yancy, George. (2011). -
ABC Mouse
Begun in 2007, Age of Learning, Inc.'s Kimberly Oliver Burnim (U.S. National Teacher of the Year 2006) continues to guide the company's quest to provide "the ABC's of educational success through the use of a computer mouse. Age of Learning, Inc. Retrieved on January 24, 2017, from http://www.abcmouse.com/about-us. -
Standards Based Education
Individual states now determine and mandate the standards of educational proficiency in a given subject. Hidden curriculum (2014, August 26). In S. Abbott (Ed.). The glossary of education reform. Retrieved on January 25, 2017, from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum
