About SoundEnglish
At SoundEnglish, we believe reading and language skills are the fundamentals for academic achievement. Although these are not the only way to acquire knowledge, they are the most efficient. Nothing is better for consuming large or complicated quantities of information. Just think about the amount of required reading in our schools and colleges!
At the same time, the results of reading instruction in our schools are weak and stagnant. The recent results of the National Assessment for Education are very worrisome. Only about 37 percent of fourth graders read at a proficient level nationally. Worse yet, eighth graders were only 36 percent proficient in their reading skills. As a result, more than 65 percent of our students are struggling to get beyond simple information in their reading. These students will struggle every day. They will experience frustration and failure. How can they ever achieve their potential?
We Teach Reading Phonetically and Step-Wise
At SoundEnglish, we believe in teaching reading phonetically. The reason for this is simple. As native speakers, we learned English by listening to others speak. Our first use of language was oral. It was only later that we translated it into symbols on a page. A student must connect the sounds to the symbols to be an accomplished reader. This becomes the “sound” foundation for further learning. Reading scientists have confirmed that structured phonics is critical to reading well. We have included this information in posts in our blog.
Structured Phonics Improves Reading and Spelling
Using our structured phonics method, we have been able to successfully teach students from four years old to adult, including students with ADHD. Some may say this method is tedious, requiring repetition and memorization. Others may say it’s just old fashioned. We agree that it doesn’t have the trendy appeal of new methodology. However, it offers students a reliable key to reading success, since almost 85 percent of our English words are phonetic. In other words, 85 out of every 100 of our 600,000+ words are predictable. All it takes is some practice!
Our national reading scores haven’t changed significantly since the NAEP began testing in 1969, and our international status has continued to sink. As a nation, we have a lot to lose by continuing to accept this mediocrity. Closer to home, if you have a child who is struggling to read, he or she has even more to lose.
7 Sound Steps to Reading
By the way, our promotion of structured phonetics is in no way a commentary on our teachers or our education system. Certainly, the quality of teachers and instruction can vary, but there are many other factors that figure into the equation, and we are not willing to oversimplify. What we do know is that far too many of our students can’t read proficiently. Consequently, they cannot possibly succeed in school.
Ellen Anton founded SoundEnglish Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, in 2010. Ellen has an undergraduate degree in English Education from the University of Illinois. As a part-time and substitute teacher, she has observed the struggles of students in reading, writing, and spelling. This prompted her to research and develop the “7 Sound Steps to Reading” system used at SoundEnglish. She has personally taught students from pre-K to high school, including those with special needs.