Systematic Instruction

"Systematic Instruction" is a bit of a buzz word in reading instruction right now. Personally, I think it has a negative connotation, as if it's implying that the instruction is rigid or even old fashioned. But, don't worry! That's not the case. So let's talk a bit about what systematic instruction really is and why I think it's important for reading. 

Systematic just means that something is structured, planned out and orderly. So, "systematic phonics instruction" for reading, just means that there is a specific structure and order that instruction should follow. This might seem like a no-brainer, but when you really get into the details, it can be quite complex. Off the top of my head, I think about how I cringe when I see some reading instruction resources. For example, just today I saw a worksheet online with a simple story for first grade students to read and answer some questions. Here's an excerpt of the passage,

We can take pets to school.

"I have a pet dog. His name is Mike," said Jane.

"Mike, shake my hand! He likes to eat bones."

Of course, this seems like a simple passage, and when students have learned the correct skills, a first grader can certainly read this. But let's break down all of the skills they will need to read this passage. 

We can take pets to school.

We: Many children learn the word "we" as a sight word, or a word that they should memorize by sight. But students could have a deeper understanding of English if they learn that "we" is an open syllable, which causes the "e" to use the long "e" sound.

Take: This word requires students to know and understand that vowels function differently than consonants. "a" can make a short sound or long sound. When the silent e is at the end of the word, it causes the "a" to use its long sound.

School: Students must know that the digraph "ch" can make two sounds in English. "ch" as in "change" and the hard "ck" sound. They must also understand the vowel team "oo". This vowel team in itself can be tricky because "oo" makes the sound in, "moon" and "book". 

That's a lot of knowledge just to read one sentence! But of course, our little learners can do it! The question becomes, WHEN should they learn each of these skills? Some students pick up on these skills and patterns without much trouble. For these kids, the passage I presented above might not pose much of a challenge. But for our learners who struggle, you can see that being presented with so many reading skills to learn and practice simultaneously, could become very frustrating.

This is why I choose to use systematic phonics instruction in my classroom. I have broken down beginning phonics instruction, starting at the very beginning with letter sounds and short vowel sounds, into an orderly plan of instruction. Students are not presented with concepts that haven't been explicitly taught and explained. Lessons slowly build on previous knowledge and concepts so the students are always progressing, but they do so incrementally.

In Fetch Phonics students learn:

• all the letter sounds and short vowels
• digraphs (th, wh, ch, sh, etc)
• only the sight words required for reading vocabulary controlled decodable readers
• syllable rules that aid in decoding words
• long vowels
• long vowel patters like the silent "e" at the end of words
• vowel teams

So, systematic phonics instruction just means that we are using a logical order for teaching the skills of reading, instead of overwhelming children with many skills and concepts by asking them to learn multiple reading skills simultaneously or in an illogical order. When we use this kind of orderly instruction, students can better understand new skills and build on those skills as they progress. Students don't feel so overwhelmed and instead are more likely to feel confident in their reading skills and motivated to learn me. And after all, that's what every teacher really wants!