#sol23 March 21 Phonics

"Did you know that all those vowels make 2 sounds?" the reader asked the parents in a matter of fact way rather then bragging manner! "There's a and "a" like in apple and "o" and "o" line in octopus ," the reader shared as if the reader were an expert in the area of word decoding. 

 "There is also this thing called the magic e that most of the time changes things" the reader continued as if it was a public service announcement!  

I smiled as I listened to his empowerment despite the reader's reluctance. 

CEARLY,  the English language is NOT totally phonetic and there are exceptions to all of the "rules." Yet, an understanding of the "code" helps it to all make sense to students whose language, linguistic and visual memory differences impact reading.  I am sure of one thing: phonics empowers when added to sight words and loads or guided reading opportunities.