Malik, Rasool D. (2002). Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes: A
cotemporary approach to teach students to read. Atlanta: MRP Publishing.RESEARCH
ABSTRACT
PHONICS, RHYTHMS AND RHYMES: A CONTEMPORARY APPROACH TO TEACH STUDENTS TO READ
The purpose of this qualitative and naturalistic designed study was to identify elementary school administrators' and teachers' perceptions of Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes reading program as an effective contemporary method which enhances the literacy skills of kindergarten through fourth grade students. The researcher provided the participants with the program and demonstrated its teaching method. Afterwards, nine teachers were interviewed for their perceptions of the reading program in a focus group interview. Post classroom observation talks were held seeking three administrators' perceptions of the program. The researcher's fieldnotes during scheduled observations provided the third source of data.
Perceptions were transcribed and analyzed for recurring themes and concepts. The data were tallied for effectiveness and frequency of discussions. Educators identified Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes as a contemporary method for teaching students to read with effective results. This method and others were perceived to be effective with all students, but particularly elementary students.
Malik, Rasool D. (2002). Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes: A
cotemporary approach to teach students to read. Atlanta: MRP Publishing.
Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes
According to Fox (1996), the use of rhymes in a reading program can result in improved listening skills, increased vocabulary, improved spelling, and greater proficiency in comprehension. He explained that rhyming is a valuable tool in the early stages of reading, and rhymes can benefit reading ability regardless of the age or intelligence level of the student. Also, phonograms (letter clusters or families) help students develop an understanding that rhymes can represent the sound in different words. Phonograms can be used to develop the concept of rhyming. Johns and Lenski (1997) noted that rhymes are words and parts of words that sound alike at the ending part of the word. The following rhyming strategies are useful in teaching reading (Johns & Lenski, 1997):
1. Poems that contain a rhyming element are useful in teaching reading.
2. Displaying word pairs that rhyme is useful in teaching reading.
3. Determining a rhyming word when one is said is useful in teaching reading.
4. Thinking of a word that begins with a consonant and rhymes with a word are useful in teaching reading.
5. Using words that rhyme is beneficial in teaching reading, and more beneficial when using the rhyming words that students create.
6. Substituting initial letters and using the same endings can be useful in teaching reading.
7. Writing rhyming words and explaining how they are able to create new words are useful in teaching reading.
8. Singing songs that have one or more rhyming words is useful in teaching reading.
9. Using poems, songs, and chants to encourage students to create their own rhymes can be useful in teaching reading.
10. Reading to students daily from books with rhyming elements is useful in teaching reading. (p.74)
Learners with Strong Musical and Rhythmic Intelligence
A word pattern has two components: an onset and a rhyme. The onset is the initial part of a word that precedes a vowel or phonogram. The vowel or phonogram is the part of a word that rhymes. Learners with strong musical and rhythmic intelligence note the following (Johns & Lenski, 1997):
1. Enjoy listening and responding to music.
2. Recall melodies.
3. Notice things like pitch and rhythm.
4. Are highly aware of sounds in the environment.
5. Are fascinated by computerized sound systems.
6. Learn better while listening to certain types of music.
7. Love stories about music. (p.86)
Rhymes in a Reading Program Can Result in Improved Listening, Vocabulary, Spelling, and Comprehension
Baumann, et al., (1998) explained that the use of rhymes is an untapped resource for teaching children to read and write. She noted that the use of rhymes in a reading program can result in improved listening skills, increased vocabulary, improved spelling, and greater proficiency in comprehension. She also noted that a rhyme can be improvised and/or adapted for every skill in reading hierarchy. In order to make knowledge about rhyming words useful for improving reading skills, the teacher must relate the oral activity of rhyming to the visual activity of focusing the students’ attention on the part of the word that is the rhyming part which can be a vowel or phonogram. In the matter of the mechanics of reading, the discovery of the rhyming lines through thinking that it is self-initiated or stimulated by the teacher makes it easier for children to identify 95% of on level words. There are words that rhyme but do not look alike-do and blue, for example. Rhymes also provide a sense of order and harmony of sound (Baumann, et al., 1998).
New Learning is Presented in Increments
Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes is one such approach that corresponds to the ideology that Baumann, et al., (1998) outlined. Moreover, it is an explicit phonics program that purports to enable students in heterogeneous groups to develop a solid foundation in phonics (Malik, 1999). Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes parallels Foster and Peele’s (1999) multi-cultural approach to teaching reading. The rhyming ideology is to build on prior learning. With Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes new learning is presented in increments, and each increment is reviewed throughout the reading program. This provides every student with the exposure needed to achieve success in literacy (Malik, 1999).
Learners Sound Each Letter and Letter Cluster
Phonics is a method of teaching the emergent reader how to read by learning the sounds each letter and letter cluster make. It is only after this understanding of the sound/letter relationship is achieved that successful and independent reading can occur. Throughout the Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes program, a controlled vocabulary is used which means that students are only exposed to words containing those letters, letter clusters, and sounds that have been taught. This ensures the teacher that students will experience continued success as they learn to read (Malik, 1999).
Use as Supplemental Material with Other Reading Programs
The Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes program contends that it can be used as supplemental material with other reading programs. Hence, its mission is to provide students with the instruction needed to enable independent reading. There has been no attempt to include the type of quality literature most kindergarten and first grade teachers use to further their students’ desire to read. Again, the goal is to provide students with the basic information needed to learn to read phonetically (Malik, 1999).
A Solid Foundation in Phonemic Awareness is Crucial to Reading Success
Blevins (1999) explained that giving pre-readers in kindergarten and first grade a solid foundation in phonemic awareness is crucial to ensuring their later success in phonics-based reading and spelling instruction. Fortunately, it is easy and fun to integrate phonemics into your classroom routine. The following are aimed at teaching two basic phonemic awareness tasks: Oral blending and oral segmentation. In each one, there is a breaking down of words according to onset (the part of the syllable that comes before the vowel, for instance, the sound / k / in cat) and rime (the vowel and any consonants that follow it in a syllable; e.g., at in cat). As children master this, they can move on to phoneme-by-phoneme blending and segmenting (/k/ /a/ /t/) (Blevins, 1999).
Some of the Lessons are Scripted
The Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes (Malik, 1999) teachers’ manuals have been written to provide activities for students at the kindergarten through fourth grade level, and beyond (Intervention or remedial). Some of the lessons are scripted (like parts in a song). The script provides questioning strategies (some rhythmic) that enable students to participate actively in the learning procedure. No previous knowledge of phonics is required in order to implement this program successfully, though it is recommend that the teacher read the introductory material carefully before beginning phonics instruction (Malik, 1999).
Each Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes Teacher’s Manual (5) Contains More Than 100 Lessons
Each Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes teacher’s manual (5) contains more than 100 lessons, at least two pages for each lesson, except Level D which is the last book and final review of all previous lessons. Each book contains a list of materials, pre-class preparation instruction, scripted lessons, and versions of applicable student material. Each lesson is designed to be completed in one class period. Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes lessons should be taught daily in class and assessment activities should be utilized at the end of each chapter (Malik, 1999).
Students Engage in Daily Activities Reciting Onsets and Rimes
The Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes lessons contain a mixture of daily components. The students engage in a letter sound activity daily by reciting the sounds of consonants and vowels or onsets and rimes. They learn alphabetic facts and learn how to respond with alphabetic sounds. Simultaneously, they learn how to write the sounds they hear and recite them. Students learn important related skills such as alphabetizing, identifying the accent of words, and syllabication. Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes is also used to help students practice accenting without the added task of sounding out new words. The reading program is a daily component designed to provide review and reinforcement of the previous sound-blending technique (Malik, 1999).
Activities for Teachers to Raise Phonemic Awareness
Blevins (1999) suggested activities for teachers to raise phonemic awareness (relationship between sounds and writtensymbols) in young students because children who have difficulty reading also have problems with phonemes. Young children who have difficulty learning to read and spell may be hampered by poor phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is theunderstanding that words are made of discrete sounds. If youngsters cannot distinguish individual sounds, or phonemeswithin words, they will have difficulty as they learn to read and write (Blevins, 1999).
One Aim of Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes is to Teach Phonemic Awareness
To benefit from
the instructional content of the Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes program,
students must attain a level of conceptual development called phonemic
awareness. Phonemic awareness is the awareness that words are composed of
separate sounds and the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds. The aim of
Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes is to teach phonemic awareness and word
decoding s
kills which will help students with reading, speaking, and
spelling. Mastery of spelling dictation exercises will teach students how to
apply the rules necessary for spelling independently. Spelling rules and
phonics rules are interrelated; the rules for spelling help reinforce rules
for phonics, and vice versa. Students will also use spelling activity
worksheets as text and record words made from sounds (Malik, 1999).
Oral Blending and Segmentation Exercises Help Children Hear Sounds and Make Words
Blevins (1999) noted that oral blending exercises help children hear sounds which are put together to make words that they read. He also noted that oral segmentation activities help children separate words into sounds, helping kids build skills that will support spelling. Engaging activities make it easy to integrate phonemics into teachers’ classroom routine (Blevins, 1999).
Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes Requires Written Work to Reinforce Concepts Taught
Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes requires written work to reinforce concepts taught as it tracks students’ progress on a daily basis. It provides assessment that occurs at specific intervals when students have time to demonstrate what they have learned. Assessment occurs at specific intervals to measure mastery of new material. However, for those students whose assessment scores are lower than desired, remediation instructions are suggested. The student is consequently required to print and the teacher should edit with a critical eye for corrective writing (Malik, 1999).
Teacher Adds “Teachable Moments” Making Instructions Interesting, Enjoyable, and Beneficial to the Student
However, in the Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes (1999) program the teacher is expected to add creative and “teachable moments” to help make instructions interesting, enjoyable, and beneficial to the student. The order in which the information is presented is the same order in which the information was tried and tested. In all lessons the teacher must check for visual and auditory evidence of the student's proper oral enunciation and letter sound production. The focused consonant and vowel blends should be repeated by the teacher until the student is able to articulate, sometimes in rhythm, the sound before continuing into the lesson. Once the student has mastered the blending or rhyming lessons with the teacher directing the first part, the next step (optional) is for the student to read both parts as the teacher observes for correctness of reading and articulation (Malik, 1999).
Learning the Relationship Between Phonological and Orthographic Patterns
Shefelbine (1998) explained that phonics is not the same as phonetics. Phonetics is an area of linguistics that involves the study of sounds in speech, not print. Phonics, on the other hand, focuses on the relationship between sounds in speech (phonological patterns) and spelling patterns (orthographic patterns). In the Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes (1999) program, the teacher should review written work by asking questions and requiring the students to make sentences of words decoded. Then use the provided answers for oral and written assessment or future lesson plans. The student will be required to write rhyming answers for word decoding and comprehension. The teacher should first allow the student to brainstorm for answers before helping by giving clues. The reading program will start with consonants in alphabetic ascendancy and continue with vowels. In using this procedure teachers are teaching students to master practical consonant and vowel sounds (onsets and rimes) in the order that research suggests
(Baumann, et al., 1998; Blevins, 1999; and Shefelbine, 1998). In effect, students are learning to recognize consonant sounds and vowel sounds which will subsequently help by way of establishing a strong word decoding foundation (Malik, 1999).
Manner of Articulation (Sounding-Out) for Consonants
Manner of articulation (sounding-out) for consonants are presented throughout the Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes program (Malik, 1999). These consonants are introduced at the beginning of each lesson wherein they are used to formulate words. The teacher should repeat them as often as needed and check for correct sound reproduction. For example, the teacher should differentiate between the sounded (bß) and the unsounded (b’) (Malik, 1999).
Phonics Instruction Must be Systematic, Explicit, and Thorough to Enable Students to be Fluent Readers
Shefelbine (1998) explained that phonics, by definition, stresses the sounds of spelling patterns rather than individuals letters. This is because the sound of letters, particularly vowels, depend upon their position in the word (we versus wet), adjacent letters (coat versus coop), or the presence of “markers” (mad versus made). Phonics instruction must be systematic, explicit, and thorough enough to enable students to be able to distinguish the differences while developing as independent and fluent readers (Shefelbine, 1998).
The Teacher Should Start Instructions by Teaching Onsets and Short Vowel Sounds
When teaching the lessons in Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes, the teacher should utter the onset while directing the student to utter the unsounded form (teacher sounded / bŭ / and the student unsounded / b’/). When teaching the vowels, it is important to start with the long vowel letter sounds if the student does not know the letter. However, if the long vowel letter sounds are known, then the teacher should start instructions by teaching the short vowel sounds. One such way to begin teaching the short vowel sounds is with the Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes’ fable, “al’s egg is off us.” Notice that when the consonants are dropped from each title word, the student should have remaining the short vowel sounds implanted in memory ǎ ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ (Malik, 1999).
Partridge (1984) explained that in addition to contributing to children’s learning to read and write, rhymes offer some “fringe benefits” actually related to enabling children to become independent and fluent readers. Children’s deep seated interest in rhymes challenges teachers to use rhymes as a part of their total reading program. Children’s rhymes are one way of introducing children to the world of print and reading instruction (Partridge, 1984). The following is a fable that challenges children’s deep seated interest as they learn to read (Malik, 1999):
“al’s egg is off us”
Once there was a little boy named Al,
Who was walking one day with his pal.
Hidden in the forest a sign read,
“Do not touch this big, hot, wet egg.”
Both wanted to touch it they said,
But Al touched it instead.
Well, Al could not read that well. And...
Oops! When he touched the egg he yelled,
Because suddenly Al and the egg fell
Into a deep, dark, strange hole
That put him in a spell.
At first in the hole he could hardly see,
And he was so very very hungry
That he fell asleep...
While sleeping he could not tell
That little “letters” came out of the cracked egg’s shell.
But when he awakened he was sitting on a seat,
And he still didn’t have anything to eat.
Yet, he was surprised to greet
“Talking letters” marching around his feet.
And they had something in their hands to eat.
Poor Al was tired and wanted badly to eat,
As he screamed "food, food, food I must seek,”
And searched for food for almost a week.
Suddenly, he wondered if tasty the egg would be...
(cont'd)
‘al’s egg is off us, al’s egg is off us, al’s egg is off us,’
Then, a little baby letter said in baby talk
ǎ ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ.
ǎ ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ.
ǎ ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ.
al realized that the baby was trying to say
‘al’s egg is off us,’ but in baby talk it came out ǎ ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ. (p.7)
The scripted lessons in Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes begin by requiring the teacher to say: “Onsets and the rime ǎ is our subject today. First, let us focus on a word and sound in the story entitled: “al’s egg is off us.” When we drop the consonant l’s in al’s we get ǎ . When the smile sign ( ˇ ) is written above a vowel we know that means the vowel has a short sound.”
Approach to Instruction Suggests Teaching Parts of Words
Moustafa (1997) supported a revised phonics approach to instruction, which suggested teaching the parts of the words after a story has been read to, with and by children. She suggested that the appropriate unit for teaching is not the letter-phoneme correspondences recommended by traditional phonics. Instead it should emphasize the ways in which children segment words into sound/symbol relationships quite naturally. These units consist of letters, onsets, or consonants that come before the vowel(s) such as the c in cart and the rime (the obligatory vowel and any consonants that come after it such as the art in cart). The following rhymes in the Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes’ program are helpful in etching a lasting memory in the child’s mind: “If you see a, e, i, o, u let y come along, sometimes it’s a vowel too; and, Onsets, onsets everywhere, not even a rime here or there” (Malik, 1999, p.15).
Teaching the Beginning and Ending Sounds by Voicing and Un-voicing Consonants
When consonants are sounded, they are voiced to blend (or rhyme) with the short u sound. The short u sound is the first sound in the word up. When you voice a consonant b you blend b and ŭ to get the voice sound bŭ as in the word bud without the d. However, when you un-voice bu, you say the same sound in a whisper and cut it off fast. Therefore, when the teacher says bu with voice, the student whispers back b’. “Does everyone understand?” Do this for all of the consonants. The purpose is to teach the beginning and ending sounds. Demonstrate and check for the student’s correct articulated response of the consonant’s unvoiced sounds (Malik, 1999).
Blending or Rhyming the Natural Sound Units to Build Words
Gunning (1995) pointed out that word building is a system for teaching phonics that capitalizes on the apparently natural tendency for students to seek out pronounceable word parts. The technique takes a recognizable word part and substitutes the new onset. The onset which appears at the beginning of the word is blended to a rime to form the new word. This can be accomplished by students independently selecting various onsets (consonants and clusters) to place with various rimes (vowels). Incorporated into this system is the concept of onset and rime which according to some linguist may be the natural sound units of a word. Now, rhyme (or blend) the b (sound) with the short a sound, which is ǎ as in al. To rhyme a consonant simply means to blend the consonant sound with the ǎ sound (Malik, 1999).
Teaching the “e” Pattern
In teaching phonic elements through word building, Gunning (1995) noted that the teacher, starting with the core of a word pattern, and the class build a series of words by adding onsets to rimes. In teaching the “e” pattern, the teacher would write e on the board and have students name the letter and give the sound it represents, providing help as necessary. Then the teacher would ask the class to tell what letter would need to be added to e to make the word me. The words he, we, and she would be formed in this same way (Gunning, 1995).
Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes Teaches Decoding Consonant Blends
The Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes' approach decodes the beginning of the word instead. For instance, consonant blends are two consonants (diblend) together in a word having their own combined sound. Three steps are helpful in blending consonants: 1. Make the first consonant sound end with the short “u” sound, then make the second consonant end with the short u sound behind it also. For example: bŭ lŭ. 2. Next, take away the first “u”, but leave the second “u” sound behind the second consonant. For example: blŭ. 3. Speed up, unvoiced, and get bl’. According to Phonics, Rhythms, and Rhymes’, Rhythms & Diblends, when given the voiced sound, the student should give the unvoiced sound (Malik, 1999).
Natural Sound Units of a Word
Gunning (1995) found a preference for the use of pronounceable word parts as a decoding strategy for word building. Word building is a system for teaching phonics that capitalizes on this apparently natural tendency for students to seek out pronounceable word parts. It includes both techniques for teaching phonics elements and strategies that students can use to decode difficult words: Analogy and pronounceable word parts. Incorporating into the system is the concept of onset and rime, which according to some linguists may be the natural sound units of a word. Rimes also have a more predictable pronunciation. Whereas the letter “a” may represent a dozen or more pronunciations (depending on what precedes “a”), “a” followed by a consonant usually represents the short vowel sound (at) (Gunning, 1995).
Riming Onsets Sounds with the Rime Sound
The approach that follows is a similar strategy (Malik, 1999):
Rime each onset sound with the rime sound. To rime an onset with a rime sound simply means to blend the onset
with the ǎ sound:
Rhythms Onsets & Rhymes
Teacher: c rhyme ǎ
Student: cǎ
Teacher: c rhyme ǎt
Student: cǎt
Teacher: pl rhyme ǎ
Student: plǎ . . . (p.89)
Introducing Abstract Sounds in Blends
As the student progresses the abstract sounds are introduced in blends such as triblends. A triblend is three consonants that come together in a word to make one blended sound (Malik, 1999). “‘Tri’ coming at the beginning of a word means three. There are words that have ‘tri’ in them. Why do these words have ‘tri’ in them? Triangle, tricycle? Rhyme each consonant triblend sound with the short a sound. To rhyme a consonant triblend with a vowel sound simply means to blend the consonant triblend sound with the a sound:
Rhythms & Rhymes
Teacher: scr rhyme ǎ
Student: scrǎ
Teacher: str rhyme ǎ
Student: strǎ
Teacher: spr rhyme ǎ
Student: sprǎ
Triblend-vowel-consonant (clap) means that the vowel is short (clap, clap)
(Repeat . . .)
Triblend-vowel-consonant-consonant (clap) means that the vowel is short (clap, clap) (Repeat . . .) (P.132)
Tests that Assess Sight Words Skills and Decoding Skills Measure Dissimilar Skills
The objective of teaching students to read using the phonics approach is to build decoding skills which are vital in deciphering unknown words (Moustafa, 1997). Assessments that require recall of sight words measure dissimilar skills than those required to decode unknown words using phonics skills. Therefore, tests that measure sight word recall skills and tests that measure word analysis skills must be separate. Because of the differences in objectives, tests that assess both skills at the same time are inadequate to rely on for specifically poignant data. Tests that assess both skills simultaneously are useful, however inadequate for determining a student’s placement in a curriculum that requires decoding skills. Inaccurate analysis and diagnosis of skills needed in basic reading can lead to inefficient and fragmentary skills in a literacy program (Malik, 1999).
Test of Phonics Skills (ToPhS)
The importance of teaching phonics cannot be realized unless there is a strong commitment to teaching reading using an explicit phonics approach. This approach can begin because there is a reliable testing assessment instrument. Research and testing does accurately identify and measure the skills mastered in phonics. Time and effort is wasted by either repeating skills already mastered, or teaching skills ill-advisedly out of sequence (Malik, 2000, p.2).
A Phonics Assessment that Measures Phonics Skills
A phonics assessment that measures phonics skills through recognition, identification, and articulation of letter sounds, blends, and words is a necessity. A phonics test must be primarily used to place a student at a skill level in the scope and sequence of a literacy program. This type of instrument can be exercised as a resource for testing, not only, decoding (enunciation), but encoding (spelling) phonics skills. In contrast, many criteria referenced reading tests incorporate sight word memorization for determining grade placement. A test of phonic skills should utilize only phonetically spelled words to inventory decoding skills for sequential growth. The grade level skills in this type of test should be criterion-referenced by research of the most recently published texts of several widely used tests and phonics programs combined. The aim of the reading inventory of basic skills should be primarily for use in elementary (Malik, 2000, p.2).
Phonics Must be Acknowledged Congruently with Other Disciplines to Meet Students' Literacy Goals
As explained in the text of the Test of Phonics Skills (ToPhS), a reading curriculum must emphasize specific and accurate measure of phonics skills. In other disciplines, such as math, testing assessments are necessary requirements for scope and sequence in order to develop an education plan. Without prerequisite skills students may find it difficult to grasp new skills. Phonics must be acknowledged and recognized comparably and congruently with other respected disciplines and subjects in order to meet the student’s literacy goals (Malik, 2000).
Additional research findings available upon request