The Reading Wars: Examining the Core Arguments and Long-Term Effects

This essay delves into the Reading Wars, a long-standing debate over the best methods for teaching reading, specifically comparing whole language and systematic phonics approaches. It highlights the core conflict between emphasizing letter-sound correspondences versus focusing on the meaning of words within stories. The essay also touches on the historical context, referencing the role of counting in the development of writing systems, from early geometric symbols to pictography in ancient Egypt and Sumeria. It explains the rebus principle and how it facilitated the transcription of speech sounds, ultimately leading to mixed writing systems that combine sound and meaning. The author concludes by noting that these systems arose from a combination of memory constraints, language organization, and brain connectivity. Access this essay and more study resources on Desklib.

The Reading Wars what they were about
who won and why
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Contents
TITLE- The Reading Wars what they were about who won and why............................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5
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TITLE- The Reading Wars what they were about who won and why
Reading wars is seemingly a never ending battle regarding the way to best teach reading to
students - whole language or systematic phonics. The controversy concerns whether an early
instruction must emphasize letter to sound correspondences so child can learn systematic phonics
or emphasize on written word's meanings embedded in the stories. The reading wars which pits
systematic phonics in opposition to whole language have resulted into a big destruction which
have made it difficult for the teachers and researchers to objectively look at a particular evidence
as well as consider the alternative approaches. It is very necessary to understand regarding the
differences and similarities between two competing approach. Many versions of systematic
phonics are existing; the common version is known as synthetic systematic phonics which
teaches children about the sound of letters in an isolation as well as coaches them to blend the
sounds collectively. Contrasting to this, the whole language emphasizes on the words meanings
presented in text. It is expected from the teachers to administer literacy rich environment to
students and combine reading, listening, writing and speaking. As per the provided article,
counting play a significant role in birth of independent writing system. The coding of abstract
ideas like time or number played significant role in emergence of writing. The initial symbols
were often geometric shapes devoid of pictorial content. In ancient Egypt and Sumeria,
pictography appeared as a simple way of enhancing lexicon of writing forms.
The stylisation underlying existing systems of writing is at the orthographic root, that
literally means drawing right. As per the author, the written symbols once became a matter of
convention, there was only a way to spell them properly. The rebus principle includes utilisation
of pictogram in order to represent syllabic sound. With this principle, the Egyptians and
Sumerians gradually developed array of symbols which could transcribe speech sound in
languages. In order to transcribe the proper nouns like Cleopatra or Alexander, the system was
utilised. Thus, the Sumerians and acceptance came very close to alphabetic principle. The rebus
strategy will have enable them to write a sentence or word with compact set of phonetic signs,
however, they consistently supplement them with wider array of pictograms. Although, the
combination of pictorial is very elaborate, they are not complicated then logic which leads to
distinguish the words. To sum up, the mixed system of writing combining sound and meaning
was autonomously adopted through various cultures. The main reason of this probably lies at
multiple constraints crossroads: the way a memory of a person is structured; the way language is
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organised as well as the availability of some brain connections. The memory of individuals is
poorly equipped for purely logo graphic or pictographic script, where every word has own
symbol. It will not be possible for an individual to memorize different sign for the words in
lexicon.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Sauer, K., 2017. From Counting to Writing: The Innovative Potential of Bookkeeping in Uruk
Period Mesopotamia. APPROPRIATING INNOVATIONS, p.12.
Nation, I.S. and Macalister, J., 2020. Teaching ESL/EFL reading and writing. Routledge.
Burroway, J., Stuckey-French, E. and Stuckey-French, N., 2019. Writing fiction: A guide to
narrative craft. University of Chicago Press.
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