My gifted students can read chapter books, so do they need phonics instruction?
As my district has implemented a new phonics curriculum this year, this question has been at the forefront of many discussions. Many people are divided on this topic, so here are my unofficial thoughts.
Many academically gifted students are quick learners to read. They are “decoding” tough words at a young age – but many of them do not know why they are reading the word they are. They are using other context clues, previous word exposure, and other skills to read the word. Many times, they do not actually know the specific phonics rule or be able to recite it. With that being said, it brings across the question: If they can read the word, do they have to know the phonics rule?
This is a great question, in which I don’t truly know if there is a right answer. But, from my perspective, I believe there is no harm in teaching them the rule. They, just like all other children, have a right to know the rule. Also, as they come across harder words in the future (tier 3 words – subject related) they might need to use their skills.
Everything should ALWAYS be differentiated.
BUT, as we know, gifted students learn things at a much faster rate. So yes, I believe they should learn the phonics rules, but I also believe they should not sit through daily whole class phonics lessons if they already know THAT rule.
Gifted students do not need to spend two or three weeks learning the “short e” sound. Rather, they might need two or three weeks learning all short vowels. Just like everything in education, phonics instruction must be differentiated. Therefore, I believe whole class instructions should not be used for phonics lessons – can you truly state that all students are in the same spot for phonics?
How should phonics be taught?
There are a few models of phonics instruction that I think can be incredible beneficial. But, before using any of these instructional models, ALL STUDENTS MUST BE ASSESSED. If we do not pre-assess students on their phonics skills, how do we know what skill they need to be taught? Starting a phonics curriculum on page 1, because that is the start of an arbitrary “second grade curriculum” is not beneficial for any student. Rather, here are some ideas:
Regroup Across Grade Levels
After assessing all students – regroup students by skill level – NOT by grade. This is best done across a few grade levels. We KNOW that many students in 2nd grade still are missing “1st grade” phonics skills. They need to be learning what they NEED to know. Additionally, there might be gifted kindergarteners that would benefit from learning “2nd grade” skills. This is how one of my previous schools completed phonics the first 30 minutes of the day and each student was getting EXACLY what they needed. It was beautiful to see.
Some misconceptions you may have about this model: “but won’t kids feel bad about being with younger kids?” NO! The students were mixed up K-3 and Kindergarten teachers did not necessarily teach the kindergarten phonics. Teachers were mixed up and Special Service teachers (SPED, Intervention, ect) had groups with intense phonics needs for each grade – therefore there was not one third grader with all kindergarteners. Students were continually reassessed each quarter and regrouped based on new needs. Groups were constantly changing.
Small Group Classroom Instruction
If the school wide regrouping model is not possible, the next best instructional model, I believe, is to assess and regroup within your own classroom using small groups. Then, teachers teach phonics lessons in small groups and other students complete independent phonics practice on their current phonics skill. This model is much more practical for 1st and 2nd graders, but could be more difficult for kindergarteners (due to the level of independence necessary).
Few Higher Students Small Group
But Megan, I only have two higher students that don’t need my instruction – how should I help them? First off, it is highly unlikely that the 22 other students in your classroom are all at the same exact phonics level, but if that is the case….You need to assess the two higher students and identify there instructional need level. They need to receive differentiated instruction.
Whether that is during a small group, regrouping and going to a phonics lesson in a different class, or someone else (specialist?) teaching the small group. But, the key here is that SOMEONE IS TEACHING THEM! Students should not be given independent practice or something different to do during the whole group lesson. They also deserve to be taught skills – not just given worksheets.
How do I preasses gifted students phonics skills?
The key to preassessing gifted students phonics skills is through the use of nonsense words. When you assess phonics skills using only real words, many gifted students will be able to read all the words. When you place nonsense words in front of a gifted student that does not understand the rules, they are unable to read the word correctly.
My favorite phonics assessment is the Quick Phonics Screener created by Jan Hasbrouck. You can find it here. Also, if you search QPS Phonics Screener in google, there are many other websites that provide the same assessment and documents for recording entire class scores. I particularly like the one I linked because it has an A,B and C version for testing throughout the year.
How does this relate to spelling?
Check out my post on Spelling Instruction for Gifted Students!
