Teacher Practical Guidance:

Whole Language Literacy Approach

Category: Content

Rank Order

79

Effect Size

0.14

Achievement Gain %

5

How-To Strategies

 

  • Focus on making meaning in reading and expressing meaning in writing

 

  • Constructivist approaches to knowledge creation, emphasizing students’ interpretations of texts and free expression of ideas in writing (often through daily journal entries)

 

  • Emphasis on high-quality and culturally diverse literature

 

  • Integrating literacy into other areas of the curriculum, especially math, science, and social studies

 

  • Frequent reading with students in small guided reading groups; to students with read-aloud; by students independently; reading and writing for real purposes

 

  • Focus on motivational aspects of literacy, emphasizing the love of books and engaging reading materials

 

  • Meaning-centered whole–to part-to-whole instruction where phonics are taught contextually in embedded phonics

 

  • Emphasis on using and understanding the meaning-making role of phonics, grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation in diverse social contexts.

 

  • Leveled Books (LLI); Fountas & Pinnell; Lucy Calkins

How-To Resources

Link – WEBSITE (Fountas & Pinnell) Info and Resources

 

Link – GUIDE (Fountas & Pinnell) LLI

 

Link – ARTICLE (NY Times) Lucy Calkins Retreats

 

Link – WEBSITE (Lucy Calkins) Units of Study

 

Link – (MAISA) Literacy Essentials

 

Link – Article (Educ. Week) Spotlight on the Science of Reading

 

Link – ARTICLE (VeryWell) Whole Language Approach

 

Link – ARTICLE (ASCD) Whole Language: 60 Years of Research

References

Gee, E. (1995). The effects of the whole language approach to reading instruction on reading comprehension: A meta-analysis. AERA Paper. Link

 

Huang (2000). Learning to read with the whole language approach: The teacher’s view. Canadian Center of Science & Education. Link

 

Jeynes & Littell. (2000). A meta-analysis of studies examining the effect of whole language instruction on the literacy of low-SES students. Elementary School Journal.

 

Krashen, S. (2004). The phonics debate: 2004. Link

 

MAISA (2023). Literacy Essentials. Link

 

Pressley, M., et al (2003). Teaching processes in elementary and secondary education. Handbook of Psychology: Educational Psychology. 7. Link

 

Seidenberg, S. (2019). Language lives on: The illusion of balanced reading instruction. Link

 

Stahl, S., et al (1989). Whole language and language experience approach for beginning reading: A quantitative research synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 59(1). Link

 

Stahl, McKenna, & Pagnucco. (1994). The effects of whole-language instruction: An update and a reappraisal. Educational Psychologist.

Whole Language Literacy Approach

 

DEFINITIONS

Whole Language: A method of teaching reading and writing that emphasizes learning whole words and phrases by encountering them in written or printed work with less emphasis on phonics. A very popular approach to the teaching of reading until recently when research indicated it does not promote reading achievement (effect size 0.06). An approach to reading that shows students how language is a system of parts that work together to make meaning. It has also been called balanced literacy and invites students to learn reading by exploring a literacy-rich environment.

Balanced Literacy:  has been suggested as an integrative approach, portrayed by its advocates as taking the best elements of both whole language and code-emphasizing phonics approaches and combining them.

Guided Reading: an important element of the Whole Language method, where a teacher works with a small-group of students who are reading at a similar level using books that are “leveled” to match their reading ability.

DATA

  • 5 meta-analysis reviews

  • 81 research studies

  • 8,000 students in research

  • 3 Confidence level.  link

 

QUOTES

“The most recent meta-analysis found a substantial negative relationship between whole language interventions vs. phonics based (Science of Reading) and learning interventions. Huang (2000)

“Whole language means many things to many people…that is why its effects are weak. It tries to do too much. It tries to cover everything and may not cover anything very well in the process.” Gee (1995)

“Critics of balanced literacy have suggested that the term is a disingenuous recasting of whole language with obfuscating new terminology. Neuroscientist Mark Seidenberg, a proponent of the science of reading and the teaching of phonics, writes that, “Balanced literacy allowed educators to declare an end to the increasingly troublesome ‘wars’ without resolving the underlying issues”, and that “Balanced literacy provided little guidance for teachers who thought that phonics was a cause of poor reading and did not know how to teach it”  Seidenberg (2019).

“There is remarkable divergent in the overall effectiveness of the Whole Language and Balanced Literacy approaches…the data indicates the more teachers engaged students in phonics and phonemic awareness instruction the higher level of student achievement.” Stahl & Miller (1989)

“Whole language programs are effective at improving children’s attitude toward reading…it floods the classroom with motivation.” Pressley (2003)