Can You Read, or Are You Just Memorizing Words?

Are you aware that the letter ‘c’ makes two sounds? One sound is the all too familiar /k/ sound as in ‘cat’ but did you know it also makes the /s/ sound as in ‘cent’’, or what about the letter ‘s’? Do you hear just the /s/ sound? What about when you say the word 'as' or 'has?' You hear the /z/ sound.

I am coming into my 2nd year of teaching at a charter school that offers an advanced program, and this knowledge is something I was required to know, so that I could effectively teach my 1st grade students. Yes, I teach these not to commonly know sounds to 1st graders.

Don’t mistake me for a person who has a master’s degree in education. Sadly, I didn’t even finish high school. That of course did not stop me from wanting a better life for myself. I acquired a bachelor’s degree and used it to pursue a teaching career, and I truly feel like this is not just a job. I have a career in educating children and myself on knowledge of why words are the way that they are.

Too many public schools are not given the information that would truly be beneficial in making this country a better place. The Logic of English website is where I was able to be completely mind blown on truths that everyone needs to know.

To start off with some basic phonogram facts we'll talk about the letter 'a'. The letter 'a' has 3 distinct sounds, usually we are only taught two. Can you hear the differences of 'a' in the words 'apple', 'grape', and 'water?' The 'a' in apple is what we call the short vowel 'a'. The 'a' in grape which you can clearly hear is the long vowel 'a'. The 'a' in water is called the broad vowel 'a'.

What of 'I' and 'Y?' They make 4 sounds, and they happen to be the exact same? We all know the saying that a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y are vowels, but why is y only sometimes a vowel? It's because it sometimes makes the sound of /e/ as in “baby”, or /i/ as in “fly”. Crazy, right?

‘G’, is another letter that has not been given it’s full credit. It can make the /j/ sound as in “gym”, “gentle”, and “giant”. Why is that? Unknown to the average person ‘g’ may change to /j/ when it is followed by e, i, or y. Now, when I say may that does not mean always, for example in the word girl this does not hold true. This rule also goes for the letter 'c'. It will soften to the /s/ sound when followed by e, i, or y, unlike 'g', this occurs every time.

Are you in awe yet? If not let me share with you some more not so common word knowledge. Have you heard of the term “silent final e” and if so do you know why this is a term at all? The silent e in many words has a purpose. In the word late it makes the letter 'a' say its name, and I mean it’s literal name of 'a'. Another name for this sound is the long 'a' sound. Can you hear it? We also use the silent ‘e’ at the end of words because English words do not end in i, u, v, or j. Knowing this should help you understand the origin of some words. Yes the word 'you' ends in u, but keep in mind that the English language has many words. In fact it has more words than any other country in the world. So we may not have the rules for every word, but according to the "Logic of English", we can account for 98 percent of English words, and why they are the way they are.

There are 44 different sounds in the English Language and they come from 75 different Phonograms. Phonograms are a letter or chunk of letters that come together to make sounds, which make up words. As I type this I ask myself why wasn't this something that was shared when I was in school? Why is this something that has been kept from the average American?

When reading "Uncovering The Logic of English" by Denise Eide, I discovered that more than half of America is not up to age reading level. Yes, more than half, 48% of adults are not reading proficient and 22% are illiterate! Surprising!? Heck yeah it is! I mean it just doesn't seem right.

In the world today there are so many things changing at such a fast pace and if we can not keep up, how do we expect to better our lives? It is important to be able to build upon our base knowledge and attempt to live this “American Dream” that so many other countries fantasize about.

I dare you to buy the book "Uncovering the Logic of English'' By Denise Eide and be astounded by the truth of English. Let yourself absorb something that is your right to know. I haven't even scratched the surface of what you will find within its contents. It covers all of our phonograms, spelling rules, why and when to use the 'Silent E' and so much more.

This book will help you become a better speller and an even greater reader! You will not have to rely so heavily on spell check or recollection. You will be able to connect the dots and for the first time see reading differently. You will definitely be able to tell the difference between reading, and just memorizing words.