Judy Ramírez ©1997-2023
Licensed under CC BY 4.0
This not-for-profit site asks you to rethink what you know about foundational literacy.
Three unique perspectives are recognizable.
VC LOGIC is foundational literacy's
soundest venture.
ABC Logic is conventional phonics;
Science of Reading, etc.
Shape Logic is whole word, sight memory;
Balanced Literacy, etc.
VC Logic:
Vowel and Consonant
sounds-to-be-spelled
ABC Logic:
Alphabet ruled by "phonics"
Shape Logic:
"See-Say" enough times
to learn shapes of words
VC Logic:
LISTEN!! Then look
ABC Logic:
LOOK!! Then listen
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Phonemes predominate
ABC Logic:
Graphemes predominate
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
"Spell them out!" (sound-units)
ABC Logic:
"Sound them out!" (letter-units)
Shape Logic:
Whole word sight memory
VC Logic:
Vowels and Consonants; V01–C39 on a MAP
ABC Logic:
Letter names; Short-A, B-Sound, Hard-C, etc.
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Encode first
ABC Logic:
Decode first
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Spellable SOUND sequences
(regional variances allowed)
ABC Logic:
Pronounceable LETTER sequences
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Relationships are {.Sound+Spellings.}
ABC Logic:
Relationships are "letter-sounds"
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Pronunciations evoke spellings
ABC Logic:
Spellings evoke pronunciations
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Practice makes permanent –
explicit {.Sound+Spellings.}
ABC Logic:
ABC-Phonics rules, then
memorizing tricky words by sight
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Speech sounds.
Heard, said, spelled, read... ahead of time.
ABC Logic:
Letter-sounds.
Skipping. Guessing.
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
Choice is always yours.
Realize your personal power.
Choose the way you think.
My 3rd Grade students eagerly embraced personal responsibility because empowerment is motivational. They also learned that choices have consequences. WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, DON'T GO ALONG. Leaders of Learning will consider the evidence, perceive the dichotomy, use personal truth as a defense and achieve the fix.
In my own career, at first I used "whole word" sight memory; flashcards with no other explanation. Then I used phonics worksheets, and found the rich literature of Whole Language curriculum to be far more engaging than contrived fat-cat-sat stories. Only outside of employment have I been able to scrutinize and discover the wrongheadedness of allowing the visual modality to dominate.
Spoken language requires HEARING blended speech sounds. Written language requires SEEING blended letters. Hearing and seeing always dance together, and our job is to let "hearing" take the lead.
Truth is not our enemy. Every parent, tutor and teacher will make choices and create consequences. Most learners move forward in spite of error. (Machines need a reliable algorithm.) The day is coming when systemic errors will be exposed and fixed, but that shift must begin in the minds of Learning Leaders for the benefit of our children's children's children, etc.
Notions of rightness and wrongness will set up intrinsic disputes. Within a home or classroom, one's own sovereignty may not be challenged. Within larger venues, observe advocates and adversaries. Each dispute may become a manageable dynamic given free relationships within society. We may disagree, yet continue to give voice and vote.
Freedom is precious.
=== REVIEW ===
VC Logic is intrinsically sensible, yet still an unproven outlier. Reading scientists have not yet scrutinized VC Logic which organizes all teaching around speech sounds mapped V01 through C39, no letter-based attributions, spelling-out what is spoken: Heard–Said–Spelled–Read (HSSR)
ABC Logic requires learners to sound-out what is on the page: Seen–Read–Said. ABC Logic is always organized around alphabet letters and "letter-sounds." Phonics teaches letter rules with letter-based jargon.
Shape Logic simply "sees-says" enough times to memorize the whole word.
Licensed under CC BY 4.0
This not-for-profit site asks you to rethink what you know about foundational literacy.
Three unique perspectives are recognizable.
VC LOGIC is foundational literacy's
soundest venture.
ABC Logic is conventional phonics;
Science of Reading, etc.
Shape Logic is whole word, sight memory;
Balanced Literacy, etc.
VC Logic:
Vowel and Consonant
sounds-to-be-spelled
ABC Logic:
Alphabet ruled by "phonics"
Shape Logic:
"See-Say" enough times
to learn shapes of words
VC Logic:
LISTEN!! Then look
ABC Logic:
LOOK!! Then listen
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Phonemes predominate
ABC Logic:
Graphemes predominate
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
"Spell them out!" (sound-units)
ABC Logic:
"Sound them out!" (letter-units)
Shape Logic:
Whole word sight memory
VC Logic:
Vowels and Consonants; V01–C39 on a MAP
ABC Logic:
Letter names; Short-A, B-Sound, Hard-C, etc.
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Encode first
ABC Logic:
Decode first
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Spellable SOUND sequences
(regional variances allowed)
ABC Logic:
Pronounceable LETTER sequences
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Relationships are {.Sound+Spellings.}
ABC Logic:
Relationships are "letter-sounds"
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Pronunciations evoke spellings
ABC Logic:
Spellings evoke pronunciations
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Practice makes permanent –
explicit {.Sound+Spellings.}
ABC Logic:
ABC-Phonics rules, then
memorizing tricky words by sight
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
VC Logic:
Speech sounds.
Heard, said, spelled, read... ahead of time.
ABC Logic:
Letter-sounds.
Skipping. Guessing.
Shape Logic:
Whole word – sight memory
Choice is always yours.
Realize your personal power.
Choose the way you think.
My 3rd Grade students eagerly embraced personal responsibility because empowerment is motivational. They also learned that choices have consequences. WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, DON'T GO ALONG. Leaders of Learning will consider the evidence, perceive the dichotomy, use personal truth as a defense and achieve the fix.
In my own career, at first I used "whole word" sight memory; flashcards with no other explanation. Then I used phonics worksheets, and found the rich literature of Whole Language curriculum to be far more engaging than contrived fat-cat-sat stories. Only outside of employment have I been able to scrutinize and discover the wrongheadedness of allowing the visual modality to dominate.
Spoken language requires HEARING blended speech sounds. Written language requires SEEING blended letters. Hearing and seeing always dance together, and our job is to let "hearing" take the lead.
Truth is not our enemy. Every parent, tutor and teacher will make choices and create consequences. Most learners move forward in spite of error. (Machines need a reliable algorithm.) The day is coming when systemic errors will be exposed and fixed, but that shift must begin in the minds of Learning Leaders for the benefit of our children's children's children, etc.
Notions of rightness and wrongness will set up intrinsic disputes. Within a home or classroom, one's own sovereignty may not be challenged. Within larger venues, observe advocates and adversaries. Each dispute may become a manageable dynamic given free relationships within society. We may disagree, yet continue to give voice and vote.
Freedom is precious.
=== REVIEW ===
VC Logic is intrinsically sensible, yet still an unproven outlier. Reading scientists have not yet scrutinized VC Logic which organizes all teaching around speech sounds mapped V01 through C39, no letter-based attributions, spelling-out what is spoken: Heard–Said–Spelled–Read (HSSR)
ABC Logic requires learners to sound-out what is on the page: Seen–Read–Said. ABC Logic is always organized around alphabet letters and "letter-sounds." Phonics teaches letter rules with letter-based jargon.
Shape Logic simply "sees-says" enough times to memorize the whole word.