Psychologist: Phonemic awareness, or the knowledge that spoken language can be broken into component sounds, is essential for learning to read an alphabetic language. βββ βββ ββββ βββββ ββ βββββ βββ ββββββ βββ ββββββββββββ βββββββββββ ββ βββββ ββ ββββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββββ βββββββββ ββββ βββ βββββββββ ββββ βββ βββββββ ββ ββββ ββ ββββββββββ βββββββββ βββ ββββ ββββββββ βββ βββ ββββββ ββ βββ ββββββββββββββ βββββββ βββββ ββββββββββ βββ ββββ βββββ ββββββ βββββ ββ ββββ ββββββββββ ββββββββββ
In order to read an alphabetic language, one must have phonemic awareness and have learned how sounds are symbolically represented by means of letters.
Many children who are taught using the whole-language method learn to read alphabetic languages.
Many children who are taught using the whole-language method have phonemic awareness and have learned how sounds are symbolically represented by means of letters. (This must be true, because many children who are taught using the whole-language method can read an alphabetic language, which implies that they have whatβs required to read an alphabetic language.)
Which one of the following βββ ββ ββββββββ ββββββββ ββββ βββ ββββββββββββββ βββββββββββ
The whole-language method ββββββββββ ββββββββ ββ ββββββββ βββββββββ ββ βββ ββββββ ββββββββ βββ ββ ββββββ ββββ βββββββββ βββββββ
We donβt know whether the whole-language method is ever successful in teaching how spoken language can be broken into component sounds. We know that many children who are taught using this method can learn how spoken language is broken into component sounds, but we donβt know whether they learned this from the whole-language method.
When the whole-language ββββββ ββββββββ ββ ββββββββ βββββββ βββ ββ βββββββββ ββββββ ββ βββββ ββ ββββββββ ββββ ββββββ ββββββββ βββ βββββββ ββ ββββ ββ ββββββββββ βββββββββ
We know that learning how sounds are represented by means of letters is one necessary condition for reading an alphabetic language. But we donβt know that itβs sufficient. In fact, phonemic awareness is another requirement, so if someone doesnβt have phonemic awareness, they wonβt be able to read, even if they understand how sounds are represented by letters.
Those unable to ββββ ββ ββββββββββ ββββββββ ββββ ββββ ββββββββ βββββββββ βββ βββ βββββββββ ββ βββ ββββββ βββ ββββββββββββ ββββββββββββ
Not supported, because someone who canβt read an alphabetic language might be lacking some other necessary condition that we donβt know about. Itβs possible they have phonemic awareness and knowledge of how sounds are represented by letters, but still canβt read for some unknown other reason.
Some children who βββ ββββββ ββ βββ ββββββββββββββ ββββββ βββ βββ βββββββββ ββββ ββββββββ βββ ββββββ βββ βββββββββββ ββ βββββ ββ ββββββββ
Must be true, becaue we know many children taught using the whole-language method can read alphabetic languages. So they must understand how sounds are represented by means of letters.
The whole-language method ββββββββ ββ ββββββββ ββββ ββββββββ βββ ββ βββββββββ ββββββ ββββββββββββ ββ βββββ ββ ββββββββ
Not supported, because we donβt know that the whole-language method is how many children who learn to read alphabetic languages came to understand how sounds are represented by letters. Itβs possible that they learned this through something else besides the whole-language method. In other words, just because they were taught using the whole-language method does not imply that this method is how they learned whatβs necessary to read alphabetic languages.