I
In Deuteronomy 17:19, it says that God commanded long before Israel had a king, that when that time did come, he was to write a copy of the law. “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein, all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.”
Today’s high level of functional illiteracy is a major problem
We have stated elsewhere that in the United States today, over 43 million adults are illiterate, and another 50 million have difficulty reading even a newspaper grocery ad. [See citations below for current statistics that have not changed since Dr. Lindstrom wrote for his radio show!] They cannot read the Old and New Testament Scriptures and learn to fear the Lord God. This is a disgrace, and, of course, the reason for this situation is that phonics is not being used in the majority of the nation’s schools. Phonics simply means teaching children to read by first teaching them the sounds and syllables of the English language. With these skills, children can put the syllables together like building blocks and quickly acquire a reading vocabulary as large as their oral vocabulary.
The key to reading
Isaiah 34:16 says, ” Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read.” Over and over in Scripture, we see the command to read. Phyllis Schafley has reported in “Phonics-The Key To Reading,” [6] “In a typical, non-phonics reading series, the child can read 350 words by the end of the first grade, 1,000 words by the end of the second grade, 1,250 words by the end of the third grade, and 1,500 words by the end of the fourth grade. Using the typical “phonics first” system, by the end of the first grade, the child can read the estimated 24,000 words in his listening and speaking vocabulary, and 40,000 words by the end of the fourth grade. Yet, only 10%, at best, of America’s schools today use a “phonics first” reading program.” 85% of our English words are purely phonetic, and the other 15% are only partly non- phonetic. Spelling would surely be greatly improved if phonics were returned to the kindergarten and first grade. Phonics is merely the study of 70 sounds and basic spelling rules and comprises 85% of the average vocabulary.
Phonics is the best proven method of teaching children to read, write and spell the English language
Many parents have no idea as to why their children cannot read well. Many students labeled as illiterate are quickly able to correct their reading problems when taught the basics of reading. They have to learn the sounds of the vowels and consonants and be drilled into vowel rules. Reading is the single most important skill a child will learn during his entire school career, for the ability to read determines the development of everything else. If a child is not taught to read properly, his entire intellectual development will be handicapped.
To make sure that your child is able to read the Bible, teach your child to read or help your child to read better. This is one of the greatest skills for life with which you can provide your children.
Christian Liberty Homeschools Teaches Phonics
To assist you in this responsibility, Christian Liberty Homeschools has the tools you need to be successful. Visit us at: www.homeschools.org
Current Statistics and References:
The illiteracy rate in the United States is 21%, meaning that 21% of adults in the U.S. have difficulty with tasks like comparing and contrasting information, paraphrasing, or making low-level inferences [1] [2] [4]:
- Literacy skills: 79% of U.S. adults have English literacy skills at level 2 or above in PIAAC. [1]
- Literacy levels: 54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level. [2]
- Functional illiteracy: 45 million adults are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level. [2]
- Book reading: 44% of American adults do not read a book in a year. [3]
Other literacy statistics include:
- Low literacy rates cost Americans up to $2.2 trillion every year. [2]
- 34% of people 18 and older with low literacy proficiency weren’t born in the United States. [2]
- Only 47% of kindergarten students read at grade level during the 2021-2022 school year. [5]
- Pandemic school closures exacerbated the problem, but these challenges predate COVID-19. [5]
Citations:
- https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019179/index.asp#:~:text=Four%20in%20five%20U.S.%20adults,of%20their%20skills%20is%20available.
- https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/research/literacy-statistics
- https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2022-2023#:~:text=Illiteracy%20has%20become%20such%20a,a%20book%20in%20a%20year
- https://risingtide.ua.edu/education/statewide-ua-literacy-center/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20National%20Center,functionally%20illiterate%20category%20(2021).
- https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2024/02/28/americas_early_childhood_literacy_crisis_1014926.html#:~:text=America%20is%20facing%20a%20literacy,these%20challenges%20predate%20COVID%2D19.
- https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/PSCA_PSR_19_02_198509.pdf