Uncovering the Logic of English by Denise Eide
Sounds like an oxymoron, right? The logic of English? We all grew up learning all the “exceptions” to the spelling rules of English, and there were a lot of those!
But really, if you read this book you’ll understand that 98% of English spelling follows prescribed rules. We just usually don’t teach all the rules to kids (and thus, we adults never learned them). Uncovering the Logic of English makes the case for learning and teaching these rules, and presents them in a logical way (as one would expect). But it’s not just about spelling.
Being able to read the English language involves being able to distinguish between the 75 phonograms we use to convey the sound of our language in print. The 75 phonograms begin with our usual 26 letters, but also include the letter teams we employ such as ch, ph, ea, oi, and ay, among many others. By learning these phonograms and the sounds they represent, one can become a better reader. Additionally, most of the phonograms can be used to convey several different sounds. For example, ough can say 6 sounds including short and long o sounds, short u, and short o followed by f.
Uncovering the Logic of English lays out the basics of English. It’s sort of an overhead view of what is going on in our complex written language system. It explains how we write our sounds down, the rules we employ to make sure we all write them down in the same manner, and gives some background as to why English is so complex in the first place.
Who is it for?
Anyone who wants to improve their spelling can benefit from this book. Parents should really pick up a copy to be able to help their own kids in spelling and reading. It is a primer that will give them a basic understanding of how written English is structured. With this basic understanding, parents will be able to recognize if their child needs further resources to improve their reading, and the parent will have the knowledge to recognize which resources will give real benefit to the child, such as reading programs that use the Orton-Gillingham method.
Biggest takeaway for parents #1: As a nation we are failing to teach about 68% of our kids to read well.
About a third of kids learn to read really well on their own without much help from us as parents or teachers. The other two thirds may learn to read, but they being to struggle and fall behind their peers. When kids are taught more systematically, they are able to improve their reading. Using the Orton-Gillingham method gives kids this systematic teaching.
Biggest takeaway for parents #2: There are not that many “exceptions” to the rules of English spelling and writing.
Only about 2% of our words are true exceptions to the rules. When we learn and teach our kids the rules in a logical, systematic way, they can improve their reading.
Action items:
Read the book. Give yourself an overview of English. If you child is struggling to read at grade level, look for more resources. Some helpful ones include: Logic of English Foundations, All About Reading, and for older kids, Equipped for Reading Success.
