Text in Afrikaans / Learners who struggle to read from the start, will stay behind. But the earlier intervention can start, the greater the chances of success. But what type of intervention is needed? Nowadays researchers overseas use phonemic awareness as a criteria to predict reading success. About 80% of pre-school children will have no trouble grasping the phonological structure of their home language, provided that they are thoroughly immersed in literacy. It is these same 80% who will not have any trouble learning to read. But literacy is a continuous process that starts at birth and there is no magical moment in a child's life that he will all of a sudden be ready to receive literacy instruction. Experience and practice will ensure that the hierarchy of phonemic awareness skills will develop. Those preschoolers who do not have that advantage, must develop phonemic awareness skills while learning to read or else face reading problems. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Special Needs Education)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Two opposing approaches to beginning reading are used, namely the phonological and global approach, under which the whole word, whole sentence and whole language methods are classed. The whole crux of the controversy is situated in beginning reading as an explicit, intensive and systematic method of teaching phonics, as opposed to implicit beginning reading through discrimination of global configurations, augmented by psycholinguistic guesses within reading context. Arguments about the advantages and disadvantages of the opposing methods have been hurdled to and fro for decades without any discernible gain. The question emerged whether research on brain physiology with respect to language and reading, a relatively new field of study, could shed light on the foundation of an accountable method for beginning reading. Renewed insights to the controversial differences were gained, and brain physiologically accountable parameters as a base for a beginning reading method were framed from these insights. / Twee opponerende aanvangsleesbenaderings word in die skole gebruik, naamlik die fonologiese benadering en die geheelbenadering, waaronder die geheelwoord-, geheelsinen die geheeltaalmetode ressorteer. Die kern van die verskil tussen die aanvangsleesbenaderings le in aanvangslees as eksplisiete, intensiewe en sistematiese foneemonderrig, teenoor implisiete aanvangslees wat die waarneming van globale konfigurasies, aangevul deur psigolinguistiese raaiskote binne die leeskonteks, aanmoedig. In die polemiek om die beste leesmetode word argumente oor die voor- en nadele ten opsigte van die begronding van hierdie opponerende metodes reeds dekades heen en weer geslinger. Navorsingsresultate word eindeloos, sonder duidelike winste, met mekaar vergelyk. Dit het die vraag laat onstaan of navorsing ten opsigte van die breinfisiologie met betrekking tot taal en lees, 'n relatief nuwe studieveld, moontlik lig sou kon werp op die begronding van 'n verantwoordbare aanvangsleesmetode. Die literatuurstudie ten opsigte van breinfisiologie het vernuwende insigte oor die polemiese begrondingsverskille na vore gebring, en breinfisiologies-verantwoordbare parameters as basis vir 'n aanvangsleesmetode is uit hierdie insigte opgestel. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Two opposing approaches to beginning reading are used, namely the phonological and global approach, under which the whole word, whole sentence and whole language methods are classed. The whole crux of the controversy is situated in beginning reading as an explicit, intensive and systematic method of teaching phonics, as opposed to implicit beginning reading through discrimination of global configurations, augmented by psycholinguistic guesses within reading context. Arguments about the advantages and disadvantages of the opposing methods have been hurdled to and fro for decades without any discernible gain. The question emerged whether research on brain physiology with respect to language and reading, a relatively new field of study, could shed light on the foundation of an accountable method for beginning reading. Renewed insights to the controversial differences were gained, and brain physiologically accountable parameters as a base for a beginning reading method were framed from these insights. / Twee opponerende aanvangsleesbenaderings word in die skole gebruik, naamlik die fonologiese benadering en die geheelbenadering, waaronder die geheelwoord-, geheelsinen die geheeltaalmetode ressorteer. Die kern van die verskil tussen die aanvangsleesbenaderings le in aanvangslees as eksplisiete, intensiewe en sistematiese foneemonderrig, teenoor implisiete aanvangslees wat die waarneming van globale konfigurasies, aangevul deur psigolinguistiese raaiskote binne die leeskonteks, aanmoedig. In die polemiek om die beste leesmetode word argumente oor die voor- en nadele ten opsigte van die begronding van hierdie opponerende metodes reeds dekades heen en weer geslinger. Navorsingsresultate word eindeloos, sonder duidelike winste, met mekaar vergelyk. Dit het die vraag laat onstaan of navorsing ten opsigte van die breinfisiologie met betrekking tot taal en lees, 'n relatief nuwe studieveld, moontlik lig sou kon werp op die begronding van 'n verantwoordbare aanvangsleesmetode. Die literatuurstudie ten opsigte van breinfisiologie het vernuwende insigte oor die polemiese begrondingsverskille na vore gebring, en breinfisiologies-verantwoordbare parameters as basis vir 'n aanvangsleesmetode is uit hierdie insigte opgestel. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

There are numerous methods teachers use to teach the alphabet to children. This thesis is a curriculum on how to teach the alphabet to English learners and English speakers. The author teaches kindergarten to students who are English speakers and to students who are Spanish speakers learning English as a second language. The school's instructional Reading Based Program (the Houghton Mifflin Lectura of California) offers many ideas and strategies but is missing some components necessary to meet distinct standards for kindergarten. The author developed this curriculum to meet the standards of teaching English speakers and English learners the alphabet to meet district standards.