Whole Language - Overview

Overview

Whole language is an educational philosophy that is complex to describe, particularly because it is informed by multiple research fields including but not limited to education, linguistics, psychology, sociology, and anthropology (see also Language Experience Approach). Several strands run through most descriptions of whole language:

• focus on making meaning in reading and expressing meaning in writing;
• constructivist approaches to knowledge creation, emphasizing students' interpretations of text and free expression of ideas in writing (often through daily journal entries);
• emphasis on high-quality and culturally-diverse literature;
• integrating literacy into other areas of the curriculum, especially math, science, and social studies;
• frequent reading
  • with students in small "guided reading" groups
  • to students with "read alouds"
  • by students independently;
• reading and writing for real purposes;
• focus on motivational aspects of literacy, emphasizing the love of books and engaging reading materials;
• meaning-centered whole to part to whole instruction where phonics are taught contextually in "embedded" phonics (different from synthetic or analytic phonics); and
• emphasis on using and understanding the meaning-making role of phonics, grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation in diverse social contexts.