Brown, E. (2006, November). History of reading instruction. Retrieved from
http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/historyofreading.html
Herd. (2009, July 29). Timeline and my first grade reading instruction. Retrieved from
http://reflectionsofaclassroomteacher.blogspot.com/2009/07/timeline-and-my-first- grade-reading.html
Timeline of Instructional Reading
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
1439ish--Johan Gutenberg Invents Moveable Type



1893-1896: Phonics vs. Word Methods
The 1920's: Sight Words and Basal Readers

In the '20s, kids were learning to read by being taught to memorize sight words. Basal readers were used in schools. My 93 year old grandmother learned to read in Philadelphia public schools the 1920s. She remembers words being written on the board for memorization. She remembers reading aloud from basal readers (while seated two to a seat) as the teacher walked up and down the aisles making sure they were following along. There were lots of spelling words assigned for homework.
The '30s, '40s & '50s: Dick, Jane, Sally & Spot

In the 1930's, a series of basal readers starring the loveable characters Dick, Jane, Sally, and their pets came on the scene, compliments of Scott Foresman. Written by William S. Gray and Zerma Sharp, they had a good run, being used well into the 1970's. Even today, nostalgic gift items with images of the characters can be found. Anthologies of the Dick & Jane tales are still available at bookstores.
With large print, sight words and repetition of text, they became favorites of parents, teachers and young readers. However, Dick, Jane and Sally got put on the shelf when phonics became realized as the more effective way to teach reading.
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