This is a true story.  Mrs. Peterson was working with little Timmy, a 2nd grader.  Little Timmy was reading out loud from his reading book.  His reading was slow and choppy.  He seemed to be reading individual words instead of sentences.  Then he came to a word that he didn’t recognize.  Little Timmy stopped.  He tried to use his phonics skills but had no success.  So, he stopped again and just looked at the word, waiting for Mrs. Peterson to help him.

	“Sound it out, little Timmy,” Mrs. Peterson said to little Timmy in a kind, gentle voice.

	“Sound it out?” little Timmy asked incredulously.  “Sound it out?  Yes of course, how marvelous.  Just sound it out.  I never thought of that.  Thank you, Mrs. Peterson.  Oh thank you so very much.  I’m sounding out every word as I read, and I can’t seem to sound out this word, so I just need to sound it out.  That’s brilliant advice Mrs. Peterson!”  

	“That’s right, dear,” Mrs. Peterson replied patiently. “Sound it out.”

	“But here’s the conundrum, Mrs. Peterson,” little Timmy said angerly. “I’ve spent the last two years of my life learning how to sound out words.  I’ve been sounding out nonsense words and words on lists for two stink’n years.  I’ve learned how to syllabify words, and I know the six syllable types.  I know all about diphthongs, consonant diagraphs, and r-controlled vowel spellings.  I can even blend, segment and manipulate syllables in multi-syllabic words and sounds in five-phoneme words, including consonant blends.  I know all this stuff, Mrs. Peterson.  And I’m sounding out words just like you taught me, and yet here we are.  I find myself in a situation.  There’s a word that I can’t sound out, and you’re asking me to sound it out.  That’s doesn’t make sense, does it Mrs. Peterson.  Does that make any sense at all? Is this like a Buddhist koan?  Like what’s the sound of one hand clapping?  Is it that sort of thing?”

Okay, I lied. This isn't a true story.  But you get the point.  Phonics is important, but if that’s all you’re teaching, you limit students’ ability to recognize words and create meaning with print.  And that is the end goal – to create meaning, not to fill out phonics worksheets, or pass end-of-unit tests, or sound out words in isolation