whole language

American  

noun

1. a method of teaching reading in which reading is combined with listening, speaking, and writing practice, and literature is used to decode words in context.

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Other Word Forms

• whole-language adjective

Example Sentences

No, she did, she really did, groaning and grunting and rumbling—she had a whole language of her own!

From Literature

Phonics instruction gets kids in the door, then whole language comprehension needs to take over.

From The Wall Street Journal

These advocates have long been critical of alternative “whole language” approaches that rely heavily on the concept that children are more engaged when they learn to read with less emphasis on decoding words.

From Los Angeles Times

For decades, most school districts in California have been devoted to a different approach called “whole language” or “balanced literacy,” built on the belief that children naturally learn to read without being taught how to sound out words.

From Los Angeles Times

California embraced the whole language approach to literacy, which took hold in the 1970s and 1980s, said Susan Neuman, a New York University professor who served as assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education under former President George W. Bush.

From Los Angeles Times