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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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Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 12, 2026

But many teachers in the state disliked the more regimented approach, and when the funding ended, districts largely transitioned back to the whole language approach.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 2, 2025

The whole language game exists to conceal that contradiction.

From Salon Oct. 8, 2024

The teaching of reading has largely been framed as a battle between phonics and whole language.

From Scientific American Sep. 26, 2023

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

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

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