Comments on The Gunning Article
Several of you have focused a bit on the Gunning article that was assigned – "Word building: A strategic approach to the teaching of phonics".  Your comments are appropriate and show that you are reading critically.  As several people commented, the article did suggest an explicit approach to word building.  The demonstration is something fairly decontextualized and drill oriented.  The specific techniques employed in Gunning's article are not recommended or endorsed by Dr. Damico.  Indeed, Dr. Damico did not assign the article for the purpose of suggesting the strategies demonstrated.  Rather, the article was assigned because of three main points.  First, the focus is not on phonics but rather on the use of onset and rime.  This is a significant change over a number of other suggested techniques.  While the methods described are too "bottom-up", the focus is very appropriate (on the "natural psychological unit of the syllable" and not on individual sound-to-grapheme correspondences).  That is important.  Second, while the direct discussion by Gunning on strategies are mis-directed from a holistic perspective, I think that you can see how one might apply the principles of word awareness via onset and rime by taking Gunning's focus and then weaving this focus into the methodologies discussed by Freppon and Dahl.  Additionally, Cunningham's "Making Words" strategy (discussed within the dual lab on phonics) is both a better methodology and a more contextualized approach – she is not clear about the use of onset and rime but if you combine the focus from Gunning with the principles and techniques of Freppon and Dahl or the strategy discussed by Cunningham, you will be just fine and consistent with the "top-down", contextualized, and holistic philosophy.  Third, I formulated the reading list before I decided on the topics for the LAB and I had intended to use Gunning during the course lectures to "springboard" into the onset and rime focus.  The early lab on Phonics made that article no longer as relevant.

Remembrance of Things Past
With apologies to Marcel Proust, I find so many excellent reflections from the students that capture or strengthen some important concepts – and we all have such experiences.  So I like to share one or two each week.  Here, someone is writing about when she was in her "grammar school days":
       Tonight as you were lecturing about writing aloud it brought to mind an activity from my grammar school days.  I can't remember which grade or the teacher but I remember the teacher writing aloud as we learned to write our first letter in actual proper form.  The teacher used the black board and a giant easel as she taught us how to address envelopes, use proper headings and proper closings.  I remember it was a fun activity and I loved supplying ideas to include in our letter to a recent visitor as each of us offered our input.  Funny how it seems like such a clear memory – I just wish I could remember the grade and the teacher – She sure left a lasting impact with that engaging lesson, so much so that I'm writing about it 10 - 15 years later.

I agree.

Another Illustration of a Fine Point
Another student discussing the apparent lack of spontaneity and curiosity in some of her students because they have been drilled so much on "appropriate behavior" commented on that negatively and then wrote:
       Later on this evening I was driving down __________ toward _________.  It was 5:15, so the traffic had stopped.  Looking out the window I noticed 3 little boys, probably 9 or 10 years old.  They were staring intently at a plastic milk carton floating in the ditch.  (The ditch was full of water from this mornings's deluge).  They talked amongst themselves for a few seconds then the tallest boy – the one who still had his school uniform on, red shirt messily untucked from his pants – picked up the milk carton and smelled it.  All 3 boys crouched down and began scooping up ditch water and studying it.  As the traffic started moving and I drove away I thought about this natural curiosity and "scientific" inquiry the boys had.  Why does it have to be drilled and skilled out of them at school?  It made me sad and angry.

Excellent points.  Montessori and many others trumpet that native curiosity as prime aspects of success in learning.

Meaning-Making All Around Us
Relevant to our recent point about the meaning-making that has always gone on around us but that we tend to notice more now that we have learned what to recognize:

         __________ and her friends are soooo keyed in to literacy now.  Her friend Will is looking at Conners' plate and sees one carrot. "It says an ‘I'" says Will.  And then _________ says "Mommy make another letter."  She has 2 carrots so I make a ‘T' and Will and _______ chime "A ‘T'".  We continue making letters out of carrots for 3 or 4 more turns.  Do you think that the focused curiosity on print is due to achieving a level of confidence/mastery of oral language for a toddler's needs.  They are looking for new things to conquer and ways to grow up?

This is a good point. Natural meaning-making is second nature to human beings and so you certainly always see it.  Remember, however, that children have an innate tendency toward meaning making of all sorts – especially those ways demonstrated by adults.  They merely express it better and focus more conventionally now – but the process begins at birth.

A Brief "Biblical" Rewrite
With apologies to Paul of Tarsus, Jennifer T. (I will use her name since I asked) took a recent study of 2 Timothy 4:1-5 and modified it for our purposes.  Perhaps this tells us something about our need for "apostolic fervor":
         In the presence of .......... I give you this charge:
         2.  Instruct in appropriate reading pedagogy; being ready at all times whether
              convenient or not; challenge and correct persons using phonics alone and
              decontextualizing drill sheets.
        3.  Because George "Dubya" will be unable to read and therefore be swayed by poor
             research and for political gain, tell people what they want to hear.
        4.  People will stop reading to their children, good literature, and begin to play the
             phonics game.
         5.  Keep focused and spread good and correct information training good literature,
             good technique apostles.