But the Word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” Isaiah 28:13, New King James Version
This is a curious Bible verse. Specifically the quote, “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little there a little,” is stated once earlier in Isaiah 28:10. The first time, it was spoken of in a sarcastic way by some drunkards who were making fun of the prophet Isaiah. They had been mocking him and asking themselves, “Who can Isaiah teach the Word of God to?” But in this portion of scripture, the Lord Himself uses those same words to recommend that this is the ideal way to teach the Word of the Lord. In the words of David Guzik, “It is a beautiful thing for God’s truth to be presented “precept upon precept…line upon line…here a little, there a little.” I agree with David Guzik.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” 1st Corinthians 14:40
I also believe that teaching phonics (even to the very young child or to the struggling student) should be taught in a decent and logical order. So combining these Biblical basics when phonics is taught “decently and in order” and “precept upon precept…line upon line…here a little, there a little,” is a beautiful thing.
Maybe that is why I love the growing complexity of the decagon that is depicted on the front of my Flashcards. If you have looked at all 10 Steps of “A Time for Phonics,” you will have noticed that one vertex is not completed on the Decagon. To me, the Decagon, with its radiant angles illustrates the connectivity of the previous steps, and it beckons an individual to learn another rule pertaining to the essentials of phonics
If an individual will build “precept upon precept…line upon line…here a little, there a little” his/her own understanding of these 10 Steps of Phonics, it will provide a tremendous advantage in learning how to read new and unfamiliar words. That person might even be inspired to learn more phonics.