There are continuing debates about the best approach to teaching reading--phonics or whole language. The most valuable link to learning to read is phonological or phonemic awareness, as soon as the alphabetic system is mastered. After phonemic awareness has been established, students enter the orthographic stage where they can process longer strings of letters. Also important is a learning environment where students' anxiety should be kept low while they are motivated to read. Good teachers will arm their students with different tools to help them learn to decode words, including: using phonics, recognizing sight words, and using the context. The best way for beginning readers to become proficient readers is to read. There are many different paths that lead to creating successful, proficient readers. Beyond some phonics instruction, which has been deemed absolutely necessary, the way to nurture a beginning reader is left to the instructor. Whether a basal, language-experience or whole language approach is used, the result can be the same, proficient readers. It is important for the teacher to understand the evolution of beginning readers and give students the tools necessary to decode. (Contains eight references.) (CR)