Big Five of Reading

In 1997, Congress appointed a National Reading Panel (NPR) to review reading research and determine the most effective methods for teaching reading. The NRP reviewed over 100,000 studies and analyzed them to see what techniques actually worked in teaching children to read. They concluded that there were five essential components to reading, known as “The Big Five:” The Five essential components include: explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, systematic phonics instruction, techniques to increase fluency, explicit vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension. In 2000 the NRP submitted their final report. The results became the basis of the federal literacy policy at that time, which included “No Child Left Behind.” We still base our understanding of evidence-based reading research on the National Reading Panel Report. Click here to review the National Reading Panel Report.