The science of reading refers to the body of research and understanding about how the human brain processes written language and how individuals learn to read. This field of study investigates the underlying processes involved in reading, including how we recognize letters, associate them with sounds (phonics), comprehend the meaning of words and sentences, and ultimately extract information from written text.
Key components of the science of reading include:
Phonological Awareness: This refers to the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken language. Phonological awareness lays the foundation for phonics, which involves connecting these sounds to letters and letter combinations.
Phonics: Phonics involves understanding the correspondence between letters or letter patterns and the sounds they represent. It's a crucial skill for decoding words while reading and encoding words while writing.
Vocabulary Development: A rich vocabulary is essential for understanding written text. Learning the meanings of words and their usage in various contexts enhances reading comprehension.
Fluency: Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression. Fluent readers can focus on understanding the content rather than struggling with individual words.
Comprehension: Reading comprehension involves deriving meaning from text. It includes making inferences, connecting ideas, and understanding the author's purpose and perspective.
Background Knowledge: A reader's prior knowledge and experiences play a significant role in understanding new information. Text comprehension is enhanced when readers can relate what they're reading to their existing knowledge.
Working Memory: Reading requires holding and manipulating information in working memory, allowing readers to process and connect different parts of the text.
Cognitive Processes: Cognitive processes such as attention, visual processing, and memory contribute to efficient reading. Understanding how these processes work together provides insights into effective reading strategies.
The science of reading has profound implications for education. Evidence-based practices that align with the findings from this field can improve literacy instruction. For example, the science of reading suggests that explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, systematic phonics instruction, vocabulary building, and comprehension strategies are essential for promoting strong reading skills. By understanding and applying the principles of the science of reading, educators and parents can better support individuals in becoming proficient and enthusiastic readers.
To foster these skills, parents can engage in activities that promote phonemic awareness (like rhyming games), encourage regular reading, provide access to a diverse range of books, discuss stories together, and create a supportive environment where reading is enjoyable and celebrated. By grasping these underlying principles, parents can play a pivotal role in nurturing their children's reading abilities and lifelong love for learning.
Our language arts curriculum is Lawrence is designed around the research and science of reading. We are transitioning to the Orton-Gillingham reading approach using the scope and sequence and materials from the Institute for Multisensory Education.
All of our K, 1 & 2 general education and K-5 Special Education teachers have attended the 30-hour IMSE Orton-Gillingham training.
All K-2 classrooms follow the scope and sequence for OG+ from IMSE
All 3, 4, 5 general education and special education teachers are currently being trained through the IMSE Morphology Plus 30-hour course and will be implementing the Morphology scope and sequence during the 24-25 school year.
What does your child learn each year in K-2 phonics? Below you can access the scope & sequence to help with practice and reinforcement of skills.
Around 3rd grade, there is a shift from learning to read to reading to learn. While many students may begin to read more for pleasure at this point, comprehension can be significantly affected because of the lack of vocabulary knowledge. Over half of the words students will encounter in texts will be multisyllabic. It is essential that students be taught prefixes, suffixes, and base words. Common Latin and Greek bases can be introduced after that. Breaking words down to the smallest units of meaning, called morphemes can help students build understanding and increase comprehension.
Check out these Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Resources for parents of students in third-grade and beyond:
Understand reading fluency and how to improve it in this IMSE blog series
Learn how morphology helps with vocabulary in this IMSE Blog post
Check out these ways to help your child build vocabulary
Visit our Orton-Gillingham resource site to learn more about dyslexia and resources to help you understand how your child may best learn to read.