The Science of Reading - HOW and WHY We Teach Reading

What is the Science of Reading?

In the Malden Public Schools, we are implementing our new curricula, Amplify (the 'WHAT') based on our evolving understanding of the Science of Reading and how the brain learns to read (the 'HOW'). While researchers have time and again noted how complex the task of reading is, the following equation below, often known as 'The Simple View of Reading', provides an introduction to the component needed in order to learn how to read.

In this equation,

Just as with any equation, anything multiplied by 0 will equal 0. That is, a student may be able to sound out and read words on a page, but if they do not have the background knowledge of the vocabulary and content meaning of what they are reading, they will not be able to fully comprehend the text. Conversely, a student may have the background knowledge and vocabulary associated with the text they are reading, but if they can not map the sounds to the letters on the page and blend them into words, they will also not be able to comprehend the text. Therefore, it is critical that we instruct students on BOTH parts of this equation, in every classroom, every day, and even to a certain degree, in every grade-level.

Components of Decoding/Word Recognition

Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness (PA) is the understanding that words are made up of multiple sounds blended together. PA is made up of a group of skills, such as being able to identify words that rhyme, counting the number of syllables in a name, recognizing alliteration, segmenting a sentence into words, and identifying the syllables in a word. The most sophisticated — and last to develop — is called phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness skills include blending, segmenting, adding, deleting, and manipulating individual sounds in words.

A child's skill in phonological and phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty. In Malden, we provide students with PA instruction during the 'Skills' portion of the Amplify CKLA curriculum, and in Grades 3+ as needed through literacy supports/interventions. (Reading Rockets)

Phonics

Phonics refers to the alphabetic principle, which is the idea that letters (i.e. graphemes) represent the sounds of spoken language. Phonics instruction should be both systematic (i.e. the letter-sound relationship is taught in an organized and logical sequence), and explicit (i.e. the letter-sound relationships are directly, without room for exploration/possible misunderstanding). Children are taught, for example, that the letter n represents the sound /n/, and that it is the first letter in words such as nose, nice and new. When children understand sound–letter correspondence, they are able to sound out and read (decode) new words. In Malden, we provide students with explicit, systematic Phonics instruction in K-2 through the 'Skills' portion of the Amplify CKLA curriculum and in Grades 3+ as needed through literacy supports/interventions. (Reading Rockets)

Sight Recognition/Orthographic Mapping

Orthographic mapping is the process that all successful readers use to become fluent readers. Through orthographic mapping, students use the oral language processing part of their brain to map (connect) the sounds of words they already know (the phonemes) to the letters in a word (the spellings). They then permanently store the connected sounds and letters of words (along with their meaning) as instantly recognizable words, described as “sight vocabulary” or “sight words”. (Keys to Literacy)

Fluency

Fluency is the bridge between the decoding/word recognition and the language comprehension aspects of reading comprehension. Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read. Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly, with expression, and their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking. Conversely, readers who have not yet developed fluency read slowly, word by word. Their oral reading is choppy. In Malden, we provide countless opportunities each day for students to practice their fluency with both grade-level texts and texts at their instructional level. Fluency practice occurs mainly during the ELA/Literacy block, although it is also practiced in the other content areas. (Reading Rockets)

Language Comprehension

Background Knowledge

Background knowledge is a crucial component to reading as it can greatly aid comprehension. It is important to build background knowledge about the word to even our youngest learners. Before students can read texts independently, they can be read aloud to in order for them to build their background knowledge about a particular topic. As students become more independent readers, they can read numerous texts on the same topic (i.e. text sets) in order to develop increasing background knowledge on that particular subject. The more background knowledge a student has, the more likely they are to be able to connect the information in a text they are currently reading to information already stored in their long-term memory. (Reading Rockets)

In Malden, students are exposed to engaging, content-based units of study for numerous weeks at a time in order to develop the necessary background knowledge needed to master the content and comprehend complex, grade-level texts.

Vocabulary Knowledge

Vocabulary refers to the words we must understand to communicate effectively. Vocabulary plays a fundamental role in the reading process and is critical to reading comprehension, since readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean. Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written language - these are what we call 'Tier I' words. However, students learn other, more domain-specific words (Tier 2 and 3 words) through direct instruction. (PoWR)

In Malden, all students are provided with daily exposures to Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary through the content-rich Read-Alouds and texts within the Amplify curriculum. Furthermore, students have ample opportunities to engage in speaking and writing opportunities with their teachers and classmates in order to further store this vocabulary in their long-term memory.

Comprehension

Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really reading. Comprehension encompasses all the other components of reading. Skilled readers apply their background and vocabulary knowledge, coupled with the automatic decoding ability, to engage with new complex texts and tasks. (Reading Rockets)