Science of Reading Strand
Explore the Science of Reading with the presentations and accompanying resources on this page.
List of Presentations
Dr. Anita Archer: The Science of Reading Meets the Science of Learning
Emily Hanford: Discovering the Science of Reading: A Reporter’s Story
Nancy Hennessy: Unraveling the Reading Rope: The Multifaceted Nature of Skilled Reading
Dr. Margie Gillis: One Teacher at a Time: Supporting Teachers’ Knowledge of the Science of Reading
Dr. Maria Murray and Dr. Heidi Beverine-Curry: An Introduction to a Simple View of Writing
Dr. Susan Hall: The Science of Reading: Why All the Fuss?
Nancy Young: Climbing the Ladder of Reading
Dr. Steven Dykstra: If We Are So Right, How Come So Many People Think We're Wrong?
Dr. Anita Archer: The Science of Reading Meets the Science of Learning
As we implement the Science of Reading to ensure that all students read accurately and fluently with good comprehension, we must draw from the Science of Instruction. In this keynote, Dr. Archer will discuss the critical variables in instruction: clear lesson purposes, structured lessons including demonstration, guided practice and checking for understanding, embedded formative assessment, active participation, effective feedback, and judicious practice. When these elements are consistently and effectively used, learning results.
Dr. Steven Dykstra: If We Are So Right, How Come So Many People Think We're Wrong?
We’re all so sure we’re right we haven’t taken the time to consider why we’re so darn sure. Learn how and when the reading wars started, why it isn’t really about science all that much, and why what you believe has a lot less to do with you than you probably think. If you can understand how we got here, you have half a chance to understand where “here” is.
There are no presentation handouts for this session.
Dr. Margie Gillis: One Teacher at a Time: Supporting Teachers’ Knowledge of the Science of Reading
Most teachers, even those who are content area teachers, are expected to teach reading skills to their students; however, the vast majority of these teachers are unsupported to accomplish this task. As a profession, we must consider how to better prepare and support teachers to teach reading. The session will explain how we coach teachers. Solutions will be proposed to address teachers’ need for substantive learning opportunities to apply the science of reading.
Dr. Susan Hall: The Science of Reading: Why All the Fuss?
What does the term “Science of Reading” mean? Use of the term is gaining momentum in the English-speaking countries, which makes it all the more important to be clear about what it really means. Dr. Hall will talk about the four different types of science concerning how reading occurs in the brain and reading instruction. She will also summarize the major insights about best instructional approaches and deepen participant’s knowledge about important terms including “phonemic proficiency” and “orthographic mapping.”
Emily Hanford: Discovering the Science of Reading: A Reporter’s Story
Emily Hanford has been an education reporter for more than a decade and she didn’t know anything about how children learn to read until a few years ago. In this keynote, Emily will tell the story of how she became interested in the science of reading and share what she’s learned from researchers, teachers, and parents across the country. It’s a shocking story about a huge gap between research and practice. But a hopeful story, too, because of what can be done to help more children learn to read better
Nancy Hennessy: Unraveling the Reading Rope: The Multifaceted Nature of Skilled Reading
Hollis Scarborough’s Reading Rope (2001) provides a powerful illustration of the multiple strands of proficient reading. This model identifies the critical competencies of word recognition and language comprehension and then, unravels each into contributing skills and processes. The strands of the rope directly inform our understanding of why some students succeed, why some struggle while providing necessary direction for effective instruction. This session will define the strands, examine their individual and collective contributions to skilled reading and surface connections to instructional practices.
Dr. Maria Murray and Dr. Heidi Beverine-Curry: An Introduction to a Simple View of Writing
Many are familiar with The Simple View of Reading, which shows us that in order to comprehend text as we read, both word recognition and language comprehension are necessary. This presentation will introduce a Simple View of Writing, revealing how both foundational writing skills (transcription) and text generation (composition) are necessary for skilled writing expression. How writing assessment and instruction are informed by a Simple View of Writing will be discussed. Alignments to the Scarborough Reading Rope and the International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards will be provided.
Nancy Young: Climbing the Ladder of Reading
Using her globally recognized "Ladder of Reading" infographic, Nancy will address the wide range of ease as children learn to read and the instructional implications of this continuum. While reviewing the components of reading instruction so essential for the many children who do not learn to read easily, she will suggest how learning about the structure of language can benefit children whose reading skills are advanced. In acknowledging the wide range of skills in many classrooms from kindergarten to grade 3, and in recognizing that no one step-by-step program will meet the learning needs of every student, she will share some ways to differentiate using examples that can be applied to any approach grounded in the reading science. During this session Nancy will be addressing the learning needs of children with the exceptionalities of dyslexia, gifted, and 2e (dyslexia and gifted).