The Importance of Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction within Our  Literacy Framework

"The Simple View formula presented by Gough and Tunmer in 1986 is:

Decoding (D) x Language Comprehension (LC) = Reading Comprehension (RC)

The Simple View formula and supporting studies show that a student’s reading comprehension (RC) score can be predicted if decoding (D) skills and language comprehension (LC) abilities are known. Notice that D and LC are not added together to predict RC. They are multiplied. In the Simple View formula, the values of D and LC must be between 0 and 1 (or 0% and 100%). A score of 0 means no skill or ability at all and 1 indicates perfection. (Examples of how the formula works are presented later in this article.)

Gough and Tunmer (1986) proposed the Simple View of Reading to clarify the role of decoding in reading. Many educators did and still do believe that strong decoding skills are not necessary to achieve reading comprehension if language abilities are strong. Beginning and struggling readers are often taught to compensate for weak decoding by guessing an unfamiliar word based on the first letter or the picture, then asking themselves if the word makes sense after reading the sentence. In contrast, when decoding is the focus of instruction students are taught to sound out unfamiliar words using all the letters and to practice reading accurately until an adequate reading rate is achieved, along with accurate decoding.

This article discusses the following so that educators can take advantage of the Simple View of Reading to help all students achieve their maximum reading potential.

1. The Simple View formula makes clear that strong reading comprehension cannot occur unless both decoding skills and language comprehension abilities are strong.

• We must teach students to decode expertly as early as possible. When students can decode expertly, their reading comprehension capabilities equal their language comprehension abilities.

• We must provide students with strong content knowledge in many domains at all grade levels in order for them to develop adequate language comprehension abilities.

2. Intervention for struggling readers is effective only when it addresses the student’s specific weakness, which may be decoding, language comprehension, or both.

• Intervention instruction focused on developing content knowledge or comprehension strategies will benefit struggling readers only they have a weakness in language comprehension.

• Struggling readers of all ages can have decoding weaknesses; explicit instruction in decoding will be necessary to improve their reading comprehension.

3. Decoding and language comprehension skills are separable for both assessment and teaching, although both are required to achieve reading comprehension.

• Scores from reading comprehension (RC) assessments are not enough data to identify students’ whether a student’s specific area of weakness is D or LC (or both) with certainty.

• Assessment for students of all ages must supply enough information to specifically identify decoding skills and language comprehension abilities.

4. The Simple View of Reading is a mathematical formula with three variables. If we have two variables, the third can be estimated using the formula.

5. The Simple View of Reading is supported by scientific research." 

• -Linda Farrell, Michael Hunter, Marcia Davidson, Tina Osenga - Reading Rockets www.readingrockets.org/article/simple-view-reading 

Scarborough's Reading Rope

K-2 Literacy Framework

Click the picture below or the link below to view our updated

2024-2025 K-2 Elementary Literacy Framework.

Phon-Instruction for Beginning Readers

Click the link below to visit our Phonics/Word Study Workshop Curriculum to View Our Phonics Scope and Sequence and Our Resources for Phon-instruction 

D6 Phonics Word Study Workshop Resources 

Phonics Resources for Strategic Instruction

Phonics Care Kit

Phonics Care Kit Video 

A few things we’ve learned…  

• Pyramid for Phon-Instruction for Beginning Readers 

• Phonological / Phonemic Awareness is SUPER important.  That is the ability to manipulate parts of words or sounds in words (this is done without them seeing the letters). 

• See Video of Phonological/Phonemic Awareness 

The following cards should be used as a guide… you can use any words and do these tasks.  Also, spend about a minute per card, and work on about 5 cards at a time until the student(s) demonstrate mastery.  Add the next card as they are mastered.  

• Stepping Stone Cards - Best to use with Kindergarteners or new ML learners (Disclaimer: Don’t remain here too long maybe use with them the first half of Kindergarten Intervention, but students need to get to phoneme level. 

• Phonemic Awareness Cards - Can be used with ALL students that have Phonological Awareness concern.  

•              Sound Walls

• Phonics - Is the practice of putting the letters with the sounds.  Students will use their phonological awareness  to meld with their knowledge of letter names and letter sounds to blend and be able to read and write.  

• See Video of Using Elkonin Boxes at LOES 

  • Template for elkonin boxes

  • Video for how to use elkonin boxes

  • Video for how to use elkonin boxes for morphology

Here are some phonics activities for activities… 

FCRR Website 

• Click FCRR Student Center Activities 

  • Pre-Kindergarten

  • Kindergarten & 1st Grade 

  • 2nd & 3rd Grade 

  • 4th & 5th Grade 

University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI)Foundations of Literacy Toolbox

Implementing UFLI workshop 

Putting it All Together - Activities are GREAT, but if you are not connecting what the students are practicing to actual text… you are not maximizing your time or theirs!  What are some ways to maximize their time?

•   See Video of Using Phonics In Context of Small Group Instruction 

• Decodable texts - Flyleaf - New update includes some homework options

• Decodable passages - Wilson Passages

• Reading Universe Free Decodables

• Reading League Decodable Text List

• UFLI Decodable Text Guide

• UFLI Decodables All Skills

• Decodable sentences/passages that you have written.  - Project Read has a Decodable Stories Generator you can use to create your own decodable stories aligned to the skills you have taught.

Strategies to Support Differentiated Reading Instruction in Small Groups

Pre-Assessment

-Letter Names

-Letter Sounds

-*Fry Instant Words (Can use district HFW or word lists from classroom teacher)

-Informal Decoding Inventory

Planning 

-Basic Alphabet Knowledge (Pages 49-52) 6 Weeks- 2 Assessments

-Letter Sounds (Pages 52-53) 3 Weeks- 1 Assessment

-Letter Patterns (Pages 53-54) 3 Weeks- 1 Assessment

-Dictated Sentences (Pages 54-56) 

-Blends & Digraphs, R-Controlled Vowels (Pages 106-108) 6 Weeks- 1 Assessment

-VCe (Pages 108-109) 3 Weeks- 1 Assessment

-Vowel Teams (Pages 109-110)- 6 Weeks- 1 Assessment 

Post-Assessments & Follow Ups 

Assessments That Inform and Support Tiered Instruction

Phonemic Awareness Make and Take Strategies

In Spring of 2023, Camperdown Academy provided Phonological and Phonemic Awarness strategy training to our Kindergarten and First Grade teachers as well as our Academic Interventonists.  Please click the link below to view their presentation.  

August 1, 2023 Phonics PD with Camperdown Academy

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 Camperdown Academy provided an excellent pd focusing on going through step by step the components of an effective research-based phonics lesson plan using the LETRS lesson plan framework as well as best practices for teaching common phonics skills that can be tricky for our students including vowels, blends, digraphs, and irregular words.  Click the link below to view the presentation and the supplemental documents.