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In 2023, the WRDSB launched its Structured Literacy Multi-Year Plan as a commitment to students and families to change our approach to teaching reading in both elementary and secondary panels.
Reading Instruction is a cross-curricular endeavor. This page contains background information and supports for all teachers to incorporate reading instruction in all courses. For more in-depth supports for English teachers or reading support teachers, click the Learn More section to the right.
LEARN MORE
LEARN MORE
WRDSB GUIDE TO Language Foundations: Reading & Writing for Highschool Educators (this resource is available to WRDSB educators only)
On this site: READING INSTRUCTION: APPROACHES
On this site: READING INSTRUCTION: ASSESSMENT
WHY READING INSTRUCTION MATTERS
WHY READING INSTRUCTION MATTERS
Learning to read is a basic and essential human right.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission's inquiry into students' learning about reading found significant areas of concern. The inquiry concluded that evidence-based approaches to reading instruction are essential to support students so that disadvantages are not perpetuated and instead foundational reading skills are explicitly taught to ensure students continue to develop as readers.
We must embed reading instruction throughout all years of a student's education because reading proficiency shapes the trajectory of a student's life. It is imperative that all students graduate as proficient readers so that any pathway they wish to pursue is open to them. All educators, therefore, need to be reading and writing teachers.
"Our education system has a responsibility and a legal duty under the Ontario Human Rights Code to remove any barriers that limit students’ opportunities to learn and succeed. The findings and recommendations in [Right to Read: Public inquiry into human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities] are a matter of overall equity in education." (Excerpt from the Executive Summary of the Right to Read Report by the Ontario Human Rights Commision, February 2022, accessed June 2023)
MODELS OF READING INSTRUCTION
MODELS OF READING INSTRUCTION
Learning to read requires the development of several skills in order to become a reader with strong comprehension. The following are two models that can help visualize what becoming a skilled reader involves.
MODEL 1
MODEL 1
According to Effective Early Reading Instruction: A Teacher's Guide, strong reading comprehension is achieved through connections between, and explicit instruction about, oral language and word fluency (involving decoding).
MODEL 2:
MODEL 2:
Scarborough's Reading Rope illustrates a more complex view of the skills that proficient readers possess to blend the skills of word recognition with language comprehension. It demonstrates that these skills are interconnected and interdependent and become stronger and more automatic with regular practice.
WORD STUDY ROUTINES FOR EVERY CLASSROOM
WORD STUDY ROUTINES FOR EVERY CLASSROOM
Because every discipline has its own unique vocabulary, questions, texts and conventions, students are required to navigate content and demonstrate their learning using reading and writing skills.
Secondary students need reading support. All students need explicit instruction for learning and using new, subject-specific vocabulary, generating ideas, engaging with text, and reflecting and developing their reading comprehension skills. Explicit and regular reading instruction benefits all learners as they continue to grow as readers.
Each of the routines and activities in this resource can be used in any subject area to help build discipline-specific literacy, vocabulary, and background knowledge. It is important to use the routines regularly and to connect them to the learning of the day.
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