The Science of Reading

from “The Science of Reading (A Response to the New York Times”, by David Hurford, the IDA Examiner Vol 9, Issue 1 https://dyslexiaida.org/the-science-of-reading-a-response-to-the-new-york-times

It is encouraging that the New York Times showed an interest in the very important issue of reading failure. It is critically important that everyone understands that a third of U.S. students do not read at the Basic Level, which represents a rudimentary ability to read, and that nearly two-thirds of our students do not read at the Proficient Level. And, although we would all agree that we need to do better, not everyone knows that we have the ability to do better right now.   

Unfortunately, most of those who train pre-service teachers to teach reading are not using the scientific data that should be directing their pedagogy. 

It needs to be strongly pointed out that the “Science of Reading” is not a methodology or system designed to teach reading. The Science of Reading, just like any other specific application of science, is a process that helps scientists discover the essence of reality. That is, the Science of Reading is everything that is known about reading, including how it should be taught.   

More Than Phonics

In short, the Science of Reading is much more than just phonics. Phonics is only one component among many that must be taught to individuals learning to read. Phonics simply describes the relationship between the sounds of a language and how they are visually represented by symbols or letters. One of the important components of reading an alphabetically based writing system, such as English, is learning this code and how to use it.

However, the Science of Reading includes much more than learning this code, and it does not and has never suggested that phonics should be the sole method used to teach reading—phonics instruction in isolation is insufficient. The Science of Reading also includes the genetic and neurological bases of reading, the components of reading; phonological processing, sound-letter correspondences, decoding, synthesizing, word recognition, spelling, comprehension, writing systems and their influence on reading issues, how to teach reading, how to teach reading to struggling readers, and everything else related to reading.

The strategies that the Science of Reading have identified help all children, those with dyslexia, those who struggle to learn to read, and those who do not struggle to learn to read. So, why are we not using these processes? This is not only frustrating for parents, but also for the scientists who have studied and determined the best strategies to teach reading, legislators who are now writing laws to help children become competent readers, teachers who want to teach their students to read and, most importantly, children who are struggling to learn to read.

Becoming a Competent Reader

The first step is to guide the child through the process of the mechanics of reading; sound-letter correspondences, decoding, synthesizing, word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, etc. If teachers are taught how to teach their students with the mechanics of reading and structured literacy, reading failure rates plummet. Once a student fully understands how to use the code, he or she will be on the path to becoming a competent reader. It is a challenging journey, but it is a journey that will lead to learning to read. Collectively, our goal is to help children become competent readers; using the scientific basis for teaching reading is how we will make this happen.

What is Common Core?

To ensure all students are ready for success after high school, the Common Core State Standards establish clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do in math and English language arts from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The standards were drafted by experts and teachers from across the country and are designed to ensure students are prepared for today’s entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses, and workforce training programs. The Common Core focuses on developing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills students will need to be successful. Forty-one states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the standards.

Read about Colorado State Standards  . . .

Adolescents: Web-based Resources

21st Century Skills
www.p21.org

Alliance for Excellent Education
www.all4ed.org

Alliance for Excellence in Education
www.all4ed.org/adolescent_literacy/

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

www.gatesfoundation.org

Center on Instruction

www.centeroninstruction.org

Classroom Modeling with Anita Archer

www.scoe.org/pub/htdocs/archer-videos.html

Dylan Wiliam and Formative Assessment

www.dylanwiliam.net

The Education Alliance at Brown University

http://knowledgeloom.org/adlit/index.jsp

The Education Trust

www2.edtrust.org

Marzano’s Instructional Strategies

https://www.teachthought.com/learning/marzanos-9-instructional-strategies-graphic/

International Reading Association

www.reading.org

International Reading Association’s Position Statement on Adolescent Literacy

https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/supporting-young-adolescents-position-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=f84ea18e_6

 

 

Learning First Alliance

www.learningfirst.org

Literacy Matters

www.literacymatters.com

National Center on RTI

www.rti4success.org

National Staff Development Center

www.nsdc.org

NCTE Adolescent Literacy

www.ncte.org\

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

www.nichd.nih.gov

PA Standards Aligned System

www.pdesas.org

Reading Next

www.all4ed.org/publications/

RTI Action Network

www.rtinetwork.org/

Scholastic Adolescent Literacy Resource Center

https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/featured-shops/adolescent-literacy.html

SEDL: Building Reading Proficiency at the Secondary Level

http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/txcc12.html

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

www.sedl.org/reading/framework/assessment.html

 

Adolescent Literacy

Truths about Adolescent Literacy

  • Adolescence is not too late to intervene.  Interventions do benefit older students.
  • Older students with reading difficulties benefit from interventions focused at both the word and text level.
  • Older students with reading difficulties benefit from improved knowledge of word meanings and concepts.
  • Word-study interventions are appropriate for older students struggling at the word level.
  • Teachers can provide interventions that are associated with positive effects.
  • Teaching comprehension strategies to older students with reading difficulties is beneficial.
  • Older readers’ average gains in reading comprehension are somewhat smaller than those in other reading and reading-related areas studied.
  • Older students with learning disabilities (LD) benefit from reading intervention when it is appropriately focused.

Scammacca et al., 2007

Effective Reading Instruction

from The International Dyslexia Association, “Effective Reading Instruction”, www.dyslexiaida.org/effective-reading-instruction/

The most difficult problem for students with dyslexia is learning to read. Unfortunately, popularly employed reading approaches, such as Guided Reading or Balanced Literacy, are not effective for struggling readers. These approaches are especially ineffective for students with dyslexia because they do not focus on the decoding skills these students need to succeed in reading.

What does work is Structured Literacy, which prepares students to decode words in an explicit and systematic manner. This approach not only helps students with dyslexia, but there is substantial evidence that it is more effective for all readers.

Structured Literacy instruction is marked by several elements:

Phonology. Phonology is the study of sound structure of spoken words and is a critical element of Structured Language instruction. Phonological awareness includes rhyming, counting words in spoken sentence, and clapping syllables in spoken words. An important aspect of phonological awareness is phonemic awareness or the ability to segment words into their component sounds, which are called phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a given language that can be recognized as being distinct from other sounds in the language. For example, the word cap has three phonemes (/k/, /ă/, /p/), and the word clasp has five phonemes (/k/, /l/, /ă/, /s/, /p/).

Sound-Symbol Association. Once students have developed the awareness of phonemes of spoken language, they must learn how to map the phonemes to symbols or printed letters. Sound-symbol association must be taught and mastered in two directions: visual to auditory (reading) and auditory to visual (spelling). Additionally, students must master the blending of sounds and letters into words as well as the segmenting of whole words into the individual sounds. The instruction of sound-symbol associations is often referred to as phonics. Although phonics is a component of Structured Literacy, it is embedded within a rich and deep language context.

Syllable Instruction. A syllable is a unit of oral or written language with one vowel sound. Instruction includes teaching of the six basic syllable types in the English language: closed, vowel-consonant-e, open, consonant-le, r-controlled, and vowel pair. Knowledge of syllable types is an important organizing idea. By knowing the syllable type, the reader can better determine the sound of the vowel in the syllable. Syllable division rules heighten the reader’s awareness of where a long, unfamiliar word may be divided for great accuracy in reading the word.

Morphology. A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in the language. The Structured Literacy curriculum includes the study of base words, roots, prefixes, and suffixes. The word instructor, for example, contains the root struct, which means to build, the prefix in, which means in or into, and the suffix or, which means one who. An instructor is one who builds knowledge in his or her students.

Syntax. Syntax is the set of principles that dictate the sequence and function of words in a sentence in order to convey meaning. This includes grammar, sentence variation, and the mechanics of language.

Semantics. Semantics is that aspect of language concerned with meaning. The curriculum (from the beginning) must include instruction in the comprehension of written language.

Structured Literacy is distinctive in the principles that guide how critical elements are taught:

Systematic and Cumulative. Structured Literacy instruction is systematic and cumulative. Systematic means that the organization of material follows the logical order of the language. The sequence must begin with the easiest and most basic concepts and elements and progress methodically to more difficult concepts and elements. Cumulative means each step must be based on concepts previously learned.

Explicit Instruction. Structured Literacy instruction requires the deliberate teaching of all concepts with continuous student-teacher interaction. It is not assumed that students will naturally deduce these concepts on their own.

Diagnostic Teaching. The teacher must be adept at individualized instruction. That is instruction that meets a student’s needs. The instruction is based on careful and continuous assessment, both informally (for example, observation) and formally (for example, with standardized measures. The content presented must be mastered to the degree of automaticity. Automaticity is critical to freeing all the student’s attention and cognitive resources for comprehension and expression.

References

Brady, S. (2011). Efficacy of phonics teaching for reading outcomes: Implications from Post-NRP research.  In S. Brady, D. Braze, & C. Fowler (Eds.), Explaining individual differences in reading (pp. 69–96), London: Psychology Press.

Denton, C. A., Fletcher, J. M., Taylor, W. P., Barth, A. E., & Vaughn, S. (2014). An experimental evaluation of Guided Reading and explicit interventions for primary-grade students at-risk for reading difficulties. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 7(3), 268–293.

Ehri, L., Nunes, R. S., Stahl, S., & Willows, D. (2001). Systematic phonics instruction helps students learn to read: Evidence from the National Reading Panel’s meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 71, 393–447.

Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C. A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from the NCEE website: http://whatworks.ed.gov

Kilpatrick, D. (2015). Essentials of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

McCardle, P., & Chhabra, V. (Eds.). (2004). The voice of evidence in reading research. Baltimore, MD, Paul H. Brookes.

National Early Literacy Panel (NELP). (2008). Developing early literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child and Human Development.

Seidenberg, M. (2017). Language at the speed of sight: How we read, why so many can’t, and what can be done about it. New York: Basic Books.