How Should We Be Teaching Reading?

There are many different

theories about the 'correct'
way to teach reading skills to
your students. Recently, more
research has been done on
the concept of phonics as a
teaching method. What makes
this teaching strategy
effective?

The Science of Reading:

Phonics
Humans are born with the ability to
naturally learn to speak, however, reading
is not the same case. Three primary
regions of the brain are associated with
reading: phonological assembly,
phonological processor, and orthographic
processor. Phonological assembly refers to
the connection of letters and sounds. This
region of the brain must be built through
successful instructional strategies. The
phonological processor refers to
processing
processing sounds and the orthographic processor involves orthographic
mapping, a natural outcome of effective reading instruction. Teaching
phonemic awareness has been highlighted as an effective method for
teaching students to read. Phonemic awareness is awareness of spoken words'
smallest units of sound (phonemes) and recent research has shown that
learning phonics is easier than associating whole words with their meanings.
For effective instruction, we should be teaching phonemic awareness, fluent
text reading, vocabulary and reading comprehension, and the way that
educators approach instruction will depend on the child's development. The
methods we use to teach our students to read should be rooted in
understanding the connection between letters and sounds.

Articles Referenced:
1. The Science of Reading: Evidence for a New Era of Reading Instruction written by Laura Stewart
2. How Should Reading Be Taught? written by Keith Rayner, Barbara R. Foorman, Charles A. Perfetti, David Pesetsky and Mark S.
Seidenberg
How can I implement this in my classroom?
As research suggests, explicit and systematic instruction is important for introducing
phonics to your students. There are a variety of different ways that we can
implement phonics and teach phonemic awareness in a classroom. Here are some
ideas you can consider when you are implementing phonics in your classroom:
1) Modelled, Guided and Independent Practice
The teacher should explicitly teach the phonics concept and model it for their
students. The student will then be able to work on the phonics concept with some
guidance, eventually doing it independently.
2) Onset and Rime (Word Families)
Onset (beginning sound) and rime (ending sound) make it easier for students to
learn how to sound out words. Word families help students become familiar with a
sound, which can help them decode similar words.
3) Word Wall
A phonics word wall can help students remember and recognize the words they
have learned.
4) Games
Games that are related to phonics and phonemic awareness are a fun way for
students to practice what they have learned so far.
Because reading is not a natural process,
educators must consider the importance of
Why is this establishing a system for teaching reading that
includes explicit and systematic instruction. Early
important? instruction in phonemic awareness is important
because a 'prevention-based approach' is more
effective than intervention. Systematic instruction involves scope and sequence for
the skills being taught, beginning with less complex skills and a gradual increase in
complexity. Teaching any kind of literature in a classroom begins with students
having the skills associated with phonemic awareness and the ability to use their
knowledge of phonics when reading. Integrating these ideas in a classroom will
help students improve their reading skills and confidence with literature.

Maddie Zylstra