What is The Science of Reading?
You may have heard talk about The Science of Reading from your child’s school or online. This instructional approach is the result of decades of research involving the brain and how humans learn to read. The main takeaway from the Science of Reading that parents need to know is that learning to read is not only a visual process, but most importantly a phonological (sound) process. I also wrote a blog post about phonological awareness.
The great thing about science is that it’s always changing. As a species, we are continually learning more and more about our amazing world. As the saying goes, “When we know better, we do better.” Within the last few decades, neuroscientists have discovered groundbreaking functions of the human brain. With all of this new information, we can better understand how our brains learn to read. The education community has shifted its approach given the new information we have learned… about learning!
Umm... What?
Think about how you’re reading this post right now. You’re likely using your eyes to take in the words and you’re also converting it into language in your head. You’re probably also hearing it in your own voice. Your amazing brain is doing all of this in milliseconds. For a long time, reading was thought of as simply memorizing words by sight because proficient readers appear to read by word. However, neuroscience has shown that phonology (sound) and orthography (letters that represent sounds) have been developed within the brain to the point where our word recognition is faster than lightning.
What does this mean for littles?
Whenever littles begin their reading journey, they need to have allllll of these components working together at the same time in order to read. It’s no wonder they’re exhausted when they come home from school! Their little brains are getting a major workout! It’s important to keep in mind that learning to read isn’t linear, meaning you don’t master specific skills in order. This is because language development is just as essential as word recognition. As a teacher, I’ve worked with kiddos with dyslexia that have outstanding language development and are able to compensate for their lack of word recognition skills and are able to “read.” Humans are naturally working on language development all the time. This is why I haven’t corrected my four-year-old calling it a “cup shoulder” instead of a “cup holder.” I know she’s going to figure it out eventually! I’m just trying to hold onto it as long as possible because it’s so darn cute. I don’t need to worry about correcting her on this now, because, at this age, her language develops so rapidly!
What does this mean for my littles at school?
Many states have mandated that teachers have adequate training through an approved program that trains teachers how to provide instruction based on the research for the Science of Reading. This includes emphasizing phonological instruction and connecting sounds to letters. Your child’s teacher could be a Science of Reading veteran or they could still be in the process of learning this information. And I will say, after several professional development sessions and 2 years of LETRS training, I am STILL trying to wrap my mind around all of this information. As a current teacher, I am constantly analyzing my instruction and my students to see what I can do to fill the gaps in my students’ literacy knowledge.
What can I do as a parent?
ENTER: Me! (She says in parentheses- any Hamilton fans out there?)
There are so many ways to support your child now that you know all the neuroscience about literacy. Just kidding- but you do know more than the average person now! I will also say this: Preparing a child to read should be a shared responsibility between teachers and parents. Notice I didn’t say teaching, but simply preparing. I think of it like a garden. A parent can prepare the soil for the seeds (reading at home, practicing letter sounds, playing rhyming games). A teacher plants the seeds (explicit and systematic instruction). Then the teacher will make sure there is adequate water and nutrition (repeated practice, assessments, observation) and a proper environment (feedback and positive reinforcement). When it’s time, the flowers will bloom (word recognition) and flourish (comprehension). Seeds stand a significantly greater chance of thriving when planted in well-prepared soil.
The purpose of this blog is to equip parents with the knowledge and resources so their child is prepared for reading instruction. So come along for the ride!
Let's bust some myths!
MYTH: The Science of Reading is a curriculum that is marketed towards teachers and schools.
FACT: The Science of Reading is not a curriculum. It is a systematic approach for teaching reading that emphasizes the importance of solidifying foundational skills involving the sound-letter connection. Many curriculum companies are focusing on the Science of Reading, but no one “owns the market” on it.
MYTH: The Science of Reading is new. It is the new swing of the metaphorical pendulum in education.
FACT: The body of research involving the brain is more recent, but the focus on foundational skills is not new. Do you remember the commercials for Hooked on Phonics or maybe even used it in the 90s? They knew the best way to teach children to read was to focus on the letter-sound connection. I have never used Hooked on Phonics personally, so I cannot comment on its effectiveness or its contents, but I do remember that the commercials promised that kids would learn to read. Notice it wasn’t called Hooked on Vocabulary or Hooked on Comprehension. That’s because it’s no secret that strengthening a child’s phonics (letter-sound connection) skills has a direct impact on their reading ability.
MYTH: The Science of Reading is only important for teachers and schools to know about.
FACT: The Science of Reading is something parents need to know about because so much of language development happens before they even step foot inside a school setting! There are many things parents can do to prepare their child for reading.
The Takeaways
The Science of Reading is the result of decades of research involving neuroscience, linguistics, and literacy.
Research shows that children need explicit and systematic instruction in phonics in order to master reading
Reading isn’t memorizing words by sight. It involves many processes in the brain primarily involving sound (phonological processing).
Parents are able to introduce many pre-reading skills even before a child steps into a school setting!