The National Reading Panel Report summarized the five critical areas after several decades of scientific research.
Although there are many approaches to teaching the essential elements the most effect approach is called systematic and explicit instruction.
Systematic instruction means that all of the skills and concepts are taught in a planned and logically progressive sequence
Explicit instructions means that the teacher clearly states what is being taught.
Phonemic Awareness- the understanding that spoken words are made up of separate units of sound that are blending together when we speak.
Phonemic awareness is NOT a complete program of reading instruction. It is only a means by which our students come to understand that words are made up of individual sounds. It is important that we quickly teach another skill through phonics instruction; such as saying the letters of the alphabet and to say the sounds represented by letters. Phonemic awareness can provide a sound foundation for using the alphabetic principle to learn to read.
Phonics- a set of rules that specify the relationship between letters in the spelling of words and the sounds of spoken language.
Phonics instruction is the means by which we teach reading connected text. It progresses from recognizing letter-sound relationships to using relationships to read decodable connected text.
Fluency is recognizing the words in a text rapidly and accurately and using the phrasing and emphasis in a way that makes what is read sound like spoken language.
Proven forms of guidance to improve fluency:
- Telling the students unfamiliar words as they encounter them so they can focus on construction meaning and reading with fluency (Shany and Biemiller, 1995).
- Helping students group words in a sentence into meaningful phrases (Taylor, Wade, and Yekovich, 1985).
- Having students read along orally as the teacher or another fluent reader reads the story aloud (Rasinski, 1990)
- Using repeated reading with a taped-recorded version of the story (Blum, Koskinen, Tennant, Parker, Straub, and Curry, 1995).
Vocabulary- words we need to know to communicate with others.
Vocabulary should be taught directly even though a great deal of vocabulary is learned indirectly. Repeated exposure to new vocabulary is important and new words are learned more effectively in a rich context.
Comprehension is constructing meaning that is reasonable and accurate by connecting what has been read to what the reader already knows about the information.
Comprehension strategies are used to help students understand more of what they are reading. Although fluent decoding is an essential component of skilled reading, it should be a prerequisite to strong comprehension rather than an end in itself. Good readers apply comprehension strategies without being directed to do so; they have become self-regulated.
The five essential elements of reading represent ingredients that must be present in order for our students to learn to read. An effective teacher knows how to blend the elements together to meet the unique needs of individual students.
Learning Point Org. (2012). Retrieved from Learning Point Associates website: http://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/literacy/components.pd
Shany, M., & Biemiller, A. (1995). Assisted reading practice: Effects on performance for poor readers in grades 3 and 4. Reading Research Quarterly, 30(3), 382–395.
Taylor, N., Wade, M., & Yekovich, F. (1985). The effects of text manipulation and multiple reading strategies on the reading performance of good and poor readers. Reading Research Quarterly, 20(5), 566–574.
Rasinski, T. (1990). Investigating measures of reading fluency. Educational Research Quarterly, 14(3), 34–44.
Blum, I., Koskinen, P., Tennant, N., Parker, E., Straub, M., & Curry, C. (1995). Using audiotaped books to extend classroom literacy instruction into the homes of second-language learners. Journal of Reading Behavior, 27(4), 535–563.
The Five Essential Components of Effective Reading Instruction
Comprehension is constructing meaning that is reasonable and accurate by connecting what has been read to what the reader already knows about the information.