TExES Science of Teaching Reading (293)

The landmark National Reading Panel report identified five essential components of reading instruction, often called the five pillars. These components are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. It is an auditory skill that does not involve print. Phonemic awareness is a strong predictor of reading success and can be taught through explicit instruction.

Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between letters and sounds and how to use these relationships to read and spell words. Systematic phonics instruction follows a planned sequence from simple to complex patterns.

Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with appropriate expression. Fluent reading is essential for comprehension because it frees cognitive resources that would otherwise be consumed by decoding.

Vocabulary knowledge includes understanding word meanings and the ability to use words appropriately. Vocabulary is taught through both direct instruction of specific words and strategies for learning words independently.

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading. Comprehension instruction teaches students strategies for constructing meaning from text, monitoring understanding, and responding to text in meaningful ways.

Structured literacy is an umbrella term for instructional approaches that teach reading systematically and explicitly. Structured literacy programs address phonology, sound-symbol association, syllable instruction, morphology, syntax, and semantics.

The hallmarks of structured literacy include explicit instruction, systematic and cumulative scope and sequence, diagnostic and responsive teaching, and multisensory techniques. Explicit instruction means that skills are taught directly with clear explanations and modeling. Systematic and cumulative means that instruction follows a logical sequence from simple to complex, with new learning building on previous learning. Diagnostic and responsive teaching means that instruction is individualized based on ongoing assessment. Multisensory techniques engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways simultaneously.

Structured literacy approaches are effective for all students and essential for students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. Orton-Gillingham–based approaches are the best-known examples of structured literacy.

Balanced literacy attempts to integrate components of whole language philosophy with systematic skills instruction. A typical balanced literacy classroom includes shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, read-alouds, word study, and writing.

Critics of balanced literacy argue that it often fails to provide sufficient explicit phonics instruction, particularly for struggling readers. The "three-cueing" system associated with balanced literacy encourages students to use picture clues, context clues, and initial letters to guess words rather than fully decoding them. Research indicates that this approach develops inefficient reading habits.

Teachers should understand that while balanced literacy classrooms may incorporate some evidence-based practices, the framework itself lacks strong research support. The science of reading emphasizes that explicit, systematic phonics instruction is essential and should not be optional or minimized.