Teaching students to read is so much more than sitting them down in front of a book. It takes an intentional mix of explicit classroom lessons, individualized support, and family engagement to help children develop strong reading skills. But, how do we know what strategies will work best? Have you ever stopped to think about what brain science says about how children learn to read—and how that might make your teaching even more effective?
Staying up-to-date on the research behind how children learn to read can help you make informed decisions about classroom instruction. Educational research offers valuable insights about the neuroscience of reading and how educators can teach literacy more effectively.
What is the Science of Reading?
What exactly is the science of reading, and how can it inform classroom instruction?
In a Waterford.org presentation, literacy expert Julie Christensen, M. Ed., described the science of reading as “the body of research from neuroscience and education that helps us understand how the brain learns to read and how to deliver instruction that helps students learn to read most effectively.”[1]
The science of reading is not “a new idea, a passing fad, a preferred viewpoint, or a program,” Christensen said. Instead, it points to key learning principles and clear building blocks for literacy. The science of reading can shape the way teachers plan instruction.
Why the Science of Reading Matters
Most children learn to talk naturally, through exposure to spoken language. But the same is not true for learning to read.
Instead, “learning to read requires several years of intentional instruction,” Christensen said. [1]
How educators teach reading during the early years matters for a child’s lifelong academic success. Teachers can give their students a strong start by staying up-to-date on current literacy research, and then using those findings to inform their instruction.
How Do Children Learn to Read?
Learning to read literally changes the brain.
The brain’s reading network is formed in the left hemisphere. Specific areas process visual information and letter sounds. Other areas help retrieve the meanings and pronunciation of those words.
In non-readers and developing readers, those areas of the brain aren’t connected yet. When people learn to read, the brain forms neural pathways between the areas that work together to make reading possible.
Two instructional frameworks can help in understanding the science of reading.
The Simple View of Reading states that proficient reading comprehension is the product of word recognition skills and language comprehension skills.
Scarborough’s Reading Rope expands on the Simple View by outlining sub-areas within both word recognition and language comprehension.[2]
- Word recognition pinpoints phonological awareness, decoding and spelling, and sight recognition as important stepping stones.
- Language comprehension expands in the Reading Rope model to include background knowledge, vocabulary knowledge, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge.
These skills are woven together to help a student read automatically and strategically.
A systematic and intentional curriculum for teaching reading will use instructional strands that align with elements in the above reading frameworks.
For example, Waterford’s curriculum is designed around the following strands:
- Phonological Awareness
- Phonics
- Reading Fluency
- Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary
- Language Concepts
- Communication
These strands are aligned with the Simple View of Reading and with the essential components of reading as identified by the National Reading Panel.[1] Together, they are the key puzzle pieces for literacy development.
Understanding the science of reading helps us see clearly how to foster skill development for students who are learning to read. Frameworks such as Scarborough’s Reading Rope, which illustrates how skills are woven together to produce reading proficiency, point to instructional approaches that align with the way the brain’s reading network operates.
How to Use the Science of Reading in the Classroom
Now that we’ve hit on a few key ideas around the value of the science of reading, let’s discuss how you and educators in your district can stay informed and use that knowledge in your curriculum.
Waterford’s Science of Reading Resources page includes free ebook downloads, articles, and presentations centered on the science of reading. It’s a great starting place to keep up with the latest research to guide literacy strategies on a classroom, school, and district level.
For further reading, Waterford.org recommends the following books for in-depth study::
- Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers by Louisa Moats
- Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties by David A. Kilpatrick
- Reading in the Brain by Stanislas Dehaene
Additionally, search for professional development opportunities on the science of reading (like Waterford’s Science of Reading Resources page) including presentations, self-paced courses, or podcasts.
Read Waterford’s full Science of Reading article series and learn how to support your teachers with research-driven strategies as they plan for classroom instruction. Continue learning with the next three articles:
- How to Build Phonological Awareness Skills
- Phonics and Decoding for Elementary Students
- Understanding and Teaching Reading Fluency
Your students’ families are also key to reading development in young learners. Here’s a great Science of Reading playlist to share with families.
Finally, collaborate with other educators. Studying reading science by yourself can be overwhelming. Together, however, you can share what you’ve learned and brainstorm ways to put that knowledge to use.
Take a Deep Dive into the Science of Reading
Find on-demand video series led by early education experts through Waterford’s Science of Reading Webinar Library, featuring topics chosen with educators in mind like:
- An Overview of the Science of Reading: From Research to Instruction
- Phonological Awareness: The Structure of Spoken Language
- Professional Learning: Teaching the Science of Reading
- And more!
Download ‘Get Practical With the Science of Reading’
Download this free ebook to explore the latest research on the science of reading, methods to teach phonics and decoding skills, and more.
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Sources:
1. Christensen, J., Persch, K., & Esser, L. “An Overview of the Science of Reading.”Video from Waterford.org. Nov. 2021.
2. Christensen, J. “The Science of Reading: From Research to Instruction.” Waterford.org, April 2022.
Further reading:
Gough, P., & Tunmer, W. (1986). “Decoding, reading, and reading disability.” Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6–10.
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). “Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice.” In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy. New York: Guilford Press.