The Science of Reading is kind of like the old “Hooked on phonics!” However you feel about this new trend, it is taking over schools! While this can be overwhelming, you can modify your instruction to teach the science of reading.
Why Teach the Science of Reading
The Science of Reading refers to a body of research that is related to how the brain learns to read. While it is a buzzword in the education world, which can make it seem like a burden, it has been proven to work. Plus, the research had some valid points. No matter how much sense it can make, it can still be difficult to swallow what seems like another trend.
But, you have no need to fear. I know this can be overwhelming, but stop and take a breath. You are probably wondering where to start? I have five quick changes you make to modify your instruction to teach the science of reading.
1. Directly Teach Phonics
One of the most important parts to teaching the Science of Reading is teaching phonics. It’s important that you teach phonics explicitly in the classroom daily. How you choose to teach phonics daily is up to you and what makes sense in your classroom. Some teachers prefer whole group while others like small group.
When you are explicitly teaching phonics, you want to have a specific scope and sequence you follow. I like to use my phonics scope and sequence which you can download for free. This resource matches up skills that are outlined in common core curriculum. If this isn’t a resource you’re interested in, any commercial program will work to. The point is, to teach the science of reading, you need to make sure you directly teach phonics.
2. Use Decodable Readers
In the past, we have always used leveled texts to teach students how to read. While these are great, they tend to have a pattern. When there is a pattern, students start to learn that instead of learning how to decode the words. When you teach the science of reading, it’s important to put those phonics skills to decode words. To do this, all you need is decodable readers. You can get decodable readers from my low-cost reading program.
3. Have Daily Phonemic Awareness Instruction
When you teach the science of reading, it’s so important to make sure you are always practicing phonemic awareness. Whether you are doing this for a few minutes in the morning meeting, a bell ringer, or in small group lessons, it’s important that you teach phonemic awareness daily. By teaching it daily, you are getting into the habit of teaching phonemic awareness and you’ll never miss it.
4. Intentionally Build Vocabulary and Oral Language
As someone who has always had ELL learners, this building vocabulary and oral language is second nature to me. I am always providing background vocabulary because I cannot assume they know the words I am using. I have discovered even my native English speakers often have a limited vocabulary as well, so it benefits everyone.
So how do you get vocabulary and oral language practice in? By practicing with these activities:
- Have weekly vocabulary words for the topics your teaching or from read alouds.
- Use daily Turn and Talks to build up their oral language and listening skills.
- Try Stop and Chats. I do this with students after lunch. This is usually just about how their day is going or I might ask a leading question like “Did anyone learn something surprising today?”
- Ask open ended questions during class and allow time for discussion after doing a read aloud.
- Use Decodable Vocabulary. One problem with decodable texts is the word choices are sometimes rare in English. You can use these as a vocabulary word.
When you are building these activities into your daily routine, you will never forget to do them.
5. Shake Up How You Teach Sight Words
One thing to consider about sight words and words that we have considered high-frequency words are actually decodable. So, there are only a few parts that students need to memorize. If you do phoneme mapping or orthographic mapping when you introduce words, it helps the kids focus on the sounds. You can learn more about how I do phoneme mapping in my class here!
The science of reading isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Learning how to teach the science of reading without overhauling your whole classroom is incredibly important because this is more than a trend. By using these five simple tips, you’ll be able to implement the science of reading into your classroom with ease.
