What is the Science of Reading?

Learning to speak is a natural process for children. Learning to read is not.

The science of reading isn’t a curriculum or program, but an instructional approach that understands how the brain learns to read. No longer are we teaching children to “look at the pictures” or “choose a word that sounds right.” Instead, we are teaching them to “crack the code” for successful, skilled reading.

The science of reading is explicit and follows a careful scope and sequence. The science of reading has five key elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

• Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds. Phonics is the ability to connect those sounds to letters. Is your child able to connect speech to print?

• Fluency refers to accuracy, rate, and expression. Is your child reading accurately, at a good pace, and with appropriate feeling in their voice?

• Vocabulary refers to the words we understand and recognize in conversation or while reading. Does your child have a strong vocabulary?

• Comprehension is the ability to understand what we read. Does your child understand what he or she reads?

The video below highlights phonemic awareness and phonics!