A new approach to teaching children to read has been implemented in schools across the country, and educators have seen dramatic improvements in results.
Known as the “science of reading,” this approach to teaching literacy emphasizes phonics, which breaks down words into their individual sounds, teaching children to decode words rather than memorize them.
A recent National Assessment of Educational Progress A report has revealed that a significant number of fourth graders in the United States struggle with reading comprehension. Specifically, 65% cannot read at grade level.
This disparity is even more pronounced among students of color: 80% of Hispanic fourth graders and 84% of Black fourth graders are below grade-level expectations.
After decades of educational debate and experimentation with various literacy techniques outside of phonics, there is a growing consensus among researchers, educators, and classroom teachers that the science of reading is a promising solution for improving early literacy outcomes.
A new approach to teaching children to read has been implemented in schools across the country, and educators have seen dramatic improvement in reading comprehension scores.
Known as the “science of reading,” this approach to teaching literacy emphasizes phonics, which breaks down words into their individual sounds, teaching children to decode words rather than memorize them.
In addition to Covid lockdowns exacerbating the decline in reading skills, the push for “comprehensive language learning” during the 1980s contributed to the overall decline in reading comprehension skills, for example. KHO.
“Whole language learning” is a method that encourages students to identify whole words rather than relying solely on the pronunciation of individual letters. By using visual clues such as pictures and analyzing the context of a sentence, students can determine the appropriate word to use.
However, this teaching method has been criticized for its limited effectiveness in teaching students to decode unknown words.
Angelique Schoorens, a special education teacher who bears the name Finally an EdED She has been teaching on TikTok for 14 years. She said she blames the widespread adoption of Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study model, which is based on the whole-language approach, for the education crisis that exists today.
“The units of study almost completely eliminated the phonics and phonemic awareness components of reading instruction in favor of using visual sequencing,” Schooners said. “What this means in practice is an entire generation of students who were never taught to decode correctly and therefore cannot correctly read content-level words consisting of more than one syllable.”
‘This manifests itself as a seventh grader who can’t read a two- or three-syllable word from his science textbook because he doesn’t understand that EA together makes a long E sound.
‘In turn, that affects their spelling skills and also makes them reluctant readers because they don’t know how to decode properly.’
In addition to Covid lockdowns exacerbating the decline in reading skills, the push for “comprehensive language learning” during the 1980s contributed to the overall decline in reading comprehension skills.
‘Comprehension is very important, but you also have to know how to read the words on the page in front of you.’
The teacher concluded that the Units of Study model has harmed students by neglecting phonics instruction and leading to unnecessary referrals to special education.
‘Students who might not have required specialized reading instruction if they had been taught a phonics-based program have been referred to special education for years, not because of a disability, but because of poor instruction.’
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