Learning To Read

Like all skills in life, learning to read is easier for some people than others. While some children do learn to read simply by observing another person do it, this is actually very rarely the case. Years of research have helped us to understand that most children require a systematic approach to literacy instruction.  Nancy Young has created the infographic below to help us understand just how different this learning journey can be for the learning population.

You'll notice that for 90-95% of the population, a structured literacy approach is likely valuable, and it is essential for at least half of our learners. Taking a structured approach therefore ensures your greatest likelihood of success.  

What is a structured literacy approach? Taking learning step by step and never requiring the learner to attempt demonstrating a skill when prerequisites are not yet in place. You can find more details on this approach here. 

Many of the prerequisite skills required for reading can be addressed at home. As you read through recommended titles to share with your little learners on this website, you will find suggestions on how to tap into some of these essential skills.    ​

Skill	Quick Explanation
Phonemic Awareness	Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound within a language. The ability to hear, distinguish and manipulate these sounds is called phonemic awareness.
Phonics	Phonics is the ability to match phonemes with graphemes (written symbols). For example, the phoneme /k/ might be written as c, k, or ck.
Fluency	Fluency is the ability to read text accurately with understanding, at an appropriate rate and with expression.
Vocabulary	Vocabulary describes the number of words an individual understands.
Comprehension	Comprehending the text is the ability to decode the words and interpret the meaning, or understand what is being expressed by the written material.

Use Any Story

The wonderful thing about reading instruction is that you can meet any child at their reading level, as soon as you understand the progression of these skills.