5 Big Ideas of Reading Instruction
The National Reading Panel's analysis made it clear that the best approach to reading instruction is one that incorporates explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, systematic phonics instruction, methods to improve fluency, and ways to enhance comprehension.
The following is a summary of the panel's findings:
The Five Big Ideas in Reading Instruction: Findings of the NRP | ||
|---|---|---|
Concept | Description | Finding |
Means knowing that spoken words are made up of smaller parts called phonemes. Teaching phonemic awareness gives children a basic foundation that helps them learn to read and spell. | The panel found that children who learned to read through specific instruction in phonemic awareness improved their reading skills more than those who learned without attention to phonemic awareness. | |
Phonics Instruction | Phonics teaches students about the relationship between phonemes and printed letters and explains how to use this knowledge to read and spell. | The panel found that students show marked benefits from explicit phonics instruction, from kindergarten through 6th grade. |
Fluency means being able to read quickly, knowing what the words are and what they mean, and properly expressing certain words - putting the right feeling, emotion, or emphasis on the right word or phrase. Teaching fluency includes guided oral reading, in which students read out loud to someone who corrects their mistakes and provides them with feedback, and independent silent reading where students read silently to themselves. | The panel found that reading fluently improved the students' abilities to recognize new words; read with greater speed, accuracy, and expression; and better understand what they read. | |
Comprehension: Vocabulary instruction | Teaches students how to recognize words and understand them. | The panel found that vocabulary instruction and repeated contact with vocabulary words is important. |
Teaches specific plans or strategies students can use to help them understand what they are reading. | The panel identified seven ways of teaching text comprehension that helped improve reading strategies in children who didn't have learning disabilities. For instance, creating and answering questions and cooperative learning helped to improve reading outcomes. | |
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Teacher Preparation and Training | ||
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Comprehension: Teacher Preparation and comprehension strategies instruction | Refers to how well a teacher knows things such as the content of the text, comprehension strategies to teach the students, and how to keep students interested. | The panel found that teachers were better prepared to use and teach comprehension strategies if they themselves received formal instruction on reading comprehension strategies. |
Teacher Education in Reading Instruction | Includes how reading teachers are taught, how effective their methods of teaching reading are, and how research can improve their knowledge of teaching students to read. | In general, the panel found that studies related to teacher education were broader than the criteria used by the panel. Because the studies didn't focus on specific variables, the panel could not draw conclusions. Therefore, the panel recommended more research on this subject. |
To learn more about Big Ideas in Beginning Reading and the National Reading Panel’s research, please visit the University of Oregon webpage at this link: http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/ .