The Reading Rope
For many children, learning to read is a challenging undertaking. The Reading Rope (image below), created by Dr. Hollis Scarborough, captures the essence of this task.
Image: In 2001, Dr. Hollis Scarborough created the Reading Rope to convey how the different “strands” of reading are all interconnected yet independent of one another. For many students, learning to read is a challenge. Scarborough's Rope captures the complexity of learning to read.
The Reading Rope consists of lower and upper strands. The word-recognition strands (phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition of familiar words) work together as the reader becomes accurate, fluent, and increasingly automatic with repetition and practice. Concurrently, the language-comprehension strands (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge) reinforce one another and then weave together with the word-recognition strands to produce a skilled reader. Learning to read requires instruction and practice over time.
To learn more about the Scarborough’s Reading Rope and to view a video description of the Rope, please visit the AIM Pathways website here: https://institute.aimpa.org/resources/readingrope.