Phonics and Decoding • Because the English language uses letters to represent sounds in words, phonics instruction (instruction that focuses on the ability to connect the sounds of spoken language to printed letters) can unlock “a large portion of the system of English orthography” (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005, p. 367). • Decoding is the process of seeing a written symbol and being able to say what sound it represents (Adams, 1990; NICHD, 2000). • Decades of research show that kindergarten to sixth-grade students who receive explicit, systematic phonics instruction (instruction that follows a specified scope and sequence and teaches letter identification, letter-sound correspondence, major sound spellings of consonants, short and long vowels, vowel and consonant digraphs, and blends of letter sounds) are better able to decode, spell, and read than peers who did not receive explicit, systematic phonics instruction (Foorman et al., 2016; Henbest & Apel, 2017; NELP, 2008; NICHD, 2000; Steinbrink et al., 2014; Torgesen et al., 2018). • Teaching students how to read words systematically from left to right by blending, chunking, sounding out letter sounds, teaching high-frequency words, teaching encoding (the ability to determine the spelling of a word based on the sounds in the word) creates a learning advantage for students (Castles et al., 2018; Foorman et al., 2016; Hudson et al., 2012; NICHD, 2000). • Children who read decodable texts apply their decoding skills more often and are more accurate, successful readers than students who do not read decodable texts (Buckingham, 2018; Cheatham & Allor, 2012; Foorman et al., 2016; Hiebert, 1999; Mesmer et al., 2012; Parker et al., 2022; Stahl, 2011). • Reading decodable texts in a sequence that helps students progressively build upon and practice increasingly complex phonics skills is particularly important (Adams, 2009; Harmon & Wood, 2018) and can help reinforce student’s alphabetic knowledge and improve skills related to word identification, phonemic awareness, spelling acumen, and reading fluency (Beverly et al., 2009; Cheatham & Allor, 2012). • As soon as students can recognize and read most words in a decodable text with automaticity (e.g., fluency), they should move on to progressively more challenging texts (Adams, 2009; Harmon & Wood, 2018). • While word decoding is more salient for younger readers’ comprehension, oral language is more important for skilled readers. (Ouellette & Beers, 2010; Storch & Whitehurst, 2002; Vellutino et al., 2007). As a child progresses to higher grades, they rely on their reading skills for content across the curriculum, magnifying the impact of any reading difficulties. These developmental changes mean that oral language becomes increasingly essential for reading comprehension from middle childhood onward (Foorman et al., 2015).
SCHOLASTIC LITERACY FRAMEWORK EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
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