Foundations of Reading Instruction

One of the most common areas that students will need support within the tiered processes of RtI or MTSS is reading. As an educator, even if you are not specifically a reading teacher, know that you are a teacher who teaches reading. Each teacher in every grade and in every subject teaches reading. It is important to understand the 5 components of learning how to read: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The National Reading Panel Report (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], (2000) summarized several decades of research that shows effective reading instruction addresses these five areas.  Explicit and systematic reading instruction is the most effective way to teach reading. The following sections will briefly break down how students can address each component in learning how to read. It also addresses how each part is important to understand in the RtI and MTSS tiered processes, in order to support students. 

Phonemic Awareness

This is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. Phonemic awareness is about recognizing and being able to manipulate sounds. Phonemic awareness reading activities might involve rhyming, segmenting words into sounds (breaking down “cat” into /k/ /ă/ /t/), focusing on onset-rime, and blending sounds to form words. Check out this resource for phonemic awareness reading activities.

Phonics

Phonics involves understanding the relationship between letters (graphemes) and the sounds (phonemes) they represent. Phonics is the component that connects those sounds that we learned in phonemic awareness to written letters. Instruction in phonics includes teaching letter-sound correspondences, blending letter sounds to read words, and segmenting words into sounds to spell. Check out this resource from Reading A-Z for ideas for phonics activities.

Fluency

Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, at a good and natural pace, and with expression. Fluency is not just about reading fast; it’s about reading smoothly enough to understand what you’re reading. Common fluency-building activities include repetitive readings of familiar text, choral reading, and peer to peer reading. Fluency instruction can and should occur at all ages, as reading issues are identified. Check out these resources for reading fluency activities for students of all ages.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to words a reader knows. For a reader to have a strong comprehension, they must have a strong vocabulary. Vocabulary is crucial for comprehension. Vocabulary instruction involves teaching new words directly while exploring word meanings through context clues and encouraging reading of a variety of texts.

Comprehension

Comprehension is understanding what the text means. Comprehending what you are reading involves a range of strategies, such as summarizing, asking questions, making connections, and inferring meaning. Good comprehension instruction teaches readers how to actively engage with the text in a variety of ways to construct meaning from it.

English Language Learners/Emergent Bilingual Learners

Students whose first language is not English have adjacent needs related to reading difficulties. They can also be supported in an RtI and/or MTSS tiered format with the appropriate English Language Learning Specialists involved on the team. Supporting learners whose first language is not English requires a multi-faceted and culturally responsive approach.

Additional Resources