Teaching Beginning Reading (90 Minutes)
Initial Onboarding at Home
Step 1: Watch the Video, Can We Afford to Ignore the Science of Reading?
By Melissa Hostetter for TEDx U of I Springfield (March 31, 2021)
Step 2: Read the Article, Ten Maxims: What We’ve Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read
Dr. Reid Lyon, neuroscientist and former Chief of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, was in charge of a committee of researchers that published the seminal National Reading Panel Report in 2000. He created this list of ten maxims for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 2023. If you want to explore important research and learn the names of many greats, scan his references under each maxim. If not, contemplate the ten maxims.
Step 3: Watch the Video, How Reading is Processed in the Brain
To make sense of the reading process and why certain instructional practices are considered aligned with the Science of Reading, we are going to learn about the brain and the neurological processes which are foundational for reading. Please watch Defining Guide Video Series: Michelle Elia Explains How Reading is Processed in the Brain (October 14, 2022).
Step 4: Watch the Video, The Simple View of Reading
The Simple View of Reading was a theory originally described by Gough and Tumner in 1986 to explain Reading Comprehension (RC). What they found was that Decoding (D) multiplied by Oral Language Comprehension (LC) equals Reading Comprehension (RC). Though I initially understood what D x LC = RC meant, it took me several months to fully appreciate the profundity of this equation and how much it would influence my approach to children learning to read. The basic formula has been updated, separately by Nell Duke and Mark Seidenberg, and others, but the Simple View of Reading still provides an indispensable entrée into reading science. You may want to watch this video, The Simple View of Reading by Linda Farrell, M.Ed (September 3, 2019), a couple of times to understand it; when you do, you will never look at the act of reading the same way. Also, please do not do other activities while listening to this one! Grab a cup of coffee or tea or your favorite beverage. Relax for the next 11 minutes. Allow it to sink in fully.
Step 5: Watch the Video, Scarborough’s Reading Rope
In 2001, Hollis Scarborough developed an infographic of a Reading Rope to more fully elucidate the concept of the Simple View of Reading. Please watch this short video, SoR: Scarborough’s Rope Grand Canyon University (December 22, 2022), to better understand the various strands necessary for reading comprehension.
Step 6: Watch the Video, 44 Phonemes
Understanding the relationship between speech sounds (phonemes) and the 1–4 letter combinations (graphemes) in English that represent the phonemes is important. You also need to know how to properly position your lips and tongue to pronounce the phonemes without adding an unhelpful “uh” sound to the end of the phoneme. You may want to look in a small mirror to practice using this device with your students. Speech pathologists are increasingly recognized as key players in literacy programs because they know speech and language inside and out. Listen and watch speech pathologist Yvette Manns of Rollins Center for Language and Literacy properly model the sounds of American English.
Step 7: Watch the Video, 3 Popular Mistakes When Teaching Reading and 1 Strategy to Teach Instead
By Reading Simplified
Step 8: Watch the Video, The Easiest Way to Teach Any Child to Read
Spencer Russell is an award-winning educator and founder of Toddlers Can Read, a phonics program aimed at parents and caregivers of young children. He is passionate about promoting early childhood reading and offers step-by-step guidance for teaching children to read, starting as early as 18 months old. Spencer Russell’s program focuses on making the learning process fun and engaging.
Step 9: Read the Article, What Are Decodable Books and Why Are They Important?
Decodable text is a must at the beginning, but children should not remain in “decodables” any longer than necessary so that they can move on to add complex vocabulary and background knowledge to improve reading comprehension. Remember the equation for the Simple View of Reading, D x LC = RC? Natalie Wexler explains the importance of teaching background knowledge to build vocabulary and improve reading comprehension.
Please read this article from Five from Five. Later, please check out some sources for decodable text and books, which are either free or for purchase under the resources section of this website. Decodables rock!
Step 11: Read the Text Below, About Handwriting Basics
If you are like many other people, reading and writing have become so automatic that you don’t have to think about it. You probably don’t notice how the 
and 
in the newspaper or books are in a typeface which is different from the way we usually write them in manuscript form 
and 
. Good readers don’t notice that these letters are different and skip over them but they could confuse a beginning reader who cannot do that yet. Make sure to point out this difference to your students when they start reading decodable text or learning to write letters so that they don’t become confused.
Technique matters! If you are teaching someone else how to write, you need to know how to properly hold a pencil and how to form the letters for ease and legibility. Most of us have let our handwriting degenerate. Now is the time for an overhaul. These next three videos are excellent and really important but are kind of like “eating your vegetables.” Please watch all three of them so you can enjoy the two “dessert” videos at the end showing that “the devil’s in the g-tails.” These two videos are a fascinating look at how our brains process print on a subconscious level. The fourth video is about how to deal with common letter reversals.
When learning how to read, it’s very important to go back and forth between reading (decoding) and writing/spelling (encoding) so that the phoneme/grapheme connections stick. Typing on a keyboard does not give the same kinesthetic experience so learning to write by hand when learning to read is superior. It’s much easier for students to write correctly if they are taught the most ergonomic way from the start. It is extremely difficult to correct improper pencil grip later after it’s become ingrained.
Play this game, The Elusive Letter G Game from Johns Hopkins University, April 2, 2018
Step 12: Watch the Video, The History of English
Learning a bit about the history of English and how it evolved can help us appreciate modern day English and why our words are spelled the way they are. Watch this video, The History of English by English File Advanced (May 24, 2020).
Step 13: Watch the Video, What People Get Wrong About African-American English
There are numerous variations of English, for example, African American English (AAE), which will be discussed elsewhere on this website. GAE and AAE have some important differences which should be understood and addressed to create an optimal learning environment. Similar thought processes could be used with speakers of other English variants or English Language Learners (ELL’s). Please watch this PBS video, released June 16, 2021, on AAE to learn its linguistic features.
Quick Jump
After the 90 minutes, the tutors would be ready for the face-to-face sessions.
Evolving Resources for Reading Success
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