This article discusses language comprehension and developing skills with emergent readers, in particular verbal reasoning and language structures, that are necessary for later reading comprehension.

Early childhood schoolbooks designed to teach children to read, have been shown not only to shape gendered identities in a limiting, binary format, but to lend the written word the appearance of unquestionable, and restrictive truth about the way the world is. Texts written for adults, too, may similarly limit what can be known, reining in the…

Ohio elementary schools are moving to the Science of Reading, an approach that emphasizes phonics along with vocabulary- and knowledge-rich content. Keen on learning what this transition looks like inside classrooms, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute asked Ellen Belcher, a former journalist with the Dayton Daily News, to visit Margaretta Local…

All over the world, great strides have been made in conquering illiteracy. Yet, many adults and children do not spend sufficient time reading to benefit from the well-documented rewards of reading for pleasure. In many countries, literacy achievements have not inherently solved the problems of low reading comprehension and limited engagement with…

This article considers the distinctive contribution that sociological perspectives have made to understanding reading as a profoundly social and cultural activity, differentiated by the specifics of time and place. Literacy researchers, using a social lens, have sought to explore, explain and redress inequalities in access to and uses of literacy…

The authors illustrate the compatibility of building K-2 readers' foundational skills and their motivation for completing reading and related tasks within reading interventions. First, the authors introduce the orthographic mapping process, which requires foundational reading skills because of its role in facilitating fluent reading. Research…

We suggest that a healthy literacy diet for beginning readers consists of literacy experiences along a number of dimensions, including experiences with decodable text. As such, this article explores the role of decodable texts in a comprehensive early literacy curriculum that recognizes literacy as a complex, culturally mediated, and multifaceted…

In our first article, we outlined some of the reasons for reading failure at the Early Childhood level and beyond, discussed common challenges students face, and explored essential components for quality reading instruction. We'll revisit the students you met in the first article to provide a window into how the Science of Reading can be…

Recent research has demonstrated that self-correction is particularly important for beginning and struggling readers; readers who self-correct more make progress more quickly. The authors describe findings from that research, outline how self-correcting behavior might vary, and provide suggestions for how students' self-corrections can inform…

In the updated third edition of this unique book, Catherine McBride looks at reading and writing development and impairment across a range of languages, scripts, and contexts. This new edition highlights multiliteracy and multilingualism and broadly explores the science of reading. A timely and important contribution to our understanding of…

Practical Implications: This chapter contributes to the literature on phonics and phonemic awareness by clearly explaining the differences between the two concepts and their necessary inclusion in any beginning reading program. It includes practical activities teachers can use to develop these understandings in the classroom and provides research…

This practitioner article presents a data-driven phonemic awareness intervention model designed for K-2 students in a rural Title 1 elementary school. The purpose of the project was to address foundational reading gaps among early learners, particularly in communities with limited preschool access, low graduation rates, and minimal family-school…

Phonological awareness and phonics instruction are necessary components of beginning reading instruction and require teachers to have specialized content, pedagogical, and pedagogical content knowledge. This includes knowledge about language structures; reading components, processes, and development; and effective instructional practices. In this…

This article was adapted from the E. L. Thorndike Address that I delivered at the August, 2019 meeting of the American Psychological Association in Chicago. I trace my career as an educational psychologist in the context of the enormous changes, both theoretical and societal, that occurred during my years as an active researcher. Reading, the…

Educators often lack the proper tools and time to teach each child to read fluently, which requires distinct and interrelated word recognition and language comprehension processes. The lack of reading proficiency strongly correlates to academic struggles throughout elementary school and beyond, creating academic performance gaps between readers…