The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to address the problem concerning the lack of research on how rural elementary school teachers describe their understanding and practice of ORF instruction in their classrooms, in the Southern part of the United States. John Dewey's conception of habits and reflective thinking was utilized to better understand the phenomenon of the study. The research questions for this study were: RQ1, how rural elementary school teachers describe their understanding of ORF and RQ 2, how rural elementary school teachers describe ORF in their classrooms. The target population for this study involved rural elementary school teachers in the State of Tennessee, U.S. The sample was 28 rural elementary school teachers selected from a school district in the state of Tennessee, U.S. Data were gathered through 18 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups consisting of five participants each (28 total participants). The data were thematically analyzed utilizing Braun and Clarke's six-step framework. The researcher identified seven themes of the data: Understanding of ORF, Importance of ORF, Characteristics of ORF, Understanding of Teaching ORF, ORF Instructional Strategies, Assessment Data Driven Instruction, and Challenges and Opportunities for the Future of ORF Instruction. Data showed that teachers' understanding and decisions concerning ORF instruction in their classrooms are mainly based upon their knowledge and experience, however, some participants felt more training was needed. This deficiency regarding ORF training could be one of the factors that contributes to the research-to-practice gap identified and the need for further research concerning the phenomenon of the study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]