How to Read

Learning to read is a critical step in a child’s development. Yet 4 out of 10 children will experience problems. The articles below elaborate on the skills needed to become a fluent reader.

Basic Reading Concepts

Phonemic Awareness

Phonics and Word Recognition

Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehesion

Basic Comprehension Strategies

Basic Comprehension Strategies Comprehension is the last of the five key areas of reading instruction. It is the understanding of written text, which is the ultimate objective of any reading program. Comprehension refers to the ability to understand what you read – are you picking up what the author put down? A child does not [...]

Tips for Teaching Phonics and Word Study

Tips for Teaching Phonics and Word Study Phonics and word study are one of the five key areas of reading instruction; they are essential components that lay a solid foundation to read and spell successfully. There are four basic elements when teaching phonics and word study: Letter-sound knowledge, Regular word reading, Irregular word reading and [...]

Teaching Fluency

Teaching Fluency Fluency is the ability to connect the words we read quickly and accurately. A child must be able to swiftly and automatically link words together into meaningful phrases with precision so they can obtain the meaning of the text. Fluency is an essential element of both reading and comprehension; it advances readers from [...]

The Five Essential Components of Reading

A child’s ability to read will impact both her success in school as well as throughout life. A collaborative effort among three federal agencies identified five key areas of understanding that are essential when learning to read. An effective and comprehensive reading program must incorporate the following five essential elements: Phonemic Awareness Phonemic awareness is [...]

Phonological vs. Phonemic Awareness

These phrases are often incorrectly used interchangeably (it is no wonder – they are confusing). Phonological awareness is a broader term that encompasses a general awareness of our spoken language; it is the ability to orally recognize word features (e.g. rhymes, syllables). Whereas, phonemic awareness is more refined and refers to the ability to recognize [...]

Concepts of Print

Print concepts refer to the components of our written language. It refers to the fundamental principles about reading a book, ranging from the basics of how to hold a book to the concept that we combined words into sentences to communicate a message. At a rudimentary level, a child needs to know how to hold [...]