Phonics + Science of Reading + Balanced Literacy

Phonics at the Forefront:

The Science of Reading and Balanced Literacy

I’m proud to say that I’m an advocate for Guided Reading. Despite reports that the “Reading Wars” have re-ignited, I know what works; yet I also understand and acknowledge the evidence-based claims of the Science of Reading proponents — including the need for teaching phonics. Here’s what else I know: Teachers are stuck in the middle, trying to teach children to read and seeking to find the best, most effective approach. 

Phonics word mapping activity

It’s no secret that I’ve promoted the benefits of small group instruction through Guided Reading. I continue to believe that it’s an important component of successful literacy instruction; and in this post I want to identify the elements of a successful Guided Reading program. Guided reading does include the teaching of phonics, and I’ll explain how it’s compatible with the science of reading. The secret is to incorporate a balanced literacy approach to your teaching.

I’ll say it clearly, and right up-front: Successful reading instruction involves the explicit teaching of phonics, Children must develop phonological awareness before learning to read, and they must learn to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. They need to grasp the concept of syllables and learn syllable blending, segmentation and deletion. Students need to be introduced to phonemes and graphemes; they need to learn to isolate initial and final sounds in words and segment words by these sounds. Explicit, systematic phonics instruction is a necessity for reading success, but there’s more to the story.

Let’s dive in and take a look at the issue from multiple angles.

Finding Balance Between Different Instructional Approaches

Whether you refer to it as “tipping the scales,” “winning the battle” or “ending the reading wars,” I believe a well-executed program of balanced literacy can help to build a bridge between Guided Reading and Science of Reading proponents. It’s all about taking a balanced view and moving forward with a genuinely balanced approach.

Phonics sound cards

First, the bad news. Research has shown that students who haven’t learned to read by the end of 3rd grade are likely to struggle with reading for the rest of their lives. This means they’ll probably struggle in other subjects also. Statistics say these kids are more likely to drop out of high school and can even face the potential of a life of poverty–a bleak picture.

In addition, there are online arguments pitting various instructional philosophies against each other. Meanwhile, confused parents and frustrated teachers just want to see kids learn to read. Top it off with a pandemic, school closures, home learning headaches and tech challenges, and it’s a heartbreaking scenario; but the good news is that there is hope. There is a path to successful reading instruction.

So here’s a quick rundown of what I believe you need to know…

The Science of Reading

In 1997 Congress requested the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to establish a panel to examine the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children to read. The panel addressed a number of instructional topics, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and the use of computer technology in reading instruction.

  • The National Reading Panel (NRP) released it’s findings in April of 2000, confirming the importance of teaching phonics as a part of reading instruction. The summary report examined the scientific evidence supporting claims about the impact of phonemic awareness and phonics instruction on reading development; and following the release of the report, schools were urged to adopt “scientifically based” ways to teach reading. More recently, reports in the media and online have brought these findings to the forefront again, with some arguing that schools continue to ignore the science of reading and are neglecting to provide essential phonics instruction.

What Did the NRP Discover?

Phonics Structured Literacy Unit and decodable book

A summary of the 2000 NRP report is available online, but here’s a quick overview of some of the findings:

  • Systematic teaching of phonics contributes to continued growth in reading skills and development.
  • Systematic phonics instruction is a valuable part of a successful classroom reading program.
  • Phonemic awareness training is a foundational element of literacy instruction.
  • Phonemic awareness in kindergarten is a strong indicator of whether a student will excel at reading.
  • Good phonemic awareness can boost reading comprehension.
  • Young children will differ in their phonemic awareness – some students will need more instruction than others.
  • Phonics instruction does not make a complete reading program. A balanced reading program should include systematic phonics instruction that is integrated with other reading instruction.

What is Guided Reading and How Does It Address the Need for Phonics Instruction?

Guided Reading is based on a small group approach to reading instruction. By organizing students into leveled groups, the instructor is able to differentiate instruction, provide frequent monitoring and assessment, and give individual attention and instruction to each child. The flexibility of this approach allows for the use of strategic intervention groups to address specific trouble spots.

  • Ability-Based, Leveled Small Groups – Leveled reading groups are the foundation of a Guided Reading framework. These groups cluster students based on their ability level, allowing them to move at a similar pace toward shared literacy goals. Instructors introduce phonics concepts and rules in whole-class lessons and reinforce them during small group reading sessions.
  • Differentiated Instruction – Small groups enable the instructor to spend time monitoring and coaching individual students as they read. Instructors can address difficulties with phonics on a one-to-one basis in these groups.
  • Flexibility – Guided Reading offers flexibility, since each student is able to move to a different group when they are ready to advance. Phonics learning becomes more advanced as readers progress in levels.
  • Assessment – Prior to forming the groups, students are pre-assessed using benchmark assessments to determine baseline reading levels. Instructors continue to monitor student progress and differentiate their instruction to meet students at their appropriate reading level. Ongoing assessment data helps reveal when a student is ready to advance to a new group.
  • Scaffolding – Guided Reading groups let teachers support and scaffold students, providing them with a solid base of reading strategies. Times of brief, one-to one scaffolded instruction can be done with individual students during Guided Reading small groups. Scaffolding is also accomplished through targeted strategy groups to target specific needs or learning deficits. Both types of groups provide excellent opportunities for helping students understand letter-sound relationships and grasp the more difficult phonics concepts.

A Balanced Literacy Framework Includes Phonics Instruction

I agree with the science. To teach a child to read, you must teach them phonics. That’s why I am in favor of reading instruction that uses a combination of systematic, science-based phonics instruction AND the balanced literacy approach. Both philosophies ARE compatible. A quick look at the basics of a balanced literacy framework will show you how…

Phonics manipulative resources

A balanced literacy approach provides flexibility for both teachers and students, since it leaves room for the instructor to include multiple approaches into their classroom instruction. In a balanced literacy classroom, how you teach is as important as what you teach. The three levels of instruction that are utilized within a balanced literacy framework include whole class instruction, differentiated small-group instruction, and independent reading time. Since these three levels combine with various other approaches and teaching techniques, teachers give students a solid foundation in phonics, spelling, reading and writing.

A balanced literacy approach recognizes these foundational essentials for reading instruction:

  1. Individual students learn best from a flexible instructional approach that uses a variety of methodologies in both whole class and small group settings.
  2. Phonics instruction is an essential element of a balanced literacy classroom. It can be effectively and systematically taught both in small groups and whole class lessons.
  3. Small group instruction lets educators monitor, observe and assess individual students’ progress and provide differentiated instruction to address students’ individual needs. Leveled reading groups provide flexibility and lay the foundation for a successful reading journey.
  4. Strategy groups give an alternative form of differentiated small group instruction. These groups allow for targeted, explicit intervention and focused, specific coaching for trouble spots.

Do you see how seamlessly a balanced literacy approach can incorporate the systematic phonics instruction recommended by the NRP report?

When teaching children to read, you absolutely cannot ignore phonics. But you don’t need to make it harder than it has to be. A balanced literacy instructional approach allows you to incorporate phonics instruction in whole class lessons AND in leveled, ability-based small groups. And when needed, strategy groups can allow you to provide targeted, explicit instruction for those struggling with difficult phonics skills.

Strategy Tools to Reinforce Phonics Instruction

One complaint from Science of Reading proponents charges that reading strategies used by Guided Reading instructors cause children to ignore phonics rules and simply rely on guessing difficult words or simply skipping past them. This is a misunderstood concept, and it’s not the way I recommend the use of my Guided Reading Strategy Fans.

Here’s how they work. My “Lips the Fish” strategy fan is a great resource to use with emergent readers (levels A through C). This strategy involves the use graphophonic or visual cues for decoding. Once an emergent reader can recognize and use these cues, they’ll begin to see how letter-sound relationships help them solve unknown words. That’s when they’re ready to learn to use the “Lips the Fish” strategy!

Lips the Fish reminds readers to look at the beginning of a word and get their lips ready to say the first sound. As you teach this strategy and model the sounds made by the letters, you can begin to reinforce basic phonics concepts such as letter-sound relationships and blended syllables.

Meanwhile, the Stretchy Snake strategy teaches emergent readers to decode by stretching out letter sounds. It aids them in seeing how to blend sounds together to form words. It teaches readers to stretch the sounds they hear as they say the letters in a word. 

The instructor models the strategy first, pointing to each letter in the word on a whiteboard or chart paper, stretching the sounds out slowly, then repeating them. Students are taught how to blend the sounds together to form the word. They can tap their fingers for each sound and then reach out and bring their fingers together to “pull” the blended sounds. After showing examples of simple one-syllable words, move on to some simple two-syllable words like “water” or “baby.”

Guided Readers Gets Results

Successfully Guiding Students from Learning the Code to Reading for Meaning

I wholly endorse the need to encourage the development of phonological awareness in young children. I acknowledge the absolute necessity of the systematic teaching of phonics. That’s why rigorous Word Work instruction and activities are a component of every Guided Readers lesson. With Guided Readers your phonics instruction is all set. Because each Guided Readers lesson offers printable Workmats for Word Work activities. Students learn through Analogies, Making Words, Sound Boxes and Sound Sorts.

Phonics resources

For successful reading instruction, you cannot ignore the teaching of phonics; and with Guided Readers your phonics instruction is all set. For virtual instruction, in-class instruction or a hybrid of both, Guided Readers has it all. It’s a differentiated, K-3 guided reading program that ACTUALLY gets results via distance learning and in the classroom! Guided Readers increases student engagement and efficacy; it’s quickly adaptable to a variety of classroom settings (both in person and online).

With the clear-cut lesson plans included within Guided Readers, you’ll save time and see results as your students build their decoding, fluency, comprehension, and confidence. And with hundreds of professionally leveled, engaging books from Levels A-P, differentiated activities and our Digital Interactive Reader, students at all levels will love learning to read with Guided Readers!

This complete, done-for-you tool for teaching includes resources for teaching phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, reading fluency and guided writing. There are time-saving print & teach streamlined lesson plans and an Interactive Digital Reader that enhances students’ reading experience. Guided Readers has every effective tool you’ll need to take your students from “learning to read” to “reading to learn!”

You’ve Got This!

Today’s teachers are living through a difficult period. Learning environments have changed, teaching methods are questioned, and the future’s uncertain. But here’s the bottom line. You’re good at what you do. And because of that you love seeing a child’s eyes light up at the sight of a book. So stay strong and don’t give up; you’ve got this! It just takes a little balance.

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