Science of Reading

The Science of Reading is the motion in which learning to read is simply more than providing literature-rich spaces and times for children to fall in love with reading. It is what scientists have known for years. It is how the human brain transforms spoken language into written symbols and written symbols into words and sentences. 

Human Brain & Reading

Believe it or not, our brains are not hard-wired to learn to read. From the trial of experiences from birth forward humans naturally develop several abilities: breathing, swallowing, talking, crawling, walking, running, and so much more. These are abilities that are instantaneously natural with minimal practice and repetition. Reading is a whole different story. When it comes to reading, well, it is a process of taking our spoken language into written form. Unfortunately, there are a very select few that grasp onto this concept and run with it. At the toddler stage, a typical toddler is introduced to learning the "ABC's" by means of a song. As they learn to memorize the songs, eventually they are taught that each letter name represents a specific shape. This stage is where the struggle starts, even if it isn't noticeable. The real problem is that the English language is made up of 44 phonemes (sounds) represented by 26 letters. These sounds are all built in a specific pattern that we have come to know and adopt as our language today. To learn more about these specific rules, check out Uncovering The Logic of English by Denise Eide.

Alphabetic Principle Leads to Reading

A, B, C is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Or, is it? Simply put, the alphabetic principle Is our understanding of each concept that is a part of the alphabet: name, sound, and shape. Every interaction with an alphabetic aspect continues to build our foundation that ultimately leads to reading.k Get creative with incorporating the alphabet into daily life tasks. Here is one of my favorites: Alphabet Go Fish! For more fun, use these cards to review, play matching, or as a scavenger hunt!

Dyslexia is Like

Dyslexia is a big word with an even bigger definition. Breaking it down, dyslexia is an issue with how a reader understands the language coming off of the page. Take a moment to imagine the following scenario for every single letter that makes up every single word on this page: a trip around the world (aka brain). 

My brain sees that two letters make up the word “at” and sends this translation to the right side of your brain. The right side of your brain immediately knows that this is a job for the left side of the brain, sending this two-letter word on another journey. Here, the left brain determines that these letters say the sounds /a/ and /t/, combined with saying /at/. Success! We know this word! Now, the left side of the brain sends this message of success to the right side of the brain. “Ta-da! We did it! This word is “at”.

This process is extensive for one word with two sounds. A student with dyslexia characteristics most likely experiences a part of the journey around the brain described above. Now, take this process and apply it to a child in grade school that doesn’t know how to explain to an adult what is happening. A child, that has no clue that reading isn‘t supposed to take this much work.  It is no surprise that we struggle to identify children that need instruction designed to their learning needs.