5 Essential Components of Reading
According to the U.S. Department of Education, reading with children and helping them practice specific reading components can dramatically improve their ability to read. Scientific research shows that there are five essential components of reading that children must be taught in order to learn to read. Adults can help children learn to be good readers by systematically practicing these five components:
Phonological Awareness
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize that words are made up of a variety of sound units. The term encompasses a number of sound related skills necessary for an individual to develop as a reader. As a child develops phonological awareness he/she comes to understand that words are made up of small sound units (phonemes). They also learn that words can be segmented into larger sound “chunks” known as syllables and each syllable begin with a sound (onset) and ends with another sound (rime).
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual phonemes. It is an understanding of the smallest sound units in words. A reader with strong phonemic awareness will demonstrate the ability to hear rhyme and alliteration (the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several different words used in a sentence or paragraph), find the different sound in a set of words (ie. “bat”, “ball”, “wet”) and blend and segment phonemes.
Phonics
Phonics is an understanding of the relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Children learn the sounds of individual letters first, then the sounds of letters in combination and in simple words. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds helps children to recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, and "decode" new words.
Fluency
Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression.
Vocabulary
Learning the meaning and pronunciation of words is vocabulary development. Children need to actively build and expand their knowledge of written and spoken words, what they mean and how they are used, in order to gain an understanding of the text they are reading.
Comprehension
Comprehension is an active process that requires an intentional and thoughtful interaction between the reader and the text. Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become purposeful, active readers. Reading comprehension strategies can help a child understand, remember, and communicate what is read. Some of the fundamental skills required for efficient reading comprehension include: making predictions, asking questions, making inferences, making connections, visualizing, summarizing, activating schema, and synthesizing.
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize that words are made up of a variety of sound units. The term encompasses a number of sound related skills necessary for an individual to develop as a reader. As a child develops phonological awareness he/she comes to understand that words are made up of small sound units (phonemes). They also learn that words can be segmented into larger sound “chunks” known as syllables and each syllable begin with a sound (onset) and ends with another sound (rime).
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual phonemes. It is an understanding of the smallest sound units in words. A reader with strong phonemic awareness will demonstrate the ability to hear rhyme and alliteration (the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several different words used in a sentence or paragraph), find the different sound in a set of words (ie. “bat”, “ball”, “wet”) and blend and segment phonemes.
Phonics
Phonics is an understanding of the relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Children learn the sounds of individual letters first, then the sounds of letters in combination and in simple words. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds helps children to recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, and "decode" new words.
Fluency
Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression.
Vocabulary
Learning the meaning and pronunciation of words is vocabulary development. Children need to actively build and expand their knowledge of written and spoken words, what they mean and how they are used, in order to gain an understanding of the text they are reading.
Comprehension
Comprehension is an active process that requires an intentional and thoughtful interaction between the reader and the text. Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become purposeful, active readers. Reading comprehension strategies can help a child understand, remember, and communicate what is read. Some of the fundamental skills required for efficient reading comprehension include: making predictions, asking questions, making inferences, making connections, visualizing, summarizing, activating schema, and synthesizing.