Structured Reading Approaches: A Comprehensive Guide

Why Structured Reading Approaches Matter

A structured reading approach is a teaching method proven to help children, especially those struggling with reading, achieve success in literacy. This approach is systematic, cumulative, diagnostic, and explicit, providing a robust framework to build a child's reading skills.

Here's a quick rundown of the structured reading approach:

• Systematic & Cumulative: Lessons build on each other, starting with simple concepts and moving to more complex ones.
• Diagnostic: Teachers continuously assess and adapt to each student's needs.
• Explicit: Direct and clear instruction ensures no gaps in understanding.

These principles make the structured reading approach essential for effective reading instruction, supported by extensive research from the International Dyslexia Association and aligned with the science of reading.

I'm Jen Jones, and I have over 30 years of experience in literacy education. My work focuses on structured literacy approaches to empower teachers and help students succeed in reading.

What is Structured Reading Approach?

A structured reading approach is a highly effective method for teaching reading. It’s based on the science of how children learn to read and focuses on systematic, cumulative, and explicit instruction. Let’s break down what that means.

Systematic & Cumulative

In a systematic approach, lessons follow a logical order. We start with the easiest concepts and gradually move to more complex ones. For example, students first learn the sounds of individual letters before moving on to blending those sounds into words.

Cumulative means each new lesson builds on what was previously taught. This ensures students have a solid foundation before introducing new skills. For instance, understanding letter sounds helps with decoding words, which in turn aids in reading comprehension.

Explicit Methodology

Explicit instruction is all about being clear and direct. Teachers don’t assume students know something until it’s been taught. This method involves direct interaction between teacher and student, often using multisensory techniques. For example, a teacher might use visual aids, sounds, and physical activities to teach a single concept.

The International Dyslexia Association emphasizes that this clear and direct instruction is crucial for all students, especially those with reading difficulties.

Key Components

Phonics and Decoding

Phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds. Decoding is using this relationship to read words. A structured reading approach teaches students to decode words by sounding them out, rather than guessing based on pictures or context. This skill is fundamental for reading proficiency.

Spelling and Reading Comprehension

Spelling is closely linked to phonics and decoding. When students understand how sounds map to letters, they can spell words more accurately. This understanding also boosts reading comprehension, as students can focus on the meaning of the text rather than struggling to decode each word.

Oral Language

Oral language skills are also a part of the structured reading approach. These skills include phonology (the study of sounds), which helps students recognize and produce the sounds needed for reading and speaking.

By integrating these components, the structured reading approach ensures that students develop a comprehensive set of literacy skills. This approach is not just about learning to read but also about understanding and using language effectively.

Next, we’ll dive into the Key Components of Structured Reading Approach, where we’ll explore phonology, orthography, morphology, semantics, pragmatics, syntax, and discourse.

Key Components of Structured Reading Approach

Phonology

Phonology is the study of the sound system of a language. In a structured reading approach, phonology focuses on helping students recognize and produce the sounds (phonemes) that make up words. This is crucial for developing phonemic awareness, the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. For instance, students learn to break down the word cat into its phonemes /k/, /ă/, and /t/.

Orthography

Orthography refers to a language's writing system. In English, this involves understanding the alphabetic principle—the idea that letters and letter combinations represent specific sounds. Teaching students sound-letter correspondence ensures they can decode words accurately. For example, knowing that the letter 'c' can make a /k/ sound as in cat or an /s/ sound as in city.

Morphology

Morphology is the study of morphemes, the smallest units of meaning in a language. This includes prefixes, roots, and suffixes. Understanding morphology helps students with vocabulary development. For example, the word unhappiness can be broken down into the prefix un- (meaning "not"), the root happy (meaning "joyful"), and the suffix -ness (indicating a state or condition).

Semantics

Semantics is about understanding word meanings and relationships. A strong grasp of semantics improves a student's vocabulary breadth and depth, which is essential for reading comprehension. For example, teaching students that the word bank can refer to the side of a river or a financial institution helps them understand context.

Pragmatics

Pragmatics involves the rules of conversation and language use in context. Known as the "hidden curriculum," pragmatics includes understanding things like making eye contact and taking turns in conversation. For example, students learn that saying "Could you pass the salt?" is a polite request rather than a literal question about someone's ability.

Syntax

Syntax is the study of sentence structure and the relationships between words in a sentence. This includes understanding parts of speech and subject-verb agreement. For example, students learn that in the sentence "The dog runs," dog is the subject and runs is the verb, and they must agree in number.

Discourse

Discourse refers to spoken and written communication at a higher level. It includes understanding how to structure texts and conversations. Strategies like comprehension monitoring and using graphic organizers help students make sense of longer texts and complex ideas. For example, students might use a story map to understand the beginning, middle, and end of a narrative.

By integrating these key components, a structured reading approach ensures that students develop a well-rounded set of literacy skills, from decoding words to understanding and using language effectively.

Next, we’ll compare the Structured Reading Approach vs. Other Methods, including Orton-Gillingham, Balanced Literacy, and Whole Language.

Structured Reading Approach vs. Other Methods

Orton-Gillingham

Orton-Gillingham is a cornerstone of the structured reading approach. This method is multi-sensory and structured, focusing on teaching letters and sounds in a systematic way. Here's how it works:

• Multi-Sensory Learning: Involves engaging multiple senses (sight, sound, touch) to help students connect letters and sounds.
• Building Skills: Breaks down reading and spelling into smaller skills that build on each other over time.

For example, a student might use sandpaper letters to trace while saying the sound, reinforcing the connection between the letter and its phoneme. This method is particularly effective for students with dyslexia but benefits all learners by providing clear, sequential instruction.

Balanced Literacy

Balanced Literacy emerged as a response to the limitations of the whole language approach. It incorporates elements of phonics into a broader literacy framework. Key components include:

• Shared Reading: Teachers read aloud to students, modeling fluent reading.
• Guided Reading: Small group instruction custom to students' reading levels.
• Independent Reading: Students read books at their own level.

The goal is to balance explicit phonics instruction with opportunities for students to engage with leveled readers. However, critics argue that this approach often leaves struggling readers behind, as it may not provide enough systematic phonics instruction.

Whole Language

The Whole Language approach emphasizes rich literature and the idea that reading is a natural process. Key features include:

• Three Cueing System: Encourages students to guess words based on context, syntax, and visual cues.
• Guessing Based on Context: Students might use pictures or the meaning of the surrounding text to identify unknown words.

While engaging, this method has been criticized for not providing enough explicit instruction in phonics, leading to gaps in foundational reading skills. For instance, a child might guess the word "horse" as "pony" based on a picture, missing the opportunity to decode the word phonetically.

Comparing Approaches

Method	Focus	Strengths	Weaknesses
Orton-Gillingham	Multi-sensory, structured	Systematic, effective for dyslexia	Requires specialized training for teachers
Balanced Literacy	Shared, guided, independent reading	Combines phonics with rich literature	May not provide enough phonics for struggling readers
Whole Language	Rich literature, three cueing	Engaging, promotes love of reading	Lacks systematic phonics instruction

In summary, while each method has its strengths, the structured reading approach combines the best elements of these methods, ensuring systematic, explicit instruction that benefits all students, especially those who struggle with reading.

Benefits of Structured Reading Approach

Structured reading approaches offer numerous benefits that significantly improve students' literacy skills. These benefits include improved reading proficiency, decoding skills, comprehension, vocabulary, and overall language development. Let's break down each of these components:

Reading Proficiency

Reading proficiency is the ultimate goal of any reading program. Structured literacy is highly effective in achieving this. According to the International Dyslexia Association, this method can make learning to read possible for 95% of students, a major leap from the current 34% proficiency rate. By following a systematic and explicit methodology, students can build a robust foundation in reading.

Decoding Skills

Decoding is the ability to translate printed symbols into spoken words. In structured literacy, decoding is taught explicitly, ensuring that students understand the relationship between letters and sounds. This approach frees up cognitive resources, allowing students to focus on comprehension. For example, when students decode the word "cat" by segmenting and blending the sounds C-A-T, they are not just recognizing the word but understanding its structure.

Comprehension

Reading comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret what is read. The Simple View of Reading states that comprehension is a product of both decoding and linguistic comprehension. Structured literacy ensures that students are proficient in both areas, making them more capable of understanding complex texts. Scaffolded instruction and interactive learning methods further improve comprehension skills.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary development is another critical benefit. Structured literacy programs emphasize teaching word meanings, relationships, and usage. This method ensures that students not only learn to decode words but also understand their meanings and how to use them in context. Activities like spelling words with teacher guidance and writing in response to reading help in expanding students' vocabulary.

Language Development

Language development is foundational to reading and writing. Structured literacy is anchored in the concept that reading rests on language. High-quality teaching of phonology, orthography, morphology, semantics, pragmatics, and syntax supports language development. As students practice reading and writing, their oral language skills also improve, creating a reciprocal relationship that improves overall literacy.

Structured literacy is not just for struggling readers; it benefits all students. By focusing on systematic, explicit instruction, this approach equips students with the tools they need to become confident and proficient readers and writers. This method is supported by decades of evidence-based research and is suitable for all tiers of instruction, from general classroom settings to targeted interventions.

Next, we'll explore how to implement structured reading approaches in the classroom.

Implementing Structured Reading Approach in the Classroom

Implementing a structured reading approach in the classroom involves several key strategies that ensure effective learning. These strategies include explicit instruction, systematic instruction, cumulative learning, multimodal instruction, targeted feedback, interactive learning, and scaffolding.

Explicit Instruction

Explicit instruction means clearly and directly teaching students by modeling, explaining, providing guided practice, and supporting independent practice. This method follows the "I do, we do, you do" model:

1. I do: The teacher demonstrates the skill.
2. We do: The teacher and students practice the skill together.
3. You do: Students practice the skill independently.

For example, when teaching phoneme-grapheme relationships, the teacher might start by demonstrating how to blend sounds to form words (I do), then practice together with the class (we do), and finally let students try it on their own (you do).

Systematic Instruction

Systematic instruction follows a planned sequence that progresses from simple to complex. This ensures that students build on previously learned skills. For instance, in phonics instruction, start with basic sound-letter correspondences like 'c' for /k/ and gradually move to more complex patterns like 'ph' for /f/.

Cumulative Learning

Cumulative learning involves regularly revisiting and reinforcing previously taught concepts. This can be done through daily review sessions or using decodable texts that incorporate previously learned phonics skills. For example, reviewing sight words daily helps reinforce memory and understanding.

Multimodal Instruction

Multimodal instruction engages multiple senses to improve learning. This can include seeing, hearing, saying, and writing words. For students with language learning difficulties, using manipulatives like letter tiles can clarify verbal explanations.

Example: When teaching a new word, students might see the word on the board, hear it pronounced, say it out loud, and write it down. This multi-sensory approach helps solidify the word in their memory.

Targeted Feedback

Targeted feedback involves providing immediate and specific feedback to students on their performance. This feedback should be affirming and not single out students.

Example: If a student makes an error during a group activity, the teacher can address the mistake to the whole group to avoid singling out the student. Immediate feedback helps students correct errors and practice correctly.

Interactive Learning

Interactive learning requires students to be active participants. This can include:

• Choral response: All students respond together.
• Manipulatives: Using chips or letter tiles to represent phonemes.
• Structured discussions: Engaging in academic discussions about texts.
• Collaborative activities: Working together on spelling or writing tasks.

Interactive methods have been shown to improve attention, retention, and interest in the subject matter.

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is a technique where teachers provide temporary support to help students achieve a task they cannot complete alone. As students become more proficient, the support is gradually removed.

Example: When teaching blending routines, start with heavily scaffolded methods like sound-by-sound blending. As students become more familiar, move to less scaffolded methods like whole-word blending.

By incorporating these strategies, teachers can effectively implement the structured reading approach in their classrooms, ensuring that all students develop strong literacy skills. Next, we'll address frequently asked questions about the structured reading approach.

Frequently Asked Questions about Structured Reading Approach

What is the difference between Orton-Gillingham and structured literacy?

Orton-Gillingham is a specific approach under the umbrella of structured literacy. It is a highly structured, multi-sensory method that focuses on breaking reading and spelling down into smaller skills involving letters and sounds. This method builds on these skills over time through a sequential and cumulative process.

Structured literacy, on the other hand, is a broader term adopted by the International Dyslexia Association. It encompasses various evidence-based programs, including Orton-Gillingham, that follow the principles of the Science of Reading. Structured literacy includes explicit, systematic, and sequential instruction in phonics, decoding, spelling, and reading comprehension.

In summary: Orton-Gillingham is a specific method within the structured literacy framework, which is based on the Science of Reading and includes various instructional approaches.

How does structured reading approach help struggling readers?

Structured reading approaches are particularly effective for struggling readers, including those with dyslexia, due to several key aspects:

1. Explicit Instruction: Skills are taught directly and clearly, ensuring that students understand each step before moving on. This is crucial for students who may not pick up on reading skills implicitly.

2. Systematic and Sequential: Instruction follows a logical order, starting with the simplest concepts and gradually increasing in complexity. This helps students build a solid foundation before tackling more difficult tasks.

3. Multi-sensory Techniques: Engaging multiple senses (sight, sound, touch) helps reinforce learning. For example, students might use letter tiles to build words while saying the sounds out loud.

4. Cumulative Learning: Regular review and reinforcement of previously taught concepts ensure that students retain what they have learned and can apply it to new material.

5. Diagnostic Teaching: Instruction is custom to meet the specific needs of each student. Teachers assess progress frequently and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly.

Example: A student struggling with phonemic awareness might receive targeted practice in blending and segmenting sounds, using visual aids and hands-on activities to support their learning.

What are the principles of structured literacy?

Structured literacy is built on several core principles that guide effective reading instruction:

1. Explicit Instruction: Teaching is direct and clear, leaving no room for guesswork. For example, teachers explicitly teach the relationship between phonemes and graphemes.

2. Systematic and Sequential: Instruction follows a planned sequence, starting with basic skills and progressing to more complex ones. This ensures a strong foundation before moving on to advanced concepts.

3. Cumulative: Learning is cumulative, with new skills building on previously acquired ones. Regular review helps reinforce these connections.

4. Diagnostic: Instruction is custom to the needs of each student. Teachers regularly assess progress and adapt their teaching methods to address individual challenges.

5. Multi-sensory: Engaging multiple senses (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) improves learning and retention. This approach is especially beneficial for students with learning difficulties.

By adhering to these principles, structured literacy ensures that all students, regardless of their reading abilities, receive the support they need to become proficient readers.

Next, we'll explore the benefits of the structured reading approach and how it contributes to overall reading proficiency and comprehension.

Conclusion

At Hello Decodables, we believe that every child has the potential to become a confident reader. Our phonics-based decodable books are designed to align with the Science of Reading research, ensuring that our materials are effective for all students, especially those struggling with reading.

Why Hello Decodables?

Our structured reading approach is built on the core principles of being systematic, cumulative, and explicit. This means our books follow a logical sequence that starts with the simplest concepts and gradually increases in complexity. Each new skill builds on the previous ones, ensuring a strong foundation for reading success.

Science of Reading and Phonics Success

Research has shown that structured literacy approaches, like the ones we use at Hello Decodables, are the most effective way to teach reading. According to the International Dyslexia Association, structured literacy is essential for students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. Our decodable books focus on:

• Phonics: Teaching the relationship between letters and sounds.
• Decoding: Helping students sound out words.
• Spelling: Reinforcing the spelling patterns they learn.
• Reading Comprehension: Ensuring they understand what they read.

Educational Publishing for Phonics Success

We are proud to be part of the educational publishing industry, offering resources that make a real difference in students' lives. Our materials are not just for struggling readers; they benefit all students by providing a solid foundation in reading skills.

Case Study: A teacher from Nashville reported significant improvements in her students' reading abilities after incorporating our decodable books into her classroom. She noted that even her most reluctant readers became more engaged and confident.

Ready to Transform Reading Instruction?

If you're ready to bring the benefits of structured literacy into your classroom, explore our Hello Decodables collection. Our carefully crafted books and resources will help you provide the evidence-based instruction your students need to succeed.

In conclusion, structured literacy is not just a teaching method; it's a pathway to reading success. With Hello Decodables, you have the tools to open up every child's potential and set them on a lifelong journey of learning and findy.