Why Embrace Structured Literacy? Unpacking Its Key Benefits

Why is structured literacy important? That's a question many parents ask, especially if they're looking for effective ways to help their early-elementary children succeed in reading. To get straight to the point, structured literacy is important because:

• It's a research-backed method proven to benefit all children, especially those who struggle with dyslexia.
• It teaches reading in a systematic, explicit, and cumulative manner.
• It helps build strong foundational literacy skills.

Structured literacy offers a science-based approach to reading instruction that emphasizes the systematic and explicit teaching of essential reading skills. New concepts are introduced in a logical order, ensuring that students master foundational skills before progressing to more complex ones. This method contrasts sharply with balanced literacy, which relies heavily on contextual clues and less on direct instruction.

I'm Jen Jones, a literacy expert with over 30 years of experience in education. Throughout my career, I've seen why structured literacy is important in providing every child with the skills they need to read proficiently and confidently.

Essential why is structured literacy important terms: - elements of structured literacy - six components of reading - what is structured literacy instruction

What is Structured Literacy?

Structured Literacy (SL) is a teaching method that emphasizes explicit instruction and systematic teaching. It focuses on phonics and decoding, ensuring that students understand the building blocks of reading.

Explicit Instruction

In explicit instruction, teachers clearly explain and model key skills. They don't expect children to infer these skills from exposure alone. For example, a teacher might demonstrate how to sound out a word like "cat" by breaking it down into its phonemes: /k/ /ă/ /t/. This method is crucial because many children, especially those with dyslexia, need direct teaching to grasp these concepts.

Systematic Teaching

Systematic teaching means that the instruction follows a well-organized sequence. Skills are taught in a logical order, starting with the basics and moving to more complex concepts. For instance, students first learn to decode simple consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words like "bat" before moving on to more complex words like "bland" or "jumping."

Phonics and Decoding

Phonics is the relationship between sounds and their spellings. In structured literacy, phonics is taught systematically and explicitly. Students learn to decode words by sounding them out, rather than guessing based on context or pictures. This approach builds a reliable foundation for reading.

For example, children might start with short vowel sounds and simple CVC words. Once they master these, they move on to more complex patterns, such as vowel-consonant-e words (like "cake") and consonant blends (like "bland").

Why It Works

Structured literacy is effective because it breaks down the reading process into manageable steps. This method is particularly beneficial for children with dyslexia, but it also supports all students in developing strong reading skills. According to the International Dyslexia Association, about 60% of kids need systematic, direct instruction to turn letters and sounds into words.

By focusing on patterns rather than memorizing individual words, structured literacy helps students develop a decoding strategy. This approach contrasts with methods like balanced literacy, which often rely on contextual clues and can leave struggling readers behind.

Structured literacy uses materials that align with its systematic approach. Children read books containing the phonics patterns they have been taught, ensuring that their reading practice reinforces their learning.

In summary, structured literacy is a research-backed method that provides explicit, systematic instruction in phonics and decoding. It builds a strong foundation for reading and is particularly effective for students with dyslexia.

Next, we'll explore why structured literacy is important and dig into its benefits for all students.

Why is Structured Literacy Important?

Benefits for Students with Dyslexia

Structured Literacy is a game-changer for students with dyslexia. These students often struggle with phonemic awareness—the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in words. Without strong phonemic awareness, decoding words becomes a significant challenge.

Structured Literacy provides explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and systematic phonics, helping students break down words into their smallest units of sound. For example, a teacher might guide a student to segment the word "ship" into /sh/ /i/ /p/. This step-by-step approach is crucial for students who need direct teaching to understand these concepts.

According to the International Dyslexia Association, about 10-15% of students are dyslexic. For these students, reading will always be slow and laborious without intensive, repetitive instruction. Structured Literacy addresses this need by offering cumulative learning. Each lesson builds on previously taught skills, ensuring that students master foundational skills before moving on to more complex tasks.

Benefits for All Students

Structured Literacy isn't just for students with dyslexia; it benefits all readers. Here's why:

Foundational Skills: By focusing on phonemic awareness and systematic phonics, Structured Literacy helps all students build a strong foundation in reading. This approach ensures that students understand the building blocks of reading, such as how to break down words into individual sounds and how to blend those sounds to read words.

Decoding Skills: Decoding is the ability to read new words by sounding them out. Structured Literacy teaches students to decode words systematically, which is essential for reading unfamiliar words. This skill is beneficial for all students, not just those with reading difficulties.

Explicit Instruction: Structured Literacy involves clear, direct teaching of reading skills. Teachers model how to sound out words and provide guided practice. This method is effective because it doesn't assume that students will pick up reading skills naturally. Instead, it ensures that all students receive the instruction they need to become proficient readers.

Cumulative Learning: Each lesson in Structured Literacy builds on the previous one, creating a cumulative learning experience. This approach helps all students retain what they've learned and apply it to new reading tasks. It's a systematic way to ensure that students master each skill before moving on to the next.

Literacy Fundamentals: Structured Literacy covers all the essential elements of reading, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. By addressing these components, it provides a comprehensive approach to reading instruction that benefits all students.

In summary, Structured Literacy is a highly effective method for teaching reading skills. It provides explicit, systematic instruction that benefits students with dyslexia and supports all readers in developing strong literacy skills.

Next, we'll compare Structured Literacy to other literacy methods and see how it stands out in its approach to reading instruction.

How Does Structured Literacy Compare to Other Literacy Methods?

Structured Literacy vs. Balanced Literacy

Balanced Literacy is a popular approach that blends phonics instruction with whole language elements. It emphasizes exposure to books and encourages students to use contextual clues to figure out new words. This method works well for some students, particularly those who have a strong literacy foundation at home.

However, Balanced Literacy has its drawbacks. It often relies on strategies like "three-cueing," where students guess words based on pictures or context rather than decoding them. This can lead to gaps in fundamental reading skills, especially for struggling readers.

Structured Literacy, on the other hand, emphasizes explicit teaching and systematic progression. Each lesson builds on the previous one, ensuring that students master one skill before moving on to the next. This method focuses heavily on phonemic awareness and decoding skills, which are crucial for reading success.

Structured Literacy vs. Whole Language

Whole Language is an older approach that assumes students will naturally learn to read through exposure to rich literature. It minimizes direct phonics instruction, believing that students will infer the rules of reading through immersion.

While this method can be engaging, it often leaves students without the necessary tools to decode unfamiliar words. This can be particularly challenging for students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties.

In contrast, Structured Literacy provides a decoding focus and systematic phonics instruction. Teachers lead students through the process of breaking down words into their smallest units of sound and building them back up. This teacher-led instruction ensures that all students, regardless of their starting point, receive the support they need to become proficient readers.

Key Differences:

Feature	Balanced Literacy	Whole Language	Structured Literacy
Phonics Integration	Limited	Minimal	Systematic
Teaching Approach	Contextual, Cueing	Immersive, Inferential	Explicit, Teacher-Led
Phonemic Emphasis	Varies	Low	High
Decoding Focus	Moderate	Low	High
Systematic Progression	Inconsistent	Non-systematic	Sequential and Cumulative

Structured Literacy stands out because it combines explicit teaching with a systematic approach, ensuring that all students build a strong foundation in reading. This method is not just beneficial for students with dyslexia but supports all readers in developing solid literacy skills.

Next, we'll dive into the key components of Structured Literacy and explore how they contribute to effective reading instruction.

Key Components of Structured Literacy

Phonology and Phonemic Awareness

Phonology is all about the sound structure of spoken words. It’s the foundation of Structured Literacy. One critical aspect is phonemic awareness—the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds, or phonemes, in words. Imagine breaking the word "cat" into its three sounds: /k/, /ă/, and /t/. This skill is essential for reading and spelling.

Phoneme segmentation is a key activity. For example, students might clap out the syllables in "banana" or count the sounds in "ship." Such exercises improve critical listening and prepare students to decode words effectively.

Morphology and Syntax

Morphology involves studying the smallest units of meaning in a language, known as morphemes. These include roots, prefixes, and suffixes. For instance, in the word "unhappiness," "un-" is a prefix meaning "not," "happy" is the root, and "-ness" is a suffix indicating a state of being. Understanding these parts helps students decode complex words and grasp their meanings.

Syntax is the set of rules that dictates the order and structure of words in sentences. It includes grammar and sentence variation. Teaching syntax helps students understand how sentences convey meaning. For example, the sentence "The cat chased the dog" has a different meaning from "The dog chased the cat," even though the words are the same.

Semantics

Semantics is all about understanding the meaning of words and sentences. From the beginning, Structured Literacy includes instruction in comprehending written language. This means students learn not just to read words but to understand and interpret them.

Sound-Symbol Association

Sound-Symbol Association is the ability to connect sounds (phonemes) to their corresponding letters or groups of letters (graphemes). This is often referred to as phonics. Students learn to read by mapping sounds to symbols and vice versa. For example, knowing that the letter "s" represents the /s/ sound is crucial for both reading and spelling.

Blending sounds together to form words and segmenting words into their individual sounds are key skills. For instance, blending /c/, /ă/, and /t/ forms the word "cat," while segmenting "dog" breaks it into /d/, /ŏ/, and /g/.

Putting It All Together

Structured Literacy ensures that these components—phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and sound-symbol association—are taught in a clear, systematic, and cumulative way. This approach not only helps students with dyslexia but benefits all learners by providing a solid foundation in reading.

Next, we'll explore how educators can implement Structured Literacy in their classrooms to maximize its benefits.

Implementing Structured Literacy in the Classroom

Role of Educators

Teacher training is crucial for the successful implementation of Structured Literacy. Educators need to be well-versed in the science of reading to effectively teach phonemic awareness, phonics, and other literacy skills. Training programs should focus on explicit instruction techniques, systematic teaching methods, and diagnostic teaching.

Diagnostic teaching involves continuously assessing students' progress and tailoring instruction to meet their individual needs. This means using both informal observations and formal assessments to identify areas where students may need extra support. For example, if a student struggles with blending sounds, the teacher can provide additional practice in that area.

Continuous assessment helps ensure that students are mastering each concept before moving on to more advanced skills. This approach allows teachers to catch and address learning gaps early, preventing students from falling behind.

Individualized instruction is another key component. Since every student learns differently, educators must adapt their teaching methods to suit each child's unique needs. This might involve small group instruction, one-on-one tutoring, or differentiated assignments.

Curriculum and Materials

Curriculum design should be based on a systematic and cumulative approach. This means starting with the most basic concepts and gradually progressing to more complex ones. Each new skill should build on what students have already learned. For example, a curriculum might begin with simple phonemic awareness activities and gradually introduce more complex phonics rules and decoding strategies.

Phonics materials are essential for Structured Literacy. These include decodable books, phonics workbooks, and interactive games that reinforce sound-symbol associations. Decodable books are particularly useful because they contain words that students can sound out using the phonics skills they have learned. This reinforces their learning and builds confidence.

Coordinated texts are another important resource. These texts are carefully chosen to match the phonics skills being taught at each stage of the curriculum. For example, if students are learning about vowel-consonant-e patterns, the texts they read should include many words that follow this pattern.

Explicit books are those that provide clear, direct instruction in literacy skills. These books often include step-by-step guides, practice exercises, and tips for both teachers and students. They are a valuable resource for ensuring that instruction is systematic and explicit.

Student engagement is critical for effective learning. Interactive activities, such as phonics games and hands-on exercises, can make learning more enjoyable and engaging. Additionally, incorporating a variety of teaching methods—such as visual aids, auditory activities, and kinesthetic exercises—can help keep students interested and motivated.

By focusing on thorough teacher training, continuous assessment, and the use of high-quality curriculum materials, educators can effectively implement Structured Literacy in their classrooms. This approach not only supports students with dyslexia but also benefits all learners, providing a solid foundation in reading.

Next, we'll compare Structured Literacy to other literacy methods to highlight its unique benefits.

Conclusion

At Hello Decodables, we are passionate about empowering educators and students with Structured Literacy. Our focus is on providing high-quality, phonics-based decodable books that align with the principles of Structured Literacy.

Educational Publishing

We recognize the critical role educational publishing plays in delivering effective literacy instruction. Our resources are designed to support teachers in implementing Structured Literacy with ease and confidence. From comprehensive teacher guides to engaging student materials, we ensure that every aspect of literacy instruction is covered.

Phonics-Based Decodable Books

Our decodable books are a cornerstone of our offerings. These books are carefully crafted to include words that students can decode using the phonics skills they have learned. This approach not only reinforces their learning but also builds their confidence in reading.

We follow a systematic and cumulative approach in our book design. Each book introduces new phonics skills while revisiting previously taught concepts, ensuring that students build a strong foundation in reading. This method is particularly beneficial for students with dyslexia, but it also improves the reading abilities of all students.

Why Accept Structured Literacy?

Structured Literacy is not just a method; it is a proven approach that transforms how students learn to read. By focusing on explicit, systematic instruction, we address the foundational skills necessary for reading success. This method supports all learners, especially those with dyslexia, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to become a confident and proficient reader.

For more information on how our decodable books can support your Structured Literacy efforts, visit our Guide to Decodable Books.

By embracing Structured Literacy, we can open up reading for every student, paving the way for lifelong learning and success.