Science of Reading Myths and Misconceptions

Learning to read is a complex human process that is not naturally occurring. The human brain is hard-wired for spoken language –  making learning to speak natural. Any child, unless neurologically or hearing-impaired – or are sensory-deprived - will learn to speak at some point. 

Reading and writing, on the other hand, are man-made. The notion that simply surrounding students in a print-rich environment and fostering the love of reading will lead them to become readers may sound ideal, but that is not how learning to read works. We are not hard-wired to read; our brains repurpose different parts of the brain for reading to create a reading neural network. Immersing children in literature and language-rich environments is important, but not sufficient on its own to guarantee the development of the necessary literacy skills for successful reading. We are not hard-wired to read and because of this these skills must be explicitly and systematically taught to students along with providing ample opportunity for students to practice these skills.  

(Dehaene, 2009; Lyon, 1998; Wolf, 2007) 

The idea of “late bloomers” is another pervasive myth. This was known among researchers as the developmental lag theory, which said that difficulties in learning to read would fade as the brain matured and that early intervention was not needed—that the student just needed more time. Developmental lag theory has been disproven with evidence, indicating that for most students waiting does not work and is harmful. Evidence from three longitudinal studies has supported the skill deficit theory and discredited the developmental lag theory 

Late bloomers are rare; skill deficits are almost always what prevent children from blooming as readers.  

(Juel, 1988; Francis et al., 1996; Shaywitz et al., 1999; Torgesen, 1998) 

The science of reading is built on the Simple View of Reading and emphasizes the five components of reading, plus oral language.

(Gough & Tunmer, 1986)

This model developed by Gough and Tunmer organizes the skills needed to become a proficient and successful reader into two categories: word recognition and language comprehension. The Simple View of Reading is a basic formula for reading comprehension. It says this: reading comprehension is the product of word recognition skills and language comprehension skills. We need both variables in the equation for students to become skilled, proficient readers. Students need efficient word recognition or decoding skills where they are accurately and automatically reading the words on the page without the aid of context clues or pictures*. They also need fully developed language comprehension skills, which references the ability to understand language. In order for a student to understand text, they need to decode the words on the page and then make meaning of the words, sentences, and overall text.  

*Use of context clues and pictures is an acceptable comprehension strategy. The use of context in comprehension refers to something quite different from the use of context in word recognition. Examples of using context to aid in comprehension are determining the meaning of unknown words, understanding words with multiple meanings, and understanding pronoun referents. The use of context to aid comprehension should be consistently encouraged by teachers, although some contexts are more helpful than others for this purpose.

The skills needed to become a proficient reader can also be seen in the Reading Rope model. (Scarborough, 2001) This model aligns with The Simple View of Reading but gives us a little more information on the skills that are required in each variable of the equation.

♦♦Follow-up question: Why is phonics often focused on in conversations about the science of reading? 

Students need to develop both word recognition and language comprehension skill sets to become successful and proficient readers. Minimal phonics instruction or teaching concepts incidentally as they come up in text is not enough instruction for most students. Phonics is often the focus of conversation around research-based practice because it is the weakest component of many programs which do not align with the science. All students learn best through explicit and systematic instruction which teaches students phonics concepts in a structured sequence where lessons are building upon one another. Additionally, there is not as much debate on how to teach vocabulary and comprehension, so this side of the equation is not as thoroughly discussed but is equally important in instruction and student reading. Quality instruction in all components of reading is essential for effective instruction. See the Selecting Scientifically and Evidence-Based Instructional Programs page for more information on criteria for effective instruction in all components of reading.  

(Schwartz, 2019)

The goal of evidence-based reading instruction is for students to be able to read any book of their choice successfully. Science of reading-aligned practice promotes the use of different texts for different uses. Students are encouraged to engage with the books that interest them for pleasure reading. During instructional time, specific texts are chosen for accurate practice and application of concepts taught in the lesson, as a model of text structure, and to build vocabulary and background knowledge.  

Decodable text is the type of text that focuses on the phonetic code and presents words to students that follow the concepts that they have been taught. In this way, students are encouraged to attend to the code and use their phonics knowledge to decode words. When correctly employed the use of decodable text is a method that helps all and harms none. It provides a reliable pathway to moving students to accurately and successfully read authentic literature of their choosing. When students are able to apply their decoding skills with fluency, they are able to transition away from decodable books to less phonetically controlled, authentic text. Decodable text is purposeful and temporary as students build and practice their skills. 

♦♦Follow-up question: How is authentic text used with beginning readers?

Authentic text is used with beginning readers in read-alouds to build vocabulary and background knowledge, model complex sentence and text structure, and build other language comprehension skills like inference or learning figurative language. When students master decoding skills, authentic text becomes decodable and can be used to build word recognition and language comprehension skills. Authentic text is always encouraged for enjoyment reading whether independently, via audiobook, or with the support of another reader.  

For more information visit the Text Types: Decodable, Leveled, & Authentic webpage.  

(Beck & Juel, 1997; Foorman, B.R. et al., 1997; Jenkins, J. R. et al., 2003) 

To understand what they are reading, all students need to be able to read the words on the page and match those words up with words in their vocabulary. This includes students learning English as a second or multiple language. The goal of the three-cueing system is for students to determine unknown words by accessing information sources including meaning, structure, and visual. In this approach, students are encouraged to make informed guesses at a word, use context or other knowledge and experience to plug-in unfamiliar words. This is not an efficient method of reading for any student and encourages habits that can hinder reading development.   

(van Bergen et al., 2021)

♦♦Follow-up question: What about students who don’t need phonics? Is a science of reading-based approach really just “drill and kill” leading to boredom and the dislike of reading?