Abstract
The main focus of this chapter is to provide teachers with ideas to support students' right to read while utilizing a structured literacy approach to instruction. To address a nationwide lack of reading proficiency, many states have passed legislation mandating the use of science of reading methods, including structured literacy instruction. Critics of the science of reading argue that the focus on the core reading principles within structured literacy “kills the love and joy of reading,” and educators often use this belief to justify using reading practices that lack documented evidence of success. Yet, researchers have found that the stronger reading skills a person possesses, the more they enjoy reading. Using global books with the elements of structured literacy helps us protect children's right to read while giving them the skills necessary to develop reading proficiency.
TopIntroduction
Many states have passed legislation mandating reading instruction follow the science of reading (Schwartz, 2023). Some literacy experts contend that the science of reading’s focus on foundational decoding skills decreases motivation and engagement in reading (Colorado Department of Education, 2022). However, Moats (2020) claimed that the “Enjoyment of reading, exposure to language in books, and attainment of knowledge about the world all accrue in greater measure to those who have learned to read before the end of first grade” (p. 8). This chapter describes how teachers can support students’ right to read while utilizing practices embedded in the science of reading to promote the joy of reading. Using global books with elements of structured literacy, an instructional approach align with the science of reading, can give students mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors (Bishop, 1990), while providing diagnostic, explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction.
In this chapter, the authors explore the changing landscape of literacy education, demonstrating why it is important to maintain children's right to read. The chapter provides an explanation of the science of reading, including a discussion of Scarborough's Reading Rope and structured literacy instruction. The authors conclude the chapter with a discussion and examples of how to use high-quality, diverse literature within and beyond structured literacy in order to protect children's right to read.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Scarborough’s Reading Rope: A model of the language skills necessary for reading.
Decodable Text: Instructional texts written with words that follow the same phonetic sequence as students’ phonics instruction.
Comprehension Strategies: Evidence-based methods for understanding and making meaning from texts.
Integrated Learning: Using skills from one content area with another.
Language Comprehension: Understanding elements of spoken and written language.
Leveled Text: Books characterized and categorized by the level of difficulty of the text, which may be established through quantitative or qualitative measures of complexity.
Structured Literacy: A diagnostic, explicit, systematic, and cumulative approach to reading instruction.
Global Books: Trade books that promote student understanding of a variety of people, experiences, and cultures that have been historically underrepresented in literature.
Word Recognition: The ability to read a written word without decoding.