“Know Your Numbers” was an effective health campaign slogan used to impress the importance of cardio health screening. Here are some numbers related to effective reading instruction. Do you know them? Let the following help guide you as you delve into research, articles, strategies, and conversations!
5: Five components of reading-phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. An essential part of intentional instruction!
7: Seven explicit comprehension strategies- Comprehension requires instruction that is explicitly taught. 1. Inferring 2. Making Connections 3. Asking/Answering questions about the text 4.Summarizing 5. Visualizing 6. Monitoring Comprehension 7. Determining Important Information
44: 44 phonemes in the English language- Phonics needs to be taught explicitly and systematically. Access to a scope/sequence that teachers can use must include all 44 over the course of instruction.
7: Seven levels of phonemic awareness- Phonemic awareness is a learned skill. Teachers need to know where students are and where they need to go.
2: Two types of fluency building text- Decodable VS Predictable text are purposefully written and should be purposefully used for intentional instruction. Teachers need to know what the tools are and how to use them.
3: Three Terms of Phonics- Synthetic, Systematic, Analytic phonics are all terms being used to describe phonics instruction. Teachers should know the difference and how they are applied to reading instruction in the classroom.
Of course there are many more, but ALL teachers of reading should have knowledge of these basic concepts in their back pocket. Know your numbers!
Dodging the Pendulum 