What is the science of reading?
The “science of reading” refers to an interdisciplinary body of research that examines how humans learn to read, the processes involved in reading, and the most effective methods for teaching reading. It draws from various fields, including cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and education. The science of reading emphasizes evidence-based practices that have been proven to support reading development.
Lesson plans based on the science of reading incorporate decodable passages. Decodable passages or texts are sequential and gradually build phonics knowledge. They allow students to practice grapheme-phoneme correspondences and quickly build their confidence and ability to read connected text.
The science of reading has influenced educational practices and policies, encouraging a shift toward methods systematically and explicitly focused on teaching these core components. It advocates for instructional approaches aligned with how the brain processes written language, instead of relying solely on methods like whole language or balanced literacy, which may not be as effective for all learners.
What are the 4 elements of evidence-based foundational skills practice?
- Systematic: Sequenced instruction and intervention.
- Explicit: Students see it, hear it, read it, and write it.
- Practice: Students practice skills and make meaning from decodable texts.
- Assessment/Differentiation: Informal and formal data collection drives teaching and targeted support.
What are the key elements of the science of reading?
Learning to read is not automatic—it’s a step-by-step process that the brain builds over time. Here’s a simple overview of how children learn to read and spell, based on decades of research in reading science.
1. Hearing Sounds in Words (Phonemic Awareness)
Before reading begins, children must first develop phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words (e.g., hearing /c/ /a/ /t/ in cat).
This is a critical foundation for later phonics instruction. [National Reading Panel, 2000; Adams, 1990]
2. Matching Sounds to Letters (Phonics)
Once children can identify sounds, they learn to link those sounds to letters or letter combinations (graphemes). This is the basis of phonics—understanding how the alphabet represents sounds.
For example:
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/s/ is spelled s
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/sh/ is spelled sh
[Ehri, 2005; Moats, 2020]
3. Blending Sounds to Read Words
Children begin blending sounds to decode words, starting with:
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VC words (e.g., at, up)
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CVC words (e.g., cat, mud, hop)
Blending helps children read real words and build decoding fluency. [Chall, 1983; Carnine et al., 2017]
4. Mapping Sight Words for Instant Recognition (Orthographic Mapping)
While decoding, children also learn high-frequency words (e.g., the, was, said) that don’t always follow phonics rules. Instead of memorizing whole words visually, the brain stores them through a process called orthographic mapping—permanently linking a word’s spelling, pronunciation, and meaning.
This makes words automatic to recognize. [Ehri, 2005; Kilpatrick, 2015]
5. Fluency—Reading and Rereading Words and Phrases
As children decode and recognize more words, they begin to read short phrases like:
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The sun is hot.
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I can run fast.
They reread these often, building automaticity and fluency, which are essential for comprehension. Reading and spelling reinforce one another at this stage.[Shanahan, 2006; Moats, 2020]
6. Learning Advanced Phonics Patterns
As children grow in skill, they are introduced to more complex phonics concepts:
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Consonant blends (bl, st, cr)
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Digraphs (sh, th, wh)
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Silent e words (like bike, cake)
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R-controlled vowels (car, bird)
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Vowel teams (rain, meat, toe)
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Prefixes and suffixes (unhappy, jumping, sadness)
This expansion strengthens their ability to decode, spell, and understand longer, more complex words. [Carnine et al., 2017; Moats, 2020]
7. Why Fluency and Spelling Matter
When children read fluently, they don’t have to focus on decoding—their brains can focus on understanding the text. Likewise, learning to spell reinforces word patterns and boosts reading accuracy.
Strong fluency supports comprehension. Spelling and reading are reciprocal skills. [Ehri, 2000; Kilpatrick, 2015; Moats, 2020]
8. Comprehension—Reading Short Stories and Answering Questions
Early readers should not be expected to decode and deeply comprehend at the same time. When students are still working hard to decode words, it’s best not to overload their cognitive load by also expecting strong comprehension performance at the same time. This is especially true in the early stages of learning to read.
Why? Because decoding and comprehension use different cognitive systems:
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Decoding relies on the phonological/orthographic systems.
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Comprehension draws from background knowledge, vocabulary, and working memory.
If the brain is working hard to sound out each word, there’s less energy left to understand what’s being read.
Best Practice:
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In early phonics-based texts, focus on accuracy, fluency, and orthographic mapping.
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For comprehension development, use read-alouds, shared reading, or listening activities so the child isn’t burdened with decoding.
This aligns with Scarborough’s Reading Rope—decoding must be fluent before comprehension becomes efficient.
Not all comprehension tasks are equal. Some require low-level recall, while others demand deeper reasoning. Understanding this helps you match questions to a child’s reading level and cognitive readiness.
What is the comprehension hierarchy from easiest to hardest?
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Literal recall—Who? What? Where? (e.g., “What did the dog do?”)
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Sequencing—What happened first/next/last?
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Basic retelling—Can they summarize the beginning, middle, end? Retelling may be more cognitively demanding than answering one question, since it involves memory, organization, and language skills.
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Inferencing—Why did the character do that? How do you think they felt?
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Vocabulary in context—What does this word mean here?
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Prediction or connection—What might happen next? Has this happened to you? [Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Scarborough, 2001]
Children learn to read by reading!
Reading is a skill that needs practice. Professional athletes and musicians practice their skills rigorously daily, not “less” and “casually”—and they are professionals!
The more you read, the stronger brain connections become! Your brain behaves like a muscle that grows through effort and repeated failures. When you struggle, your 100 billion neurons lean on each other and make connections. The more you persevere, the more your neurons work together, and the “smarter” you get! Through repetition and practice, the meaning area of our brain begins to recognize and assign meaning to sequences of letters and word parts, increasing the speed of decoding and fluency.
Published May 2012
Edited November 27, 2025
