The Science of Reading Approach

The newest buzz word today is The Science of Reading. Does it change what we do in tutoring with your student? How does all of this information relate to the five “components” of reading, as identified by the National Reading Panel’s (NRP’s) report on reading instruction? Although the NRP identified five “components” of reading instruction from research (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension), it is important to note that each of these “components” are highly connected and should not be taught as distinct skills. For example, phonological awareness, phonics, and word-reading fluency are a part of decoding or word-recognition in the SVR, whereas vocabulary is a part of linguistic comprehension. These components are typically taught together in a comprehensive literacy program. The five “components” are described below.