The Five Components of Reading
As adult readers, we take for granted the many processes and skills required to read successfully. The major components of reading are outlined and explained below, in an effort to give you some insight into the skills we are working on in school. These components of reading are adapted from the National Reading Panel (NRP).
Phonemic Awareness
Young children must develop an understanding that spoken words can be broken down into individual sounds, called phonemes. These sounds are combined in various ways to make words. The ability of early readers to manipulate and use these individual sounds is called phonemic awareness. A child can demonstrate that they have phonemic awareness by recognizing when words rhyme, isolating the beginning sound of a word, or when they "stretch out" a word into individual sounds. You can help your child develop phonemic awareness through word play, such as songs, nursery rhymes, etc.
Phonics
Phonics refers to the understanding that the individual sounds that make up words are represented by letters. Your child demonstrates phonics skills when he or she identifies the beginning letter of a word based on the sound, or brainstorms words that have the same vowel pattern (often called word families).
Vocabulary
Vocabulary refers to when readers recognize the meaning of words in reading and writing, as well as in spoken language. Don't be afraid to use complex vocabulary with your child. It is helpful to expose them to a wide variety of words! Children must also learn how to make educated guesses about unknown word meanings based on clues in the text (often called context clues).
Fluency
Fluency is the ability to read at an appropriate pace, smoothly, and with appropriate expression and phrasing. A child reads fluently when they abide by punctuation marks, change the pitch of their voice as they read, and move beyond reading word-by-word. One way to improve fluency is through repeated reading of the same text. Encourage your child to read the same text aloud again, perhaps by asking him or her to read it to a friend, sibling, or a stuffed animal. Fluency is important, as comprehension is made more challenging when fluency is lacking.
Comprehension
Comprehension is the ability to understand the meaning of a text. Encourage your child to think about the meaning of the text by having a conversation about the book he or she has read. Remind your child that he or she should be having an "inner conversation" with themselves as they read. There are many strategies that children should use to develop their comprehension. Some of these strategies include visualizing, asking questions, making connections, predicting, and drawing conclusions. Click the image to the right to download information on the "Super Six" comprehension strategies that are appropriate for elementary readers!