Science of Reading and CKLA

One key finding of the science of reading is that learning to read is not natural or automatic, it is a learned skill, and as such for most people learning to read well requires systematic, explicit instruction (Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science by Louisa Moats). This instruction (sometimes referred to as “structured literacy”) must include phonics.

Phonics refers to the relationship between letters and sounds in language. It involves understanding how letters represent sounds and using that knowledge to decode written words during reading and encode words during writing.

According the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, literacy instruction in Illinois should focus on the seven key components to literacy instruction: oracy, phonological awareness, word recognition (phonics), fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. Additionally, these components can be conceptualized as the different strands of the reading rope, coined by Dr. Hollis Scarborough. The reading rope visually displays the complex processes in reading development.