Component skills of reading
Component skills of reading
As mentioned above, learning to read is a developmental process. There are discrete skills that work in combination to enable us to read. While these skills are used together when we read, it is important to teach them as explicit skills one at a time. As skills are learned, teachers can help students integrate them to create the ability to read fluently. These component skills are also not equally important at each level of schooling. Some are more important in early grades and others more important in later grades.
Before children can start learning to read, they need to become aware of and understand the concept of written letters, words and text. The Reading Approach presents print concepts as a related component skill of reading. Children must learn that messages can be conveyed in writing; that some written symbols are letters of an alphabet; where to begin reading on a page or in a book; what a book is and what the cover, title, and author are; which direction a text is read; and that illustrations are used to convey meaning within a text.
As learners gain an awareness and understanding of print concepts, they can begin to develop other component skills of reading. There are five components skills, as well as the skill of writing, that combine to enable children to both decode words and understand what they read. Everyone uses these component skills when they read even though fluent and successful readers may not realize when each skill is used.
The five components of teaching reading (plus 2) are:
Why include writing?
Reading and writing are related skills which are best learned together. An effective reading program includes writing activities so that students can improve their reading through writing and improve their writing through reading. Writing is considered to be an additional component of learning to reading.
For students to learn to read and write in the early grades of primary school, they must work regularly with the five components skills and writing. As students become more proficient readers, the emphasis placed on each of these skills will likely change, but these component skills are always the skills that good readers will have to master and use in new reading situations. Each component skill is explained below:
| # | COMPONENT | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PHONEMIC AWARENESS | Words are composed of individual sounds. Sounds are phonemes. In a language such as English, the sound /s/ for example, can be represented by more than one letter, such as the letter "s" and "c", but it is still the sound /s/. /s/ is a phoneme. Phonemic awareness is an aural activity, meaning that students do not use the written letters and words to develop it. It is all about sounds. |
| 2 | PHONICS | Each letter of the alphabet makes a sound or phoneme. In a language such as English, some sounds can be represented by more than one letter as in the sound /k/. Also, sometimes groups of letters can produce a single sound, such as the 'ck' or 'th' in English. |
| 3 | VOCABULARY | By comprehending words, a person is able to communicate-being able to understand and use words in writing and in speech. |
| 4 | FLUENCY |
Fluency is the ability to read with expression in meaningful phrasal units, correctly and rapidly. When we read, we use a part of our brain that holds our 'working memory'.
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| 5 | COMPREHENSION | The 4 components above contribute to a person's ability to comprehend a written or spoken text. |
| 6 | WRITING |
Writing is the ability to communicate ideas and to express oneself using written words. It is a skill that requires students to use the other components of reading. Learning to read and learning to write cannot be separated; the two must occur through interaction. Writing allows a student to:
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