Literacy instruction includes phonetic and whole word reading, as well as strategies for comprehension. Phonics is useful for students who cannot read, while memorizing frequently encountered words is effective for some students. Practice and exposure to a variety of texts are important for developing literacy skills. Once basic reading skills are acquired, instruction shifts to reading comprehension strategies.
Literacy instruction occurs at all levels of a child’s education. While the most basic form of literacy focuses on learning to sound out and read words, literacy also involves the ability to understand and remember what has been read. In terms of teaching reading, instruction usually focuses on phonetic or whole word reading. For literary comprehension, instructors often teach strategies that students can use while reading to better understand a text.
One type of literacy instruction that is often used with students who cannot read is phonics. This system teaches students which sounds are associated with which letters. Practice can involve matching letters to objects that start with the same sound, or kinesthetic activities where students move the appropriate letter when the corresponding sound is heard. The benefit of this type of literacy instruction is that students are given the skills they need to effectively read words they have never encountered before.
Beginning readers can also be asked to memorize frequently encountered words. These words go into a student’s vision vocabulary that doesn’t need to be sounded out when found. While teaching whole word memorization is effective literacy instruction for some students, many students, especially those with dyslexia or other learning difficulties, may not be able to learn to read in this way.
When students are learning to read, one of the most important parts of literacy instruction is providing enough time for practice. Literacy takes many years to develop fully. Students should also be exposed to a variety of different texts at levels they can read alone, levels they can read with assistance, and levels they can understand when read aloud. Providing a variety of literary experiences allows students to find the topics they enjoy most, increasing the chances that the student will select reading as a leisure activity later on. Level reading also encourages students to continue to improve their reading skills.
Once students have basic reading skills, literacy teaching will focus more on reading comprehension. Students can still be coached on saying difficult words, but literacy involves more than just being able to read the words printed on a page. Instructors can give students a variety of different strategies for decoding text and drawing conclusions about it. Instructors can model effective reading strategies, teach students to understand what they read, and give students plenty of time to practice as part of their literacy instruction.
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