Our Approach to Literacy
Our Amplify K-2 CKLA foundational reading program is based on the Science of Reading. The Science of Reading refers to the pedagogy and practices proven by extensive research to effectively teach children how to read. To easily understand the complex combination of skills that result in reading fluency, there are two main frameworks: The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Rope.
The Essential Elements of Teaching Reading:
Phonics is the relationship between the letters (or letter combinations) in written language and the individual sounds in spoken language.
Phonetic awareness. Phonemes are the smallest units making up spoken language, combined to form syllables and words. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate these individual units of sound.
Vocabulary development is closely connected to comprehension and refers to words we need to know to communicate with others.
Fluency is the ability to read as well as we speak and to make sense of the text without having to stop and decode each word.
Comprehension involves constructing meaning that is reasonable and accurate by connecting what has been read to what the reader already knows and thinking about all of this information until it is understood.
Science of Reading principles:
1. Reading is not natural; it can and must be taught.
2. Background knowledge is as critical to comprehension as decoding skills.
3. Foundational skills instruction must be systematic and explicit, beginning with sounds.
4. Instruction must be engaging, through multiple modes and senses.
5. Science-based reading instruction reduces the need for intervention, and allows children to move forward as capable, confident learners.
6. Science-based reading instruction is a matter of equity.
7. Science-based reading instruction is urgent, and the most crucial work of the elementary teacher.
October 14, 2022 from Amplify Science of Reading Approach