The Five Pillars of Literacy - Definition, Strategies, and Programs for the Elementary Classroom
- gavriellemann
- May 3, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: May 4, 2023
Original Contribution for LIT 5091 Capstone Experience for Literacy
In 2000, the National Reading Panel completed a report titled "Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Based Literature on Reading and Its Implication on Reading Instruction." In this report, the writers agreed that there are five main pillars of early literacy and when all of those pillars are working together, strong readers are created.
Those five pillars are Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. This post is an in-depth analysis of those pillars, how they look in the classroom and strategies that can be used to increase knowledge in that particular area.
1. Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic Awareness is defined as the ability to listen to and manipulate phonemes within words. Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound within words. When students are able to manipulate phonemes, they are more likely to be successful readers. Studies have shown that even in preschool students who are exposed to phonemic awareness activities are more likely to become stronger word decoders and spellers.
Phonemic Awareness should be a part of literacy instruction in all early elementary reading programs. This portion of the lesson does not need to take a long time, and most researchers recommend spending 10 to 15 minutes on phonemic awareness.
There are many great programs that can be used to aid students in phonemic awareness. There are programs Superkids by Zaner Bloser. However, the most popular program is Heggerty. In this lesson, students are asked to orally manipulate words on several different levels. This quick-paced lesson allows students to be exposed to all layers of phonemic awareness at an early age and continue working toward mastery throughout the school year and up to 2nd grade.
Here is an example lesson of Heggerty. Each week is broken up into five days and students are working toward the same skills every week. The lessons get progressively harder throughout the school year.
Check out their websites to learn more.
2. Phonics
Phonics is the study of the relationship between the sounds that we hear (phonemes) and the letters that represent those sounds (graphemes). It is essential that students have a solid understanding of phonics patterns. When they have mastered this phoneme-grapheme relationship, they are able to be better spellers and decoders of unfamiliar words. If phonics instruction is done correctly, students master the alphabetic principle which is paramount to building strong readers.
Great teachers must be sure to follow the scope and sequence of a researched-based phonics program. Phonics instruction should be occurring daily in the early elementary classroom.
With the explosion of the science of reading approach to literacy, there are many programs that are designed to teach students phonics. Some of the most popular programs include Secret Stories, UFLI Foundations, Orton Gillingham Approach, and Fundations. While all of the programs approach teaching phonics in a slightly different manner, they highlight the importance of mastering phonics skills in the early grades.
Check out their websites to learn more about each program.
3. Fluency
Fluency is another pillar of early literacy. Fluency is defined as the ability to read quickly with accuracy and expression. This skill develops after students have the ability to decode most words and have mastered the alphabetic principle. When students are able to read accurately their fluency rates increase. Increased fluency rates have been shown to have increased comprehension scores.
Fluency should be built into every literacy lesson as well in early elementary. This can be accomplished by having students practice reading aloud decodable lessons in small groups or having students read other texts with partners.
There are many ways to increase students' fluency. There are different strategies depending on the age level of students. Some of these strategies include Repeated Readings, Echo Reading, Partner Reading, Pause-Prompt-Praise, and more.
Check out this website for ideas to improve student fluency!
4. Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the fourth pillar of the NRP report on early literacy. This pillar consists of the words that students should be able to read and understand. There are three levels of vocabulary for students. Tier 1 includes basic words that all students should be able to read quickly. Tier 2 vocabulary words include words that students typically need direct instruction to learn. These are more technical words. Tier 3 words are content-specific words that are not encountered in text often.
Vocabulary instruction should be an integral part of vocabulary instruction. As students get older, there should be a heavier emphasis placed on vocabulary. Direct instruction of vocabulary should include teaching students the pronunciation, definition, root, and any prefixes or suffixes.
There are many websites or programs that can be used for vocabulary instruction. The program is dependent on the ability of the student to use them. Wordly Wise 3000 is a great program that explicitly teaches vocabulary words to grades 2-6. Below are some websites or programs that can be used for vocabulary instruction.
5. Comprehension
The final pillar of early education that the NRP indicated in their report is comprehension. Comprehension is the ability to interpret and understand what is being read. Students are able to build their comprehension skills after having mastered the alphabetic principle and reading with fluency. The NRP report discusses the importance of instructing students in reading strategies but to do this teachers should receive intensive instruction on how and why strategies should be chosen for a particular group of students.
Comprehension skills become increasingly important as students age. The focus on foundational skills shifts to higher-level reading skills like comprehension. Comprehension should be an integral part of every reading block. The complexity of the question and skills will change as students age, but even preschool students should be instructed on how to think about what they are reading.
There are many strategies that can be used to teach comprehension skills. It is important to note that not all strategies work for all students. Some of these strategies include summarizing, making connections, visualizing, making inferences, think-alouds, retelling, and predicting. Below are some examples of great picture books that can be used to teach comprehension skills.
Making Connections:
King of the Sky by Nicola Davies
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
Summarizing:
Don't Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Inferences:
Draw! by Raul Colon
Fossil by Bill Thomson
Predictions:
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
References:
Reading Rockets. (2013, July 10). Fluency. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/helping/target/fluency
Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. (2013). National Reading Panel, 88(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1215/00031283-2322610
University of Oregon. (2019). Phonemic awareness: Concepts and research. Uoregon.edu. http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/pa/pa_what.php
Fluency is a major issue, looking forward to trying these strategies and resources!
Loved reading this! Super interesting to learn about different strategies!