Approaches to Teaching Reading

prepared by Kate Todd

for
Reading Instruction and Children’s Books
 Phonics
• Identify individual letters and the sounds
they represent
• Practice sounding out words combining
known letters
• Say sounds aloud in an effort to match
words that are in oral vocabulary
• Practice with phonemes can become
tedious and repetitious
 Sight Words
• Based on the reality that most adults read
by recognizing words, not letters
• Proponents claim that 75% of text
contains only 220 words [Dolch word list]
• Practice focuses on identifying individual
words on lists or flash cards
• Words are not learned in context of story
or book
 Language immersion
• Grounded in theory that reading, writing,
listening and talking are interrelated skills
• Students are surrounded by books
• Listen to reading by teachers, other adults,
siblings or peers
• Learning activities include telling stories,
creating art and writing own narratives
 Content Literacy
• Pre-reading activity can activate prior
knowledge or act as an advance organizer
• During reading students are given
exercises that check for comprehension
• Post-reading activity assists students in
remembering new vocabulary or ideas
• Emphasis is on comprehension, not
reading for pleasure