National Reading Process Analysis

There are six major components to the reading process which, if followed and taught correctly, can greatly influence the progression of literacy in students. The National Reading Panel, a board of educators, administrators and scientists, evaluated scientific research and evidence to determine the best method for teaching students to read. In 2000, the panel concluded their research and published their reports. Their findings state that the most effective plan for students to learn to read is one that incorporates comprehension, oral language, phonics, phonological awareness, fluency and vocabulary. (National reading panel, 2015) When used correctly, these components can help not only native speakers begin to learn to read, but can also assist English learners in learning to read a non-native language. Tindall (2010) states, “Phonological awareness is an all-encompassing term for hearing

When teaching phonics, it is important to remember to teach the letter sound, not the letter name. Many schools require children to know the alphabet before entering kindergarten, however, as per Gordon’s (2010) findings, “in some cases, the psychological process of negative transfer can inhibit students from learning the sounds of the letter later on” (p.2). What this means is that instead of teaching a child to see the letter “b” and say ‘bee’ we should teach them to look at the letter and pronounce it /b/. In order for students to be able to sound out words, they need to first know the proper pronunciation of each letter, or combination of letters, underlining the importance of phonics as the beginning stage of the reading process. It is also helpful to teach students to identify lowercase letters instead of focusing on uppercase letters as lowercase letters are the majority of what make up the words we read every