A Comprehensive Approach to Literacy.

In 2000, the National Reading Panel identified five essential pillars that are necessary for effective reading instruction. Here is a breakdown of those five components:

Phonemic Awareness: This is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. It is entirely auditory—no "looking at letters" involved yet..

Phonics:  Phonics is the bridge between sounds and symbols. It involves teaching the relationship between written letters (graphemes) and spoken sounds.

Fluency:  Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression (prosody).

Vocabulary:  This refers to the words a student needs to know to communicate effectively. There is a "receptive" vocabulary (words we understand when heard) and an "expressive" vocabulary (words we use).

Comprehension:  This is the ultimate goal of reading. It is the complex cognitive process where readers intentionally interact with the text to create meaning.

Writing:  Writing is using letters and other symbols to put your thoughts and ideas into a readable form so you can communicate with others.