Reading Doctor Software
A simple model of the reading process
So an understanding the relationship between sounds and words allows a reader to break the “code” of written language. The diagram below shows a simplified model of reading, in which an intermediate level student will read the word “information” aloud. If the word is very familiar to the student, the word is recognised as a whole (A). However, if the word is unfamiliar to the student, the student must use letter-sound knowledge to combine the constituent parts together in order to correctly decode the word (B). Conversely, if a student wishes to write the word “information”, they may either recall the sequence of letters that represent it ‘by rote’, or they may break the word down into its constituent sound-letter parts (syllables and sounds) in order to write it correctly.
Consequently, in order to decode words when reading and encode words when spelling, children need to learn letter-sound relationships (e.g. that the letter “c” makes the sound /k/, as in “cat”, or that the letters “s” and “h” together make the sound /sh/ as in “ship”). Since beginning readers constantly come across unfamiliar words which they must work out by understanding their letter-sound patterns, letter-sound knowledge and the skills required to apply it are very closely related to reading and writing ability in children. Children who are able to independently decode unfamiliar words are able to teach themselves new words without relying on someone to tell them what the word is. Difficulty in using letter-sound patterns results in difficulty with reading and writing. Conversely, strengthening letter-sound pattern knowledge and the underlying phonological skills required to apply it results in drastic improvements in a student’s ability to read and spell.
©2008 LearningScience® Pty Ltd. LearningScience® and ReadingDoctor® are registered trademarks of LearningScience® Pty Ltd. ReadingSounds™ and Rapid Learning Matrix™ are trademarks of LearningScience® Pty Ltd. This software is protected by a pending international patent.
How do children learn to read?
Why do some children struggle with reading and writing?
So how do children learn to read? In order to become competent readers, students must learn to 'break the code' of written language. Since written English is essentially a symbolic representation of the sounds of the language, an understanding of the sound structure of language (phonological awareness) facilitates the transition between spoken and written language skills. The past several decades of research have provided conclusive evidence that an understanding of the relationship between the sounds in language and the written (orthographic) representations of those sounds is the most crucial skill involved in literacy development. Research has shown that good readers are very skilled at using letter-sound relationships when reading, while difficulty in understanding that words are made up of sounds and just how sounds are represented by letters is a hallmark of the struggling reader.
"In order to become independent, competent readers, students must learn to 'break the code' in written language"
Teaching beginning and struggling readers to rapidly, automatically and accurately recognise letter-sound patterns and to use this knowledge to construct and deconstruct words is challenging due the abstract nature of letter-sound relationships. For example, there is no reason why the squiggle "s" represents the sound /s/ as in "sun". Understanding that letters represent certain sounds poses a great challenge to beginning readers and especially to those children struggling with reading, since there is no meaningful relationship between the way that letters look and the sounds they make.
Once children learn the sounds that letters make, they need to be able to rapidly, automatically and accurately apply these skills in joining sounds together when reading unfamiliar words - the letters "s-t-o-p" make four individual sounds (/s/-/t/-/o/-/p/), which when joined together, say the word /stop/. The opposite process occurs when spelling. Children need to be able to understand, for example, that the word "stop" contains the four individual sounds /s/-/t/-/o/-/p/, which may be represented in writing as the visual pattern, "stop". These skills form the backbone of reading and writing ability in all children learning to read, and allow the student to read unfamiliar words independently. Research indicates that children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia have a neurological glitch which makes learning these skills particularly difficult.
In addition to being able to apply sound-symbol knowledge in reading and spelling unfamiliar words, children learning to read need to be able to recognize commonly occurring irregularly spelt words, that is, words which do not conform to typical sound-letter patterns (such as "said", "who" and "yacht"). These words must be learnt with an emphasis on visual patterns rather than letter-sound relationships.
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