Reading is one of two components that comprises literacy.\u00a0 It is a complex process that depends on an individual student\u2019s abilities and skills to integrate six interdependent components of the process; phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, oral language and comprehension.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/em>This paper identifies and defines the above referenced components and presents their individual and interdependent relevance to the development of reading proficiency in students.\u00a0<\/p>\n In order to become a good reader, a student must show proficiency in all of the following reading process components; phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, oral language and comprehension.<\/em>\u00a0 Whereas the desired outcome is for all students to become fully proficient in all of the above components, that is not always the case.\u00a0\u00a0 A deficiency in one or more of these components can impact reading, however, varying degrees of proficiency in these skills is common, thus allowing students to compensate a weaker component by showing strength in the others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Phonological awareness is critical for learning to read any alphabetic writing system (Ehri, 2004; Rath, 2001; Troia, 2004).\u00a0 The latter is important for children to acquire before their instruction about phonics begins.\u00a0\u00a0 Our ability to hear and manipulate sounds within our spoken language is what defines phonological awareness.\u00a0 This includes having students separate oral language into syllable and individual phonemes and learning the distinctive sounds of the language the students are learning.<\/p>\n Research indicates that children proficient in this skills become better readers.\u00a0\u00a0 Before they even commence to learn the letter of our alphabet, children begin to say the sounds in their spoken language.\u00a0\u00a0 Activities that help develop phonological awareness skills in children provide practice with rhyme, beginning sounds and syllables. (from ILA, International Literacy Association), including the use of songs and tapping syllables.\u00a0\u00a0 The preferred and ideal time to help students attain proficiency in their phonological awareness skills is when they are in pre-school, pre-K and kindergarten.\u00a0\u00a0 An absence of these skills will only serve to delay their basic literacy skills as they struggle with reading.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Phonics is a method of instruction that consists of teaching the relationship between graphemes (letters) in written language and phonemes (sounds) in oral language and how to use this relationship to learn to read and spell.\u00a0\u00a0 Phonics instruction is systematic when all the major grapheme\u2013 phoneme correspondences are taught and they are covered in a clearly defined sequence. (DES, 2006, p. 18).<\/p>\n Research indicates that phonics should be taught at an early age and in a systematic and structure way that is best preceded by phonological awareness.\u00a0 The underlying academic basis for students being taught phonics is so that they understand that all letters have a name and represent sounds in words.\u00a0 Some of the strategies utilized by effective teachers when teaching phonics include making and breaking words and chunking.<\/p>\n Phonics is relevant and a very important component of the reading process as it allows students to be able to decipher how to read words they have not encountered before.\u00a0\u00a0 Their knowledge of the rules for phonics also helps students generalize from words they are familiar with in order to read new words.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for\u201d (Ludwig Wittgenstein 1953).\u00a0 This quote is a testament to the importance of vocabulary as a component of the reading learning process.\u00a0\u00a0 Our vocabulary consists of the words we know the meaning of and understand when we hear or read them, receptive vocabulary, and when we speak or write them, expressive vocabulary.\u00a0\u00a0 Students\u2019 vocabulary repository improves and increases through their exposure to words they read and hear in the form of direct instruction from teachers or others.\u00a0 A good reader generally possesses a rich and varied vocabulary.<\/p>\n Students with a rich vocabulary foundation tend to better understand what they read, therefore increasing their comprehension and a resulting expansion of their vocabulary as well.\u00a0\u00a0 The opposite occurs for students with a limited vocabulary foundation.\u00a0\u00a0 Students thins about the meaning of words they\u2019re reading, choosing appropriate meanings, recognizing figurative uses, and relating them to their background knowledge (Tompkins, 2017, p.40).\u00a0 Knowing the meaning of words influences comprehension because it is difficult to understand when the words being read don\u2019t make sense (Tompkins, 2017, p.40)<\/p>\n \u201cFluency is the ability to read aloud with expression to demonstrate an understanding of the author\u2019s message\u201d (Department of Education and Training in Western Australia, 2004, p.30).\u00a0 Students become fluent readers when they recognize most words automatically and read quickly with expression (Tompkins, 2017, p. 40).\u00a0\u00a0 According to Mc Kenna & Stahl (2009) the three key components of reading fluency are accurate word recognition, automaticity and appropriate rhythm and intonation of speech.\u00a0<\/p>\n Being fluent in reading is when a student is able to read quickly and accurately, thus making the process efficient.\u00a0\u00a0 Speed is not the only metric in determining reading fluency, as reading fluency is also measured in the readers\u2019 abilities to chunk words correctly into phrases,\u00a0 proper and correct reading intonation, appropriate pauses, and demonstration of punctuation at the end of each sentence.\u00a0 Measurement of the above components within fluency serves as an effective reading fluency assessment.\u00a0\u00a0 Reading fluency is one of the most reliable predictors about a student being able to comprehend text.\u00a0 In fact, reading fluency has been called the bridge between decoding and comprehension (Chard & Pikulski 2005).<\/p>\n Comprehension combines reading with thinking and reasoning.\u00a0 It occurs when students are able to understand what they are reading once they have created meaning.\u00a0\u00a0 To create meaning, they predict, connect, monitor, repair and use other comprehension strategies as well as their knowledge of genres, organizational patterns and literary devices (Tompkins, 2017, p. 40).\u00a0 Mastering of reading comprehension skills directly impact the effective of reading.\u00a0 Strong reading comprehension skills help in all the other subjects and in the personal and professional lives.<\/p>\n Students\u2019 abilities to develop effective comprehension skills is fundamental to language fluency and necessary for their academic and lifelong success,\u00a0\u00a0 Comprehension is required in every subject the student learn, thus making comprehension skills a critical component of a student\u2019s academic advancement.\u00a0\u00a0 Development of reading comprehension skills requires the commitment to a long-term strategy that comprises integration of and mastery of other reading skills areas that include phonics, fluency and vocabulary.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oral language is\u00a0 how we use verbal words to share our knowledge, ideas and feelings.\u00a0\u00a0 It also serves as the critical foundation for the development of students\u2019 reading and writing skills during their school years.\u00a0\u00a0 Oral language is integrated with reading and writing (Tompkins, 2017, p.17).\u00a0\u00a0 Students will utilize oral language throughout their lives, including in all of their academic years with their peers and teachers in the classroom, as well as in their adult lives.\u00a0\u00a0 A solid oral language foundation will not only facilitate students\u2019 communication in their lives, but also help them become efficient readers and sound communicators, factors that help develop their self-confidence and esteem.\u00a0<\/p>\n The oral language component within the reading process is activated when \u201cStudents talk with classmates, participate in grand conversation, give oral presentations and listen to the teacher read aloud\u201d (Tompkins, 2017, p. 18).\u00a0\u00a0 Again and again research shows that repeated exposure to rich language can help children become successful communicators, readers and writers (Simmons and Kameenui, 1998; Himmele, 2009).\u00a0 Student gain mastery of oral language skills, using speaking and listening informally in discussion and more formally in oral presentations (Tompkins, 2017, p. 20).\u00a0<\/p>\n This information paper has only presented the tip of the iceberg about reading\u2019s six components.\u00a0 The breadth and depth of the topic, in its fullest sense, warrants significantly more research in order to best represent it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reading is an essential strand of literacy and one that requires the utilization of specific teaching and learning strategies if both the teacher and student are to be effective in their respective roles.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Proficiency in the six components in reading that include phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, oral language and comprehension is a must if the outcome as a proficient reader is desired.\u00a0\u00a0 The desired outcome does not always occur.\u00a0 A void in one or more of these components can impact reading, however, varying degrees of proficiency in these skills is common, thus allowing students to compensate a weaker component by showing strength in the others.\u00a0\u00a0 Reading is very much a part of our lives and one that cannot be overlooked as in the absence of its presence in an individual\u2019s life, said person will not be able to fully enjoy a desired personal, academic and professional life.\u00a0<\/p>\n This paper identifies and defines the above referenced components and presents their individual and interdependent relevance to the development of reading proficiency in students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-essaysteaching"],"yoast_head":"\nPhonological Awareness<\/h2>\n
Phonics<\/h2>\n
Vocabulary<\/h2>\n
Fluency<\/h2>\n
Comprehension<\/h2>\n
Oral Language<\/h2>\n
Conclusions<\/h2>\n
References<\/h2>\n
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