A recipe for using explicit phonics instruction in reading lessons

Key points:

• Evidence-based reading research demonstrates the need for explicit phonics instruction versus implicit instruction
• Teaching explicitly and systematically means just that--teachers expressly stating and explaining each phonics skill
• See related article: As we embrace the ‘science of reading,’ we can’t leave out older students

Evidence-based reading research, or what many refer to as the Science of Reading, has been a much-discussed topic within the literacy landscape for the past few years. While it may seem like the “next new thing” in reading instruction, the theory, research, and instructional best practices are based on historical, neurological, and scientific understanding of how the human brain works, as well as the relationship to language and literacy development. At the root of evidence-based reading research and reading instruction is the goal of heightening the reader’s experience with text by providing them with strategies to engage with that text for deep understanding and the synthesis of content to build knowledge.