The 6 Components of Literacy
Nearly 20 years ago, the U.S. government commissioned a project to definitively recommend thebest approach to teaching literacy. Only one third of the students in American schools werelearning to read proficiently, and their lack of literacy was preventing their further education. In
1998, the U.S. National Research Council released Preventing Reading Difficulties in YoungChildren1 defining instructional solutions to the problem. In 2000, the Report of the National
Reading Panel2 was published describing which methods of teaching reading are proven to workby rigorous scientific studies. Both reports concluded that while reading as much as possible,
students should be explicitly taught skills in six areas:
1. Phonemic Awareness – an understanding of the sounds in their language and how they
form words,
2. Decoding – the ability to figure out unfamiliar words, and to learn to read them
automatically,
3. Vocabulary – knowledge of an adequate number of words to understand text passages,
4. Fluency – the ability to read quickly and without conscious attention,
5. Comprehension – the ability to understand the direct meaning of text, and also its
implications and intention, and finally the ability to perform analysis on text and6. Writing – the ability to express their feelings, thoughts and understanding in various
forms of written expression.
Ideally, learners should master phonemic awareness by the end of Kindergarten and decoding
by the end of 3rd grade3 while actually reading for pleasure and for knowledge. Then, learners
read material of interest to them4 while being taught to improve their vocabulary, fluency andcomprehension abilities until they can easily read, understand and analyze any text. From thetime they can hold a pencil, students also learn to share their perspectives, understanding andideas in writing.
This approach stands in contrast with “whole language” approaches to reading instruction which
exclusively emphasize the reading of important content and focus on using context clues todiscern the meaning of text. This approach has been thoroughly debunked by data showingthat explicit instruction in phonics combined with text-based language activities (reading)
generates significantly faster progress in reading than the whole language approach5.
Unfortunately today, it is still true that only 36% of students in American schools ever become
proficient readers by the time they enter high school6. The vast majority lack adequate
phonemic awareness and decoding skills, which prevents them from mastering higher level
reading skills7. Few continue to build their reading vocabularies so that they can take on more
complex, interesting text. They do not become fluent readers, and they do not learn to fullycomprehend text so that they can make use of it.
The solution is clear: provide learning readers of any age with explicit instruction and plenty ofpractice in the six components of literacy while providing access to interesting content, until they
have become proficient readers and writers.
1

2Snow, C.E., Burns, M.S., and Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000), Washington, D.C.
3
Joseph K. Torgesen. (2005) Preventing Early Reading Failure.
4Torgesen, J. K., Houston, D. D., Rissman, L. M., Decker, S. M., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J. Francis, D. J, Rivera, M. O., Lesaux, N. (2007). Academicliteracy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

5Camilli, G., Vargas, S., and Yurecko, M. (May 8, 2003). Teaching Children to Read: The fragile link between science and federal educationpolicy. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 11(15).
6National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). 2013 Reading Assessment Report Card.
7Joseph K. Torgesen. (2005) Preventing Early Reading Failure.

For more information, contact Jon Bower at 508-641-4035 or at jonbower@comcast.net.