The Simple View of Reading
The Simple View of Reading… Ain’t So Simple
Most ELA teachers are familiar with Gough & Turner’s formula for the Simple View of Reading :
Most are also aware of Scarborough’s Reading Rope:
More recently, Nell Duke and Kelly Cartwright have advocated for an Active View of Reading which adds executive function skills and bridging processes to the Simple View.
All three cite the importance of language: background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge.
PHEW! Are you feeling the pressure? Not so simple, is it?
But here’s the good news! Each component of listening comprehension can be addressed in something you already do… regular and rich READ ALOUD!
The interactive nature of read aloud develops verbal reasoning and literacy knowledge
Since a read aloud text is typically above students’ reading levels, children are exposed to increasingly complex language structures
JOYcabulary’s book pairings provide an opportunity to increase background knowledge as does text sets
Vocabulary is joyfully woven through it all - both in its receptive and expressive functions.
Here’s even better news: Opportunities to grow oral language - including vocabulary, background knowledge, sentence structure and more - actually develop the comprehension mechanisms of reading text. Read more about it in Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom by Burkins & Yates
As literacy coaches and reading teachers, Amanda and I have noticed comprehension problems - which tend to be linked to limited language skills - often do not become evident until later grades when text complexity begins to exceed the limits of a child’s listening comprehension.
What does this mean for teachers and caregivers alike? We need to prioritize daily interactive read aloud with the best books to provide abundant opportunities to use and develop language while building background knowledge.
Regular and rich read aloud… maybe it IS simple after all!
