Building Strong Readers: The Five Pillars of Reading

Reading is the gateway to a world of knowledge and imagination, and as parents and educators, we want to empower our children to become proficient readers. To achieve this goal, it's essential to understand the five foundational components of reading known as the "Five Pillars of Reading," as identified by the National Reading Panel. Additionally, we'll explore how Fast ForWord training can significantly boost reading skills and provide children with the cognitive tools needed for success.

What are The Five Pillars of Reading?

"Five Pillars of Reading BrainFit Thailand"

The National Reading Panel, using decades of research has identified five critical areas of reading instruction:

Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension

How can we teach our children to read accurately, rapidly, and with comprehension? We can use the five essential components of reading instruction, known as the Five Pillars of Reading!

📚 What is Phonemic Awareness?

Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate individual sounds, or phonemes, in spoken words. In linguistics, a phoneme is the smallest unit of speech that distinguishes one word element from another. All words are made up of a sequence of individual sounds called phonemes. Phonemic awareness is a subset of the broader category of phonological awareness, which is one’s conscious awareness of and ability to “play with” the sound structures in oral language.
Parents and educators can nurture phonemic awareness by engaging in rhyming activities and word segmentation games with their children.

📚 What is Phonics?

Phonics involves understanding the relationship between letters and sounds, allowing children to decode words by blending letter sounds. Decoding is the act of sounding out words using phonics and the ability to apply knowledge of letter-sound relationships, and letter patterns so that you can correctly pronounce written words. Successful decoding occurs when a student uses phonics concepts to accurately read a word. Parents and educators can use phonics-based materials to help children practice decoding words effectively.

📚 What is Fluency?

Fluency refers to reading with accuracy, speed, and expression. Fluent readers can focus on understanding the text rather than struggling with decoding. Fluent readers read with automaticity, without struggling to decode each word. When students read with 98% accuracy, their fluency and confidence increase. This results in higher reading engagement and better comprehension. Parents and educators can foster fluency by encouraging children to read aloud and providing materials suited to their skill level.

📚 What is Vocabulary?

A robust vocabulary is crucial for comprehension. It enables readers to understand word meanings and, consequently, the overall message of a text. Limited vocabulary plays a huge role in poor reading comprehension. Unfortunately, 64% of students are locked into a cycle of reading failure. Building a strong vocabulary is an essential component of ensuring reading comprehension, as well as verbal and auditory fluency.
Parents can expand their children's vocabulary by reading diverse books and engaging in conversations that introduce new words.

📚 What is Comprehension?

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading, involving understanding, interpreting, and connecting ideas within the text. Comprehension is the whole point of reading, but without the solid foundations of instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary it is incredibly difficult to achieve strong comprehension.
Parents and educators can enhance comprehension by asking questions, such as What, When, Where, Why, How or What if, discussing stories, and promoting critical thinking during reading sessions.

💡 Did you know?

To achieve this goal, it's crucial to start with strong foundations, nurturing the essential cognitive skills that support the Five Pillars of Reading. We'll explore these foundations and discover how Fast ForWord training can help build a solid base for lifelong reading success.

Strengthening the Foundations, building strong 5 Pillars of Reading

Fast ForWord is an innovative program designed to boost reading skills by targeting not only the Five Pillars of Reading but also the essential cognitive skills that support them. Here's how parents and educators can harness the benefits of Fast ForWord:

✦ Memory Skills:

Memory is the cornerstone of learning to read. It helps children remember letter-sound associations, sight words, and the context of a story.

Fast ForWord enhances memory through exercises that require children to recall and manipulate information, aiding them in retaining essential reading elements.

✦ Attention Skills:

Attention is the glue that holds reading together. It allows children to focus on the text, ignore distractions, and maintain concentration.

Fast ForWord's attention-building activities help children develop better focus, increasing their reading stamina and engagement.

✦ Processing Skills:

Efficient information processing is vital for reading fluency. Children need to process visual (letters and words) and auditory (speech and sounds) information simultaneously.

Fast ForWord sharpens processing skills by training the brain to process information more swiftly and accurately. This is essential for phonemic awareness and real-time decoding.

✦ Sequencing Skills:

Sequencing skills involve recognizing patterns and order in text. Understanding the order of events in a story or the sequence of letters in a word is critical for comprehension.

Fast ForWord improves sequencing skills through exercises that require children to organize and sequence information correctly, aiding in comprehension.

By establishing a solid foundation in memory, attention, processing, and sequencing skills, children are better prepared to excel in the Five Pillars of Reading. These cognitive skills not only support reading but also foster critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Did you know?

Fast ForWord has been used by millions of students across multiple countries to improve their reading and cognitive skills. The program's global reach continues to expand as educators and parents recognize its effectiveness in supporting reading development.

To discover how Fast ForWord training can help your child or students build strong foundations for the Five Pillars of Reading, contact BrainFit Thailand today. Our experts are here to provide you with more information and guide you on this transformative journey toward strong, confident readers. Together, we can open the doors to a world of knowledge and imagination through the power of reading.