We don’t really know why alphabet knowledge is such a good predictor of reading achievement, but it is. Teaching letter names should be a small part of the mix in phonemic awareness and phonics instruction.
A science of reading requires that our prescriptions for teaching be tempered by rigorous instructional evaluations. If a claim hasn’t been tried out and found effective, then the claims aren’t part of reading science.
Teaching is an act of practical reasoning, persuasiveness, problem solving, and communication. It needs to be shaped by science but much of it is improvisation rooted in experience.
We deserve lesson plans that are based on evidence and effective strategies, not on standards and wishful thinking. Equity isn’t about rushing to grade-level standards — it’s about providing the methodical teaching that the students in our classrooms deserve.
Sight vocabulary instruction as being less about memorizing a list of words, and more about learning how to recognize and remember words. Research shows that as students get better with decoding, remembering sight words becomes easier.
