Science of Reading: 5 Questionable Claims
Five questionable claims related to the science of reading: (1) There is a crisis of reading achievement in the US. (2) Lack of phonics instruction is the cause of this mythical reading crisis. (3) The NRP report provides irrefutable evidence that phonics should be at the center of all reading instruction. (4) A balanced approach to literacy instruction does not include explicit, systematic phonics instruction, and (5) There’s a settled science of reading that unequivocally supports extensive prescribed phonics instruction as the key variable in determining the success and failure in learning to read. All these claims are wrong. Dr. Andy Johnson, Reading Specialist at www.teaching-reading.com