NEWSLETTER
“You get into your own world for a moment. For example, if someone is talking to me and I’m reading a book, I wouldn’t hear it,” says Aylynn, an eighth-grader at Pendergast Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. “You can understand another person’s culture — what they celebrate, what they honor, and what they believe in — without having to ask them personally. That makes me empathize with other people.”
I spoke with Aylynn as part of a visit to Pendergast with my colleagues at Imagine Learning to hear about educators' and students' experiences using the Imagine Learning EL Curriculum (English Learners)Her words describe the transformative power of reading, a skill that, unlike spoken language, humans are not naturally programmed to master. Reading requires creating connections in the brain that would not exist without explicit instruction. As a result, teaching students to read is a complex and challenging task; that's why it takes years.
The science of reading
In recent decades, research in educational psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience has converged to form the science of reading, which provides clear, evidence-based guidelines for effective reading instruction. The science of reading distills vast knowledge into practical strategies for helping all students become proficient readers, emphasizing a comprehensive approach that includes word recognition, language comprehension, and transitional skills.
Word recognition involves complex skills such as phonological awareness (recognizing and manipulating sounds in spoken words), phonics (understanding how letters and sounds correspond), and decoding (applying knowledge of letter-sound relationships to sound out written words). With practice, sight word recognition leads to instant recognition of common words.
Understanding language involves developing basic knowledge of context and mastering language structures, such as grammar and syntax, to make sense of longer sentences and texts.
Connection skills connect these processes. Print knowledge helps organize texts, vocabulary knowledge enables the use of a wide range of words, and self-regulation helps students manage their reading, maintain focus, and apply strategies effectively.
Content-based literacy
To address potential gaps in reading skills, schools are increasingly turning to digital and blended learning programs that align their curricula with the science of reading. The Imagine Learning EL Education curriculum is deeply rooted in the science of reading and focuses on explicit instruction in the areas described above. It offers a content-based approach that combines structured phonics instruction with the use of engaging, real-world texts to engage and enthuse K-8 students. In doing so, it aligns with the concept of high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs), a term that a growing number of school districts are using when identifying materials that meet criteria such as being aligned to learning standards, offering best-practice pedagogy, and providing a user-friendly experience for both teachers and students.
At Pendergast, the educators I spoke with talked at length about how helpful they find the program for applying the scientific principles of reading to practical contexts. “It’s nice that with Imagine Learning EL Education kids have explicit phonics instruction,” says Corina, an instructional coach. “But there are also opportunities in the labs for verbal reasoning and vocabulary development and background building, and kids have those hands-on opportunities to apply what they’re learning in the module to their lab time.”
An effective content-based literacy approach involves students exploring broad, cross-curricular content. “I love the fact that students are actually reading and spending time with books,” says Kathryn, a seventh-grade ELA teacher. “Not just core books, not just snippets of a story, but real novels and books.” All of the teachers I spoke with at Pendergast echoed that sentiment: books bring the curriculum to life for students.
School principal Abraham agrees: “It’s really important for students to have the ability to dig into the text and read it multiple times so they can understand it, especially for students who are learning English or have a learning disability. It’s really helped us close that achievement gap.”
“When we look for high-quality instructional materials, we look for them to be aligned to standards,” says Kelsie, assistant director of interdisciplinary literacy, as we discuss the selection process for a new curriculum. “We also look for materials that students can relate to. Are they culturally relevant to our kids? We also want them to be able to apply that deep understanding of learning to other aspects of their lives and be prepared for the future.”
A passport to success
While spending time with Kelsie, we talked about the impact it has for teachers and students to go on a journey with a curriculum with a holistic pedagogical approach across the grades. “Imagine Learning EL Education is definitely a full range of resources that meets all the different literacy needs,” she says. “Within the program, you’ll build the foundational skills needed in K-2. When we move into third through fifth grade, we work on mastering the language, and then our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders do that and can fly. What I love is seeing my students be themselves as they grow in their learning spaces with teachers who are excited to show them how far they can go.”
“Reading is like access to the rest of the world. You have to be able to read,” reflects Akin, a school counselor. Imagine Learning EL Education exemplifies how, when the science of reading comes to life in the classroom, it not only addresses the complexities of learning to read, but also prepares students for a future where they can confidently navigate the world through the power of literacy. As Aylynn’s experience demonstrates, reading opens the door to understanding, empathy, and knowledge, making it a passport to anything students aspire to achieve.
