The Nature

of Reading
Mil F. Ponciano
TIC,
Licensed Reading Specialist
Reading Consultant
National Chief Trainer

POWERPOINT TEMPLATE V. 2.0

Objectives
1. Orient participants on the “what” and
“how” of Reading
2. Expose them on the underlying principles
behind the nature of Reading
3. Showcase generic principles and strategies
in teaching beginning reading
Let’s Participate
 Clink or Clunk 
1.Reading is comprehension.
2.Oral language development provides the foundation for literacy
development.
3.Learning theory helps us to understand how to
develop appropriate learning activities for children
in our communities.
4.Reading is a dynamic process in which the reader
interacts with the text to construct meaning.
5.Alphabet knowledge and phonemic awareness are
prerequisites of beginning reading
6. Thr are mechanisms of how a child reads
Let’s Talk
1. How did you feel about the activity?
2. What have you realized about
teaching beginning reading?
3. What familiar key words from the
previous statements do you
remember? How do you think are
they important in the teaching of
beginning reading?
Let’s Discuss
 Reading means…
•dealing with language messages in written
or print form. It involves processing
language messages, hence knowledge of
language.
Reading means…
•Widdowson (1979) getting linguistic
information via print.
•a process of receiving and interpreting
information encoded in language form
via the medium of print (Urquhart &
Weir, 1998).
 WHAT IS READING?
. . . a dynamic process in which the
reader interacts with the text to
construct meaning. Inherent in
constructing meaning is the reader’s
ability to activate prior knowledge, use
reading strategies, and adapt to the
reading situation.
ALTERNATIVE VIEWS
ABOUT READING:
1. Reading as SKILL
2. Reading as PROCESS
3. Reading as COMPREHENSION
4. Reading as DEVELOPMENT
 Reading as SKILL
While the reader’s knowledge of language
is recognized as an integral part of reading
print, reading is viewed as a skill that is
learned. In fact, reading is a unitary skill
that we use to process texts.
 Reading as PROCESS
The reading process, also known as the
meaning – making process, provides an
explanation of “how reading happens”
(Cambourne, 1998). To construct meaning,
readers draw on, or sample the language
information available to them.
1.Pre alphabetic Reading
2.Partially alphabetic Reading
3.Full alphabetic Reading
4.Consolidated alphabetic Reading

Phases of Word Reading Process

Ehri, 2oo5
 Reading as
COMPREHENSION
Comprehension occurs in the
transaction between the reader and
the text.
Reading Situation
• Purpose
• Setting

(Kucer 2001; Rosenblatt, 1978)

 CONTEXT
Reading
• Environment
Situation
• Physical
•Setting
Factors •Task
Constructing meaning
happens here
READER TEXT
•Background Experience •Type/Organization
•Knowledge about subject •Content
•Vocabulary •Readability
•Attitudes and motivation •Concepts
•Author’s purpose

FIGURE
FIGURE 2:
2: Interactive
Interactive Model
Model of
of Reading
Reading Comprehension
Comprehension
Adapted from Cook, 1986, 1989
 Reading as
DEVELOPMENT
Reading is an interplay of one’s experience,
oral language, and ability to interpret written
symbols as shown in the diagram.
Experience Oral Written/
Language Printed
Symbols

A B C
Figure 3. The relationships of three types of knowledge
used in reading (Hermosa, 2002)
 The relationship of circles A, B and C is reciprocal. It
is true that Circle A develops first, followed by Circle B,
then by Circle C. However, once an individual has
acquired a language, he uses it to learn more
experiences. Similarly, once he has learned to read,
Circle C becomes a very powerful tool for learning, even
more so than oral language.
transfer L
Oral Written/
Language Printed
Symbols 1
Experience

Oral transfer Written/

L
Language Printed 2
Symbols

A B C
Reading Models
•1. Bottom-up Model
•2. Top-down Model
•3. Interactive Model
 Me
ani Bottom-up Model
ng
• Reading is driven by text
(de
ep • Reading proceeds from
str “part to whole”
uct • Gough (1972) proposed a
Wordsure
phonics-based or bottom-
(lexical up model for reading
)
level) process which portrays
processing in reading as
proceeding in serial
Letter/sounds (character fashion, from letter to
level) sound, to words, to
meaning, in the
progression suggested in
this figure.
Top-down Model
• Reading is driven by meaning (what Meaning (deep
the reader brings to the text)
structure)
• Reading proceeds from “whole to
part”
• Efficient reading doesn’t result from Syntax
the precise perception and
identification of all the elements in (language
Graph
a word, but from skills in selecting eme/
the fewest, most productive cues
pattern)
phone
necessary (Goodman, 1967; Smith, me
corres
1971) ponde
• Readers have prior sense of what nce
could be meaningful in the text, (letter
based upon their previous /soun
d
experiences and their knowledge relati
about the language. onshi
p)
Reading is a “psycholinguistic guessing
game” (Goodman, 1967)

Writer / Writer /
author author
Writer /
‡ Reader
LANGUAGE

(decoding)
(encoding)

author

LANGUAGE
Thought/idea

Thought/idea
 Schema / Schemata
Author’s

Reader’s
 Language knowledge
and proficiency

Reader Reader
•Table
•Root
•Superman held up his hand and
stopped the car.
•Inadobo ni nanay ang utong ni tatay.
 • Rumelhart (1977)
Interactive Model • Synthesis of bottom-up and top-
down models.
Syntactic Semantic
knowledge knowledge

Graphemic Message board (pattern Most Probable

information Interpretation
synthesizer)

Orthographic Lexical
knowledge knowledge
I love to “read”

The ability to read is a big

predictor of success in school.
Phonological Awareness
Decoding and
Fluency in Context
Sight-Word Knowledge
Print Concepts

Automatic Word
Recognition

Vocabulary Background
Knowledge Language Reading
Comprehension
Comprehension
Knowledge of Text
and Sentence Structures Strategic
Knowledge

Knowledge
General Purposes Specific Purposes of Strategies
for Reading for Reading for Reading

Modified Cognitive Model by M. McKenna and K. Stahl (2009)

1. Oral Language

At the most basic level, oral

language means communicating with
other people.

Oral language development across

the curriculum does not mean
teaching children to speak as much
as we mean improving their ability
to talk or communicate more
effectively.
 “The development of language, upon which
all learning is built, plays a critical role in
students’ ability to acquire strong literacy skills,
which include reading, writing, listening,
speaking, and viewing.
Explicit instruction in oral language
development provides students with the
foundation for comprehending text and
communicating effectively. Thus, teachers serve
an essential role in developing students’ reading
and writing skills.”
3 Criteria for Oral Language Competence:

Holbrook (1983) sets out three criteria for

oral language competence:

 Fluency

 Clarity

 Sensitivity
Language and Literacy

 Oral language development provides the

foundation for literacy development

 Literacy acquisition is dependent on oral language

abilities and skills

 Children need to use oral language to develop their

powers of reasoning and observation, prediction,

sequencing and other skills connected with

reading.

(FS Exploratory Phase 1997)

 2. Phonological Awareness

Phonological
awareness involves
work with rhymes,
syllables, onsets and
rimes.
Phonemic
awareness is the
ability to notice,
think about and
work with the
individual sounds in
spoken words.
Activities to develop phonological awareness

 Poem recitation by the whole class, by

groups, by individual pupils
 Rhyme detection
 Syllable detection
 Explicit teaching
 Do they rhyme?
 How many syllables?
 What is the beginning sound? the
ending sound?
3. Phonics and Word Recognition
The ability to
identify a written
word by sight or
by deciphering the
relationship
between the
sounds of spoken
language and the
letters in written
language
4. Reading Fluency

Reading Fluency
Reading Fluency
• WHAT is it and WHY is it
• Important?
WHAT is it and WHY is it
Important?

• HOW do you develop fluency?

• HOW do you develop fluency?

• HOW do you monitor fluency?

• HOW do you monitor fluency?
What is Reading Fluency?

Brainstorm what you know _____________

Brainstorm
about whatfluency.
oral reading you know _____________
_____________
about oral reading fluency. _____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
What
meW hadt odeos it Wh
maena?n es it “looWahtadt oe
?
“lokoli doseit
kklei ?” s it
ke?
i t h the ”
w t
Sharaere w!it!h! the t d o es iti
Shgroup !!! s
Whahatddlo ikee?”?”
group n e
“sWouound lik
“s
What is Reading Fluency?

Fluency:
Fluency:reading
readingfluency
fluencyisisthe
theability
abilitytoto
read quickly, accurately with meaning
read quickly, accurately with meaning at at
the
thesame
sametime
timeusing
usingexpression
expressionandand
proper
properphrasing.
phrasing. Rate
• Combines rate and +Rate
• Combines rate and +
accuracy Accuracy
accuracy Accuracy
________________
• Requires automaticity ________________
• Requires automaticity Fluency
• Includes reading with Fluency
• Includes reading with
prosody
prosody
Comprehension
Comprehension

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Automaticity

• Is quick, accurate recognition of letters and

• Is quick, accurate recognition of letters and
words.
words.

• Frees cognitive resources to process meaning

• Frees cognitive resources to process meaning

• Is achieved through corrected practice

• Is achieved through corrected practice
Factors Contributing to Fluency

Reading
Speed

FLUENCY

Prosody Accuracy
Fluent Reading

• •What
Whatdoes
doesfluent
fluentreading
readingsound
sound
like?
like?

Fluent
Fluentreading
readingflows.
flows. ItItsounds
sounds
smooth
smoothwith
withnatural
naturalpauses.
pauses.
Theory of Automaticity
Less fluent readers need More fluent readers have
to allocate more resources more resources available
to decoding. for comprehension.

decoding comprehension
Why is it important?
“Fluency provides a bridge between word recognition and
“Fluency provides acomprehension”
bridge between word recognition and
comprehension”
Fluent readers are able to:
Focus their attention onFluent readers are the
understanding abletext
to: (and therefore are
Focus
better their attention
able to onthe
interpret understanding the text (and
text, make connections therefore
among the are
better able to interpret the in
ideas text,
themake
text) connections among the
ideas in the text)
Non-fluent readers must:
Focus their attention Non-fluent
on decodingreaders must: the meaning of
and assessing
Focus their attention
individual on decoding
words (thus leaving and
littleassessing
attentionthe
freemeaning
for of
individual wordscomprehension?
(thus leaving little attention free for
comprehension?
What Students Need to Learn?

• How to decode words (in isolation and in

• connected
How to decode
text) words (in isolation and in
connected text)

• How to automatically recognize words (accurately

• and
How to automatically
quickly recognize
with little attention words (accurately
or effort)
and quickly with little attention or effort)

• How to increase speed (or rate) of reading while

• maintaining
How to increase speed (or rate) of reading while
accuracy
maintaining accuracy
How Do We Teach it?

• Provide opportunities for guided oral

• Provide opportunities for guided oral
repeated reading that includes support and
repeated reading that includes support and
feedback from teachers, peers, and/to
feedback from teachers, peers, and/to
individual students
individual students

• Apply systematic-classroom-based
• Apply systematic-classroom-based
instructional assessment to monitor student
instructional assessment to monitor student
progress in both rate and accuracy.
progress in both rate and accuracy.
Fluency Building

Important !!!

• Students should have a strong foundation in

• Students should have a strong foundation in
word recognition skills before fluency instruction
word recognition skills before fluency instruction
begins.
begins.
• Fluency instructions usually does not begin until
• Fluency instructions usually does not begin until
at least the middle of the first grade.
at least the middle of the first grade.
• Not all children require fluency instruction.
• Not all children require fluency instruction.
5. Vocabulary Development

Knowledge of
words and
their
meanings in
both oral and
print
representation
s
The child should understand the words that he/she
decodes.

The flying
bird.
Vocabulary Development

• Unlocking of difficult words

• Introducing a letter of the
alphabet, word recognition
• Concepts in the content subjects
Techniques in Vocabulary Development

• Through realia
• Pictures
• Actions
• Context clues
6. Comprehension

A complex and active

process in which
vocabulary knowledge
is a crucial component
and which requires an
intentional and
thoughtful interaction
between the reader
and the text.
The Interaction Between the Reader and the Text
The
Schema
Context
Language
Interest
Purpose
The Text
The Reader
Comprehension Skills
• Use of context and prior knowledge:
activating prior knowledge conceptually
related to text and establishing a
purpose for reading.
• Comprehension Strategies: being self-
aware as they discuss and analyze text to
create new meanings and modify old
knowledge.
Development of Reading Comprehension

Reading
Comprehension

Fluency
Vocabulary
development
Word recognition
Decoding and Comprehending

• Reading is getting meaning from

and giving meaning to the printed
symbols.

• If you are able to decode the words

but you do not get meaning from
them, do you “read”?
Let’s Apply
•What components of beginning
reading are teachers should be very
good at?
•What do you think are expected of a
beginning reading teacher?
“In teaching you will learn
and in learning, you will teach”.

Phil Collins
Maraming Salamat Po!
Thank You!
 Simulation
1. Form a group of three.
2. Each group will receive a an insight log.
3. As a team, brainstorm on the insights that you
gained from the session.
4. Write them on the insight log using pentel pen.
5. Choose a representative who will present your
work for 5 minutes only.
6. Do this in 15 minutes.
Maraming Salamat Po!
Thank You!