The Truth About Reading is a film that showcases adults who learned to read as adults. It shares how many students graduate high school reading at a very low reading level. And sadly some kids NOT being able to read at ALL!
Alarming Statistics
20% of United States citizens cannot read!
50% of United States citizens cannot read past an 8th-grade level.
65% of students in the United States are not reading at grade level.
We have to realize that this is not okay and something is wrong. I like how the video pointed out that we need to change our practices based on research instead of coming up with diagnoses.
People can hide that they cannot read. Students will either withdraw and hide or display negative behaviors. I know in the video one gentleman mentioned he would rather get in trouble for disturbing the class instead of having to be humiliated by reading out loud.
Some of the reading specialists underscored the importance of learning from History and acting like scientists. I loved her example that we wouldn’t allow planes to fly if they had a 60-80% failure rate but we are doing that with our approach to teaching our kids to read.
We live in a literate world and people need to be able to read. Learning to read isn’t just about the pleasure and relationships it brings to a person’s life. But it is something a person must have to not be taken advantage of, to be able to advance, and just to expand and learn about new ideas. In addition, we need to be able to share and communicate our ideas in written form.
Yes, we have YouTube and audio but written print offers a deeper level of ideas and vocabulary.
We are just stunted when we are not able to read, write, and communicate.
I want to emphasize it is not about how many fancy words or what kind of degrees a person has. But it is about allowing people to be equipped with a solid reading foundation so they can pursue their interests in life and not be handicapped because they do not have the skill of reading. Every child has the capability of learning to read!
Research shows that the biggest achievement gap is in high school and this is mainly a breakdown in having a strong reading foundation. If kids cannot read the words on the page or can only read some of them, how can we expect them to read to learn or to make sense of pages of text?
We have this problem because many educators are not equipped to teach reading. It has been shown that many educators are not strong readers. I liked how the film shared how the problem is ‘dysteachia’ more than ‘dyslexia’.
The film is not denying that dyslexia exists and some kids struggle to learn to read. It is just challenging the traditions of how reading is taught. Looking at the pictures and memorizing whole words. Also, just find the right series and the kid will take off.
How do we change this?
Students need to be taught to read in a systematic and explicit way.
Students need a strong Phonemic Awareness!
Students need to understand how the sound(s) and letter(s) correspond in a word.
Students need feedback and error corrections!
As we are teaching kids we need to help them discover the English Code and make sense of it. We need kids to practice by doing word work activities that focus their brain reading the word all the way through. We also have to teach kids to think critically and add a different sound if the first sound doesn’t work because a letter(s) can represent multiple sounds and vice versa.
This is why I am a supporter of Reading Simplified and EBLI. They are approaches that help unlock the code in a meaningful and proven way. Laying a firm foundation and practicing and giving proper feedback will help set kids up to become lifelong readers.
Reading is a skill that we all must have to move forward in society. Remember laying a strong reading foundation is key to becoming an efficient reader. The earlier we start the better. However, it is never too late to learn to read. If you have a teachable attitude and willing to practice