Word Recognition Instruction: Paving the Road to Successful Reading

This article focuses on the effect of word recog-nition instruction on later reading success for all students, particularly for those experiencing dif-ficulties with early reading. A brief review of the knowledge base on word recognition instruction is provided. Instructional principles are offered for teaching five essential elements of word recognition: letter-sound correspondence, regu-lar word reading, story reading, irregular word reading, and advanced word analysis. Con-siderations for monitoring children’s progress on each element are discussed and practical ideas provided. I can read with my eyes shut! That is very hard to do! But it’s bad for my hat and makes my eyebrows get red hot. So... reading with my eyes shut I don’t do an awful lot