¿Qué es la ciencia de la lectura?
Could you read that sentence? Why? How? In Spanish, it reads, What is the Science of Reading? In this blog series, we ask some important questions about the Science of Reading and English learners, like:
- Isn’t the Science of Reading based only on learning to read in English?
- Does the Science of Reading apply to English learners?
- Don’t English learners need different instruction to learn to read than English speakers?
- Don’t you need special training to teach English learners to read?
These are some of the common questions and misconceptions around teaching reading to English learners. We hope to shed some light into this confusing area through this three-part blog series.
First things first, every learner’s experience is different. I (Jessica) was raised in a multilingual home in the United States; my mother spoke Dutch, and my father spoke Swiss German. I grew up speaking Dutch, Swiss German, and English. By the time I was learning to read, my primary language was English. I was never identified by the school system as an English learner, and I never had formal instruction in learning to read anything other than English. Yet, today, when I get mail from my Dutch family, I can read it even though I was never explicitly taught how to read in Dutch. Why is that? The Simple View of Reading (Figure 1; Gough & Tunmer, 1986) would suggest that I am able to transfer my understanding of how to decode (take text to speech) in English and apply it to Dutch. Dutch has a highly consistent and transparent orthography (sound-spelling conventions), and the characters are the same as those of the English language. I learned to speak Dutch before learning to read, so my understanding of the phonology (sounds) of the language was already developed. Because I understand the oral language, I can assign meaning to the words that I decode. Part of the reason this holds true in my case is that the Dutch and English languages are similar.
Figure 1. Simple View of Reading
This scenario is vastly different for an English learner who is learning to speak and read English, where the phonology and or the script is very different from their native languages (see Table 1). English learners are learning the vocabulary and usage of the English language, the sounds of the English language (which may be unfamiliar to them), and, in some cases, learning a new alphabet or script. However, it is also important to understand that language and literacy proficiency in the first language(s) is useful in English literacy development (August & Shanahan, 2006).
So, what do we mean by the Science of Reading?
Regardless of what language one is learning to read, the brain science that informs the Science of Reading is consistent. While there is not one definition, the Science of Reading is “a phrase representing the accumulated knowledge about reading, reading development, and best practices for reading instruction obtained by the use of the scientific method” (Petscher et al., 2020, p. 2). At least five decades of research have been conducted around the world in multiple languages to inform how reading and writing develop (The Reading League, 2021). Skilled reading in any language happens when the reader becomes increasingly automatic in their word recognition and increasingly strategic with their language comprehension (Scarborough, 2001). In order to develop reading ability, learners need instruction in phonological awareness (the sound of language), phonics (the connection between print and sound), vocabulary (the meaning of language), comprehension (making meaning from print), and fluency (automaticity of all skills involved in making meaning from print) (National Reading Panel, 2000). For a high-level overview of the basics of the Science of Reading, see this Improving Literacy Brief from the National Center on Improving Literacy.
How does the Science of Reading apply to English learners?
Shortly after the National Reading Panel report, the National Literacy Panel produced the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (August & Shanahan, 2006), which identified that instruction in these same five critical components listed above is necessary for English learners, but that instruction alone is insufficient; oral proficiency in English is critical for learning to read in English (2006). A monolingual English speaker who is learning to read is still developing their oral language. However, it is far more developed than that of an English learner who is simultaneously learning English oral language, phonology, and orthography.
Despite the works of the National Reading Panel and the National Literacy Panel, disagreements and misunderstandings around literacy instruction for English learners persist. In March 2023, The Reading League and the National Committee for Effective Literacy held a joint summit with experts in the Science of Reading and experts in English learners. Through that summit, a joint statement was produced addressing some of the prevailing misunderstandings, misconceptions, and practices that are not supported by the Science of Reading, such as focusing only on foundational skills or neglecting oral language and home language development (for a great overview on the history of the joint summit and the lingering discussions, see this webinar). The joint statement offers guidance based on evidence for effective literacy instruction for English learners, such as providing comprehensive instruction that includes all the components of literacy (language development, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing). It also highlights the value and benefits of bilingualism and biliteracy and the need for culturally and linguistically responsive materials and pedagogy. The statement calls for a transformative approach in educator preparation, policy, and implementation to ensure that all students, especially English learners, receive high-quality literacy instruction.
You now have some context on what the Science of Reading means, and you learned some key points found in the research around the Science of Reading for English learners. In this next section, we consider language differences and implications for instruction in the classroom.
What do I need to know about language differences?
Spanish and Arabic are the top two languages spoken by English learners in the United States (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2023). In the example in Table 1, we show two common consonant-vowel-consonant words that emergent readers might learn, “man” and “sun.” We compare the words in English, Spanish, and Arabic according to their text and pronunciation. We also compare how text is read and the number of phonemes and letters across these languages. It is frequently pointed out in the literature that English is particularly challenging to learn to read because the orthography is quite dense. There are upwards of 250 graphemes (ways to spell) the 44 phonemes (sounds) with our 26 letters (for example, /f/ can be spelled “f,” “ph,” and “ff”). Both Spanish and Arabic have more transparent orthographies with fewer graphemes and more consistent grapheme-phoneme correspondences.
Figure 2. Data About English Learners and Languages Spoken in US Schools
Table 1. Comparing English, Spanish, and Arabic text, Phonology, and Orthography
Understanding how your students’ home languages compare to English in terms of literacy conventions will facilitate reading instruction in English.
| Language | English | Spanish | Arabic |
| Word | sun | sol | شمس (shams) |
| IPA Pronunciation | /sʌn/ | /ˈsol/ | /ʃams/ |
| Word | man | hombre | رجل (rajul) |
| IPA Pronunciation | /mæn/ | /ˈom.bɾe/ | /ra.d͡ʒul/ |
| Alphabet & print conventions | Roman alphabet | Roman alphabet | Arabic script |
| Text | Reads top to bottom,
left to right |
Reads top to bottom,
left to right |
Reads top to bottom, right to left, no upper- or lower-case letters, letters take different shapes depending on position in the word |
| Phonology &
Orthography |
44 phonemes
26 letters |
25 phonemes
27 letters |
34 phonemes
28 letters (only consonants, three letters can represent long vowels in some contexts, no short vowels) plus additional characters for variant spellings, short vowel markers, and other markers for pronunciation and grammar, plus two additional consonants not part of the proper alphabet |
Why should we consider differences in languages such as those summarized in Table 1? What does this information mean for you as a classroom teacher, a literacy coach, or even a school administrator? Understanding how your students’ languages compare to English in terms of literacy conventions will facilitate reading instruction in English. Your first step is gaining awareness about your students’ linguistic background. Throughout this blog series, we will go into more detail on what educators need to know about effectively addressing the reading needs of English learners. Stay tuned for Part II of the Science of Reading for English Learners, where we discuss the importance of learning more about your English learner students and their literacy experiences and offer evidence-based practices for literacy instruction for English learners.
Authors: Jessica Folsom, PhD; Heidi Goertzen, PhD; Kimilee Norman-Goins (Editor); Region 7 Comprehensive Center
References
August, D., & Shanahan, T. (2006). Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Executive Summary. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Gough & Tunmer, 1986 Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. RASE: Remedial & Special Education, 7(1), 6–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193258600700104
Lebanese Arabic Institute (2017, February 13). The Arabic Alphabet: A Guide to the Phonology and Orthography of MSA and Lebanese Arabic. Lebanese Arabic Institute. https://www.lebanesearabicinstitute.com/arabic-alphabet/
Moats, L. C. (2005). How Spelling Supports Reading. American Educator, Winter 2005/06, 12–43. https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/early-literacy-development/articles/how-spelling-supports-reading
National Center for Education Statistics (2022). English Learner (EL) Students Enrolled in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, by Home Language, Grade, and Selected Student Characteristics: Selected School Years, 2008-09 through Fall 2020 (Table 204.27). U.S. Department of Education. Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_204.27.asp
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED444126
Office of English Language Acquisition (2023). The Top Languages Spoken by English Learners in the United States. U.S. Department of Education. https://ncela.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/OELATopLanguagesFS-508.pdf
Office of English Language Acquisition. (2024). English Learner Educational Experiences and Opportunities: A Report Using Federal Datasets. U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ncela.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/OELABiennialSupELFedDataReport2023-20241022-508.pdf
Petscher, Y., Cabell, S. Q., Catts, H. W., Compton, D. L., Foorman, B. R., Hart, S. A., Lonigan, C. J., Phillips, B. M., Schatschneider, C., Steacy, L. M., Terry, N. P., & Wagner, R. K. (2020). How the Science of Reading Informs 21st-Century Education. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S267–S282. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.352
Put, O. (2021, June 3). An Expert Guide to Spanish Allophones and Phonemes. Homeschool Spanish Academy. https://www.spanish.academy/blog/an-expert-guide-to-spanish-allophones-and-phonemes/
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for Research in Early Literacy. Guilford Press.
The Reading League. (2021). Science of Reading: Defining Guide. The Reading League. https://www.thereadingleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Science-of-Reading-eBook-2022.pdf
The Reading League and National Committee for Effective Literacy (2023). Joint Statement – Understanding theDifference: The Science of Reading and Implementation for English Learners/Emergent Bilinguals (Els/EBs). The Reading League. https://www.thereadingleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Joint-Statement-on-the-Science-of-Reading-and-English-Learners_Emergent-Bilinguals-20.pdf
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures. https://doi.org/10.17226/24677
U.S. Department of Education. (2017). Our Nation’s English Learners. Retrieved February 29, 2024, from https://www2.ed.gov/datastory/el-characteristics/index.html
