| Children follow a predictable progression of skill development as they learn to read.
Learning to Read Hall and Moats (2000) point out that while babies are "wired for language" and learn to talk naturally through a lot of authentic interactions, learning to read requires the acquisition of a complex range of skills and strategies. To effectively teach the five areas of reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension—you must take into account each child's stage of reading development.
Chall's Stages of Reading Development
Refined and modified over 20 years, the stages of reading development outlined by Harvard Professor Jeanne Chall begin at birth and continue beyond college. The first three stages typically correspond to children from birth through Grade 3—the age group for which learning to read is most critical, and the subject of this course. Becoming familiar with Chall's framework will help you tailor your reading instruction to your children's needs.
What Happens During Stages 0 to 2?
Stage 0: From birth to six years of age, children begin to understand that sounds make up spoken words. They also develop some knowledge of print and recognize some letters, words, and environmental print.
Stage 1: During Grades 1 and 2, children develop alphabet recognition and use their knowledge of sound-spellings to decode words. Phonemic awareness continues to grow and is bolstered by phonics instruction.
Stage 2: In Grades 2 and 3, children's decoding skills develop further and they begin to develop fluency. The number of words they can read catches up to the number of words they already comprehend in oral language.
Like any growth process, the stages will overlap and each child will progress in a slightly different way. During the beginning years, children typically pass through the first three stages. The successive stages (3 to 5) are characterized by a growth in the ability to read more complex, technical, and abstract material. |
