The Science of Reading is not a term widely used in the UK at the moment, but is increasingly used in the USA to denote literacy schemes that use phonics methods of instruction and draw upon a foundation of extensive evidence-based scientific research. The resources on this page are a useful primer for those new to the Science of Reading and the current debates about the best ways to teach reading and writing. In the USA and the UK the high levels of poor literacy in the population, particularly amongst disadvantaged communities, is driving this debate.  We think the Citizen Literacy Programme is a good fit with the  the Science of Reading. You can find an overview of the role of phonics in teaching reading and writing at the end of this page.

It often comes as a surprise to many that a systematic ‘nuts and bolts’ research-based approach, about how to teach reading and writing not always the norm. Often it is left to tradition, local habits and the agendas of large commercial publishers. In an article called ‘Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science’ the American teachers union describes clearly and persuasively the need to adopt such modern systematic, evidence-based approaches to the teaching of reading and writing and some of the obstacles to doing so.

Science of Reading: Defining Guide
For those new to the term ‘Science of Reading’ a very useful, clear explanation is available from the Reading League called: ‘What is the science of reading?‘. Where it can be downloaded as a free PDF document. It is also available from our website here at this link.

More Useful Guides to Science of Reading:

Want to know more about the science of reading? A reading list of 10 sources. 
From American Public Media.

Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science,2020: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do.
Produced by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) a member of the AFL-CIO trade union federation. Written by Louisa C. Moats a leading exponent of phonics and Science of Reading approaches to literacy and one of the authors of the popular LETRS programme for teacher development training in literacy in the USA.

Inside the Massive Effort to Change the Way Kids Are Taught to Read
A Time Magazine article about efforts to introduce phonics-based instruction into the public education systems of the USA. Despite being recommended by the USA National Reading Panel back in 2000, based on clear research evidence, this had been resisted or diluted in school systems. The article describes how advocates and civil rights activists for Dyslexics and Black kids, groups of learners particularly disadvantaged by traditional methods of instruction, have been able to drive forwards the debate and pressure local governments to start to act. Now the subject of a documentary film – The Right to Read (release 2023)

Phonics

What is Phonics?
The word ‘phonics’, like many words in the English language, comes from the Greek word ‘phone’ meaning voice or sound. In education the word ‘phonics’ is understood as a method a method for teaching reading and writing by developing learners’ awareness of the sounds in the English language and relating them to how those sounds are spelled in words. It involves mapping the different sounds to letters or groups of letters. There are about 44 different sounds in the English language. Learning how to blend these sounds together to decode and read words is a foundational skill for literacy development. The UK National Literacy Trust has a useful page explaining how phonics is used to develop reading and writing skills. Our method of using phonics involves a Systematic approach to what the Trust calls ‘Synthetic Phonics’ (SSP)- linking sounds to their spellings in words. This is also the approach approved by the English Department of Education.

Using Phonics With Adult Learners
Phonics is a highly effective, evidence-based tool for adult literacy, provided it is delivered in a way that is respectful and tailored for adults, which is our approach. Using structured, “adult-centric” phonics helps learners connect sounds to letters for reading and spelling, breaking the reliance on memorising whole words.

What About Accents?
Accents and local dialects affect how a person speaks the sounds of the English language. Even in a small country like the UK there is an amazing range of accents, some make it difficult for people from different areas to understand each other – at least until they ‘tune in’ to the local accent or dialect. The approach we use in the programme is to always advise the teacher to take account of accents and how they affect pronunciation of the sounds. The accent is not important, what is important is that learners recognise the how the sounds of the language that they speak are linked to the spellings in written words and vice versa – we do not set out to change the way people speak. In our Learner Web App, the two virtual tutors speak in a very neutral way that every Learner who already speaks English can understand. This arrangement works the same way that a television newsreader can be understood across the whole of the UK, despite all the local accents and dialects.