Building Strong Readers: Mastering the Basics with the Five Pillars (Starting School Series)  [Ep 73] 

Unlocking the Five Pillars: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Kids to Read

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In this episode, part of our annual “Starting School” series, we explore the early stages of helping children learn to read. Sarah revisits one of her most popular episodes to discuss the “Five Pillars of Reading,” a foundational model designed to simplify the complex process of learning to read.

Discover how phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension work together to create successful readers. Sarah shares valuable insights and practical strategies for parents, especially those concerned about their child’s reading progress. Whether your child is just starting school or needs a bit of extra support, this episode provides essential guidance to help make reading a fun and enriching experience.

In this episode about The Five Pillars of Reading and Foundations for Your Child’s Literacy Success:

1. Introduction to the Five Pillars of Reading

   – Overview of the Five Pillars model: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

   – Importance of these pillars in guiding parents through the early stages of their child’s reading journey.

2. Phonemic Awareness

   – Described as “reading with the lights off”—the mental processes involved in recognizing and manipulating sounds.

   – Importance of developing phonemic awareness through rhymes and wordplay, especially if foundational skills were missed.

3. Phonics

   – Focuses on the relationship between letters and sounds, including single sounds and more complex digraphs.

   – Critical for early readers to move beyond basic sound recognition to understanding letter combinations.

4. Vocabulary Development

   – Expanding a child’s vocabulary is key to improving reading skills.

   – Children are more likely to recognize and understand words they’ve been exposed to in conversation and reading.

5. Fluency

   – Involves the ability to read smoothly with proper intonation, moving beyond decoding each word individually.

   – Fluency is built over time and is crucial for making reading sound natural and engaging.

6. Comprehension

   – The ultimate goal of reading—understanding and interpreting the text.

   – Comprehension builds on the other four pillars and becomes the main focus as children progress in their reading abilities.

Reading Made Delicious Resources to help support you

• Download the ultimate guide to using recipes for learning to read and get started with helping your child. 
• Check out the latest read-to-cook recipes and reading support here

Join our Reading Made Delicious Podcast Community to grow your child’s reading and early learning:

Send me a DM on Instagram. I love chatting with families (and other educators). So send me a message about the five pillars of learning to read. 

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Ready for more? Listen to these Reading Made Delicious Podcast Episodes next:

• Demystifying Phonics: A Parent’s Guide with the Phonics Fairy [Ep 72]
• Help! I taught my child the alphabet song but I have heard that this is NOT the best way to start my child with reading (Ep.21)

Content Disclaimer

The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this episode are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this podcast. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this podcast. Sarah Travers disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this episode.