This toolkit provides information about the essential components of reading instruction, including the five core reading skills that students need to become strong readers.

You will learn:

  • An overview of the five essential components of reading instruction
  • How effective teachers use evidence-based strategies to teach these five components in real classrooms
  • A timeline for teaching the essential components of reading instruction
  • Considerations for teaching students with dyslexia

This toolkit includes:

  • Online tutorial
  • Expert advice and implementation tools
  • Supporting videos and resources

Online Tutorial

This tutorial will introduce you to five core reading skills that students need to become strong readers. You will also view video from real classrooms, to see the evidence-based strategies that effective teachers use to teach these five components. The tutorial will also cover a timeline for teaching the essential components of reading instruction, special considerations for teaching students with dyslexia, the elements of effective instruction, and next steps.

Essential Components of Reading Instruction

Explore this collection of resources to learn more about the essential components of effective reading instruction.

Teacher and Class

This toolkit helps teachers and families understand the difference between phonemic and phonological awareness and how to support a child's development of these important reading skills.

Topic: 
Beginning Reading
Audience: 
Parents & Families, Schools & Districts
Mother reading with child

This toolkit helps teachers and families understand what the alphabetic principle and phonics are and how to support a child's development of these important reading skills.

Topic: 
Beginning Reading
Audience: 
Parents & Families, Schools & Districts
Kids reading around a tress

This toolkit helps teachers and families understand what fluency is and how to support a child’s development of fluency with text.

Topic: 
Beginning Reading, Fluency with Text
Audience: 
Parents & Families, Schools & Districts
Kids Reading a Book

This toolkit, developed in collaboration with the Idaho State Department of Education, helps parents and families use everyday time together as an opportunity for learning and building reading skills.

Topic: 
Beginning Reading
Audience: 
Parents & Families
Book
Expert : Jess Surles
Audience: 
Schools & Districts
Topic: 
Beginning Reading, Interventions
Bookshare

People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading.

Topic: Interventions

Bookshare

This short video explains the guidelines for which disabilities will qualify an individual for Bookshare membership.

Topic: Dyslexia, Interventions

Reading Rockets

This article features activities designed to stimulate the development of phonemic awareness in preschool and elementary school children.

Topic: Phonemic Awareness

Elements of Effective Instruction

Check out these resources to build your knowledge about the elements of effective instruction.

Apple on Desk
Expert : Jess Surles
Audience: 
Schools & Districts
Topic: 
Interventions

Watch this video with teacher Megan Carlson on how direct instruction helps students feel successful.

Watch this video with teacher Amanda Rhodes on what she loves about the systematic approach to reading instruction.