![]() Reading instruction needs to be designed to support the development of the necessary components of this process. It is the means by which readers turn unfamiliar written words into familiar, instantaneously accessible sight words” (p. Reading researcher David Kilpatrick (2015) defines orthographic mapping as “…the process readers use to store written words for immediate, effortless retrieval. Several areas of the brain are activated and key pieces involved in wiring of the reading circuit occur during a process called orthographic mapping. She adds that reading is an atypical action and that, “to acquire this unnatural process children need instructional environments that support all the circuit parts that need bolting for the brain to read” (Wolf, 2007, p.19).Īs students learn to read the pathways that connect the areas of the brain develop (Moats, 2019). Wolf (2007) notes that because learning to read is not “pre-programmed” in our genetic code, like learning to speak or walk, everyone must establish the required neural pathways in the brain to be able to master the skill of reading. Written language, on the other hand, has only been around about 12,000-15,000 years, which isn’t enough time for the brain to evolve to make reading easy (Moats, 2019). Spoken language has been around for about 100,000 years, so our brain has evolved to acquire spoken language naturally. ![]() Why do we need to perform rocket science for some students? Reading researcher, Maryanne Wolf, reports in her book Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (2007) that reading ability is not an inherent genetic trait in humans: it is a specific skill that must be taught. For those students who struggle with the written word, the need for a teacher that can perform “rocket science” is imperative. For the 4th grader who can’t identify the words, “the, to, or, and,” or the 7th grader that struggles through a first grade level passage, Moat’s words gain meaning. Upon further thought, when contemplating those students who struggle acquiring literacy skills, this statement takes root. While a clever statement, when thinking about those students who appear to learn to read almost effortlessly, it initially didn’t resonate with me. ![]() ![]() Literacy expert Louisa Moats once famously said, “teaching reading IS rocket science” (Moats 2020). Supporting Students in Developing Automatic Word Recognition ![]()
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