Use the Simple View of Reading to teach reading in your classroom

How can you use the Simple View of Reading to improve how you teach reading?


The Simple View formula is (which was introduced by by Gough and Tunmer in 1986)
Decoding (D) x Language Comprehension (LC) = Reading Comprehension (RC)
If you would like more background information this article is from Reading Rockets. 

Questions to ask yourself: 
  • Do my students have the decoding skills they need to read the text we are reading in class?
  • If I read the text out loud, could my students understand the text and answer the questions I'm asking? 

The problem is: students DO NOT have the decoding skills to access grade level text.
  • You can read the text out loud. Ideally have the student point along while reading. I know that choral reading is generally discouraged, but it can sometimes be used well in this situation. 
  • You can have students read out loud one sentence at a time. Ensure that all students are touching the word and say freeze at various points. If they are not touching the right word, start over. (Be careful that kids have the ability to do this and be careful about who you call on to read out loud.) 
  • You can pre-teach specific words most children will have a difficult time.
  • Use a systematic phonics program to reteach reading. 
    • I have trained older students to tutor using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons successfully. This is one option if kids are reading below the 2nd grade level. The book is less than $20, and potentially will change that child's life. 
    • Heggarty Phonemic Awareness is a great whole class program for Pre-K, K and first grade that is not too expensive. 
    • Anita Archer Phonics for Reading is another good option that is not too expensive. 
  • Have students listen to stories on the topic area. Ideally with an app that highlights the words as they read. 
    • Learning Ally (The child has to have a diagnosis or be blind. If the child qualifies, though, it is an amazing resource.) 
    • Epic (free app for teachers)
    • Reading A to Z (costs around $200 for each child in your class to have a subscription. If you are reading this during COVID, they are offering the program for free through the end of the year.) 
  • Have a peer read the text out loud to the student. 

The problem: Students do not have the ORAL LANGUGE comprehension to understand the text. This could be due to a learning disability, English being a second language, a lack of exposure to academic language, the student not having background knowledge on the topic etc.

(During COVID, this is one of the biggest challenges we face. But if we think creatively, there are many things that can still be done. For my daughter, it means we are really changing almost all of the assignments she gets a school. Many children, like her, have a dual diagnosis and will be impacted by both parts of the equation. )

  • Start with a short educational video to build background knowledge. 
  • Give the student a summary of the chapter ahead of time.
  • Read a children's book about the same topic (picture books) to build up background knowledge.
  • Pre-teach key vocabulary terms before reading.
  • Use leveled text (like with NEWSELA) and read the same article at multiple lexile levels. First, have the child read at the lowest lexile level, discuss as a class. Then keep on increasing the level. (Not all on the same day). 
  • Use drawing, (or notetaking, but research supports drawing more fully), to summarize after each pre-teaching activity you use. Students can draw the meaning of words, concepts etc. 
  • All of these skills can be used with students, but more importantly, you can teach students to be aware that they need to ask for these strategies. 
If you have a student with these challenges, your number 1 job is to teach them to advocate for themselves. 
What is one idea you can use tomorrow in your classroom? I recommend you write it down or take a moment to daydream on how it might work for a few minutes. 

Thank you for reading. My hope is that you felt some sense of excitement reading this. If you did, please listen to that feeling more than to my words. I think it is that calm, peaceful mental state where we find out best ideas.

And if you have a new ideas that make a difference, please share with your colleagues. We are all in this together!


If you think you know someone who would benefit from reading this, please do share.



Thank you! Please take care of yourself. Bless you.

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