Differentiated Instruction Your Way
Select each section of The Reading Rope to learn how the resources in Raz-Plus align and help teachers foster Word Recognition and Language Comprehension for all K-5 students.
The Reading Rope
1. Decoding{orange}
2. Phonological Awareness{gold}
3. Sight Recognition{red}
Language Comprehension{dark-blue}
4. Vocabulary{dark-blue}
5. Background Knowledge{navy}
6. Language Structures{black}
7. Literacy Knowledge{black}
8. Verbal Reasoning{green}
Modified from Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy. New York, NY: Guilford Press
Word Recognition{orange}
Decoding{orange}
Decoding is the ability to apply one’s knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words.
- Phonics Lessons
- Systematic, sequential, explicit, multi-sensory curriculum
- 32 weeks per grade (K-2)
- Direct instruction with decoding words in isolation prior to reading words in the decodable
- Encoding in addition to decoding - Decodable Books
- Decodable Passage Packs
- Sound/Symbol Books
- Alphabet Books
- Alphabet Chants
- Phonics Learning Centers
- Phonics Assessments
Phonological Awareness{gold}
Phonological Awareness is the ability to recognize and work with sounds in spoken language.
- Phonological Awareness Curriculum
- 32 weeks of systematic sequential lessons (K-1)
- Built in complexity horizontally within a grade and vertically across grades - Phonological Awareness Centers
- Phonological Awareness Assessments
Sight Recognition{red}
Sight Recognition is knowing a word by sight without having to decode it. Sight recognition includes knowing a word’s meaning in context.
Language Comprehension{dark-blue}
Vocabulary{dark-blue}
Working on Vocabulary includes learning the meanings of words, understanding the connection between words, and using words to express understanding.
Background Knowledge{navy}
Background Knowledge refers to facts, concepts, and experiences specific to situations and information presented in text or during a discussion.
Language Structures{black}
Language Structures refers to syntax and semantics. Syntax speaks to a language system that has everything to do with how word order is used to convey meaning. Semantics is about the way words are used to convey meaning.
Literacy Knowledge{black}
Literacy Knowledge refers to the understanding of how conventions, the patterns, and organization are all used to convey meaning in print, including the idea that different genres serve different purposes in terms of conveying ideas.
Verbal Reasoning{green}
Verbal Reasoning involves students thinking deeply about texts while also thinking outside of the text to draw inferences and integrate information. It also requires background knowledge and understanding of language structures.
What is the Reading Rope?
The Reading Rope illustrates the interconnected components of reading acquisition, demonstrated by crucial elements woven together, and serves as a useful tool for educators. Its strands can help determine best practices for reading instruction, supporting development in readers at every level throughout various stages of learning. These strands act interdependently through practice and explicit instruction to progress toward the goal: proficient readers.
How do Raz-Plus resources align to each strand of the Reading Rope?
Raz-Plus resources support both strands of the rope, working to build word recognition skills and language comprehension for readers at every level.