ABSTRACT
Learning to read words is anything but natural. On the contrary, it requires integration of numerous complex processes. Although successful acquisition and application of these processes is incidental for many children, others require systematic and planful teaching. From our synthesis of beginning reading research, four areas of convergence bear implications for word recognition for children with diverse learning needs.
Reading comprehension and other higher order reading activities depend on strong word recognition skills.
Strong word recognition requires prerequisite learner understanding that words can be “spoken” or “written,” print corresponds to speech, and words are composed of phonemes.
Alphabetic understanding (i.e., a reader’s understanding that words are composed of graphemes and letter-sound correspondences) facilitates word recognition.
Phonological recoding (i.e., translating a word into its phonological counterpart, remembering the correct sequence of sounds, blending the sounds together, and searching memory for a real word that matches that string of sounds) combined with word frequency mediates word recognition.
