ABSTRACT
Proficient readers use their language awareness and world knowledge in long-term memory, together with effective cognitive and linguistic strategies in working memory to read with fluency. The aim of reading instruction is silent processing at a good rate with optimal comprehension, or what is called automaticity. Automatic reading is based on the coordination of orthographic representations, phonological awareness, lexical access, and memory functions. It depends on implicit syntactic awareness, structural priming, and other factors in the Linguistic Infrastructure. Another important contributor to fluency and comprehension is print exposure. This chapter also discusses other factors: reading instruction, remediation, and testing. The Language Awareness Approach makes the expansion of the Linguistic Infrastructure the main goal of early childhood education and the primary grades.
