What is foundational literacy?
Foundational literacy refers to those essential reading and writing skills that one needs to develop in order to become a proficient learner, throughout life. These fundamental skills are taught early through decoding and reading comprehension strategies that can be applied across the curriculum in schools. The core competencies revolve around phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension. When students do not build strong skills in these critical foundational areas, challenges will continue to arise when they shift from learning to read to reading to learn.
Foundational literacy skills are critical for academic success, professional achievements, and lifelong learning. Illiteracy is a major factor in high school dropout rates (currently, 1 in 6 high schoolers), resulting in lower social mobility opportunities. A common misconception is that foundational literacy strategies are outdated, yet the decades of research supporting the Science of Reading underscore the value of explicit instruction around decoding and reading comprehension:
Reading comprehension (R) = decoding × language comprehension
Simple View of Reading from Gough and Tunmer, 1986
Key components
To become proficient readers and writers, students need a comprehensive instructional framework that supports continued growth in becoming skilled and confident in their literacy skills. Foundational literacy typically encompasses five core aspects. These five core components are often referred to as the five pillars of literacy:
- Phonological & Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
In addition to these five skills, some argue that there is a sixth. The “Big Six of Literacy” folds in oral language skills—the ability to express one’s ideas, thoughts, and opinions verbally. We educators see these skills reflected in English Language Arts standards under Speaking & Listening as early as kindergarten.
Why foundational literacy matters
Mastering literacy skills is not a natural process; instead, it is a dynamic and complex set of skills that require an intentional and highly-structured approach to reading and writing instruction, beginning at an early age. By leveraging Science of Reading strategies, teachers can craft a much more deliberate plan of action for early intervention and employ multi-tiered systems of support as needed. Early activities around print concepts, alphabet knowledge, and rhyming words then ladder up to more sophisticated meaning-making or comprehension, bolstered by continued vocabulary development and fluency. To be inclusive of learners’ diverse needs, teachers need to consider Universal Design for Learning, differentiated strategies, and culturally responsive teaching.
Not surprisingly, these foundational literacy skills are paramount to long-term academic success. Literacy is one of the strongest predictors of cross-curricular achievement, whether that be in mathematics, science, or social studies. By mastering these essential literacy skills, students build a stronger sense of self-esteem, competence, and self-worth, which translate into increased classroom participation and engagement.