Louisa Moats outlines six components of Structured Literacy in “Chapter 8: Structured Language and Literacy Instruction” (pp. 292-327) of Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. Based on both Speech to Print and the International Dyslexia Association (2020), the table summarizes those six components of Structured Literacy are taught in alignment with three core principles:
| Explicit |
Explicit instruction clearly explains concepts, incorporates guided practice, offers instructional routines, and offers opportunities for students to receive immediate feedback as they practice. Explicit instruction in a Structured Literacy approach is often multimodal, meaning its instructional methods offer hands-on learning. Additionally, listening, speaking, reading, and writing are often paired together to support learning at multiple levels. |
|---|---|
| Systematic and Cumulative | Systematic instruction follows in a logical scope and sequence, while cumulative instruction ensures each step builds from previously learned concepts. |
| Diagnostic and Responsive | In a Structured Literacy approach, the teacher monitors student progress throughout the lesson. Based on student performance data, the teacher adjusts instructional pacing, delivery, and the amount of student practice within a lesson. |
References:
Moats, L. (2020). Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
International Dyslexia Association (2020). “Effective Reading for Students with Dyslexia.” IDA: https://dyslexiaida.org/effective-reading-instruction-for-students-with-dyslexia/
Structured Literacy prioritizes systematic, cumulative, and explicit instruction across six core components:
| Phoneme Awareness | Structured Literacy includes explicit phoneme/phonemic awareness instruction to support student awareness of the individual speech sounds (phonemes) that make up words. Building students’ knowledge of the letters and letter combinations that represent phonemes support their ability to write and decode. |
|---|---|
| Sound-Symbol (Phoneme-Grapheme) Correspondences | Structured Literacy includes explicit phoneme-grapheme or phonic decoding instruction that teaches students the letter combinations and rules present in the written English language system. The system of correspondences between phonemes and graphemes is often referred to as the phonics or the alphabetic code. |
| Patterns and Conventions of Print (Orthography) | Structured Literacy also includes instruction in the patterns of letter use in the English language writing system. Readers should be explicitly taught about syllables, or the units of oral or written language with one vowel sound. There are six basic syllable types in the English language system: closed, vowel-consonant-e, open, consonant-le, r-controlled, and vowel pair. Explicitly learning each syllable type can improve students’ accuracy in reading unfamiliar words. |
| Morphology | Structured Literacy incorporates instruction in morphology. A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language (including prefixes, roots, base words, and suffixes), and morphology is the study of how these units are combined to form words and build meaning. Morphemes are often spelled consistently, so morphology instruction can enable students to determine the meanings of new words, and 2) spell words with greater accuracy when writing. |
| Syntax | Structured Literacy includes syntax instruction. Syntax is the system for putting words together to form sentences. The study of syntax includes instruction in parts of speech, grammar, and word use in sentences.Explicit syntax instruction develops students’ ability to comprehend sentences when reading and articulate using various sentence types (i.e., simple, compound, and complex) when writing. |
| Semantics and Paragraphs | Structured Literacy also includes semantics instruction, which develops students’ ability to make meaning of both oral and written words and phrases. A key component of semantics instruction is building knowledge around how authors use the organization of paragraphs, genre, and word choice to convey meaning. |
Reference: “Effective Reading Instruction for Students with Dyslexia.” International Dyslexia Association, 31 Mar. 2020, dyslexiaida.org/effective-reading-instruction-for-students-with-dyslexia/.