Aligning the Reading Block with the Science of Reading
According to Judy Boksner, NYC DOE Reading Specialist, teachers “are having trouble in the field deciding how to structure their literacy block.”¹
With all the shifting curricula, standards, and PD changes, it's no wonder teachers struggle to dial in the right ratio of foundational skills, content knowledge, language comprehension, small groups, and differentiation. Dialing this in starts at the district support level.
Dr. Holly Lane, Director of the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI), has a definitive solution to this problem—one that is officially embedded in the UFLI Phonics curriculum. It follows a 90 minute reading block²:
💡 30 minutes - Build phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding, and reading fluency.
💡 30 minutes - Differentiation, small group, center/station activities, and enrichment.
💡 30 minutes - Language comprehension instruction to build vocabulary, background knowledge, and oral language.
Regarding the second 30 minutes, Dr. Lane emphasized that true differentiation is rooted in data-based instructional decision making. Simply dividing small group time equally would be the opposite of that. Here’s a great example of differentiation¹:
🔴 Small group 1 - High support needed | Teachers spend 10 minutes with this group everyday
🟡 Small group 2 - Intermediate support needed | Teachers spend 5 minutes 3 times per week
🟢 Small group 3 - Minimal support needed | Teachers spend 2 minutes 2 times per week
Dr. Lane also talks about the importance of pairing phonics instruction like UFLI with supplemental curricula and activities that best support language comprehension (content knowledge building and language development). Regarding UFLI, she says, “We are doing what I wish other publishers would do—and that is we’re staying in our lane¹.” She goes on to share how combining together the phonics instruction like UFLI with other curricula focused on language comprehension is the route to take, as opposed to relying on a core curriculum that is attempting to do it all but does none of it well. This is only evidenced by how districts across the nation are adopting UFLI in droves for phonics only.
As for AskMeno, we are heeding Dr. Lane’s advice and staying in our lane—the language comprehension lane. If you need help with the language comprehension 30 minute block, we are here for you. Come chat with us.
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About AskMeno
AskMeno is dedicated to helping early-childhood leaders build the foundational oral language and social skills necessary for their young scholars’ reading comprehension and emotional wellbeing. AskMeno provides a play-based, teacher-facilitated supplemental curriculum that systematically and explicitly develops oral language and social skills through scaffolded, fun, and engaging learning activities.
