In teacher’s college in 1997, how to teach literacy wasn’t a topic. I remember stepping into my first classroom – a Grade 2/3 split – feeling completely unprepared when it came to reading instruction. This was before the internet as we know it today, so there was no easy way to look up best practices or find resources. I knew how to teach math because math made sense. It was systematic. If my students needed to learn multiplication, I understood that they first needed to grasp addition, counting forward and backward, and recognizing numbers. There was a clear progression.
Decoding, on the other hand? I had no idea.
At the time, Whole Language and Balanced Literacy were the dominant approaches. My first principal was all about whole language and had an open disdain for anything “phonics.” I was told that if I read a lot to my students, gave them plenty of books, and encouraged them to write freely, they would “catch on” naturally. I assigned random spelling lists because that’s just what teachers did. And when I encountered students who struggled, I had no tools to help them. They memorized words for the week’s spelling test but couldn’t apply those words in context. Others relied on pictures and context clues rather than decoding skills. But what happened when the pictures disappeared? I simply assumed they needed more whole language as if immersion alone would fill the gaps. I carry a lot of regret.
Realizing Something Was Missing
After a lot of teaching under the “guidance” of Lucy Caulkins, I trained in Reading Recovery, and for the first time, I felt like I knew something about decoding instruction. I spent years “helping” struggling students, convinced I was making a difference. Then, I moved into kindergarten, bringing my Reading Recovery knowledge with me, and feeling equipped. But something still wasn’t right. I knew, deep down, that what I was doing wasn’t working.
I wasn’t seeing the kind of progress my students needed. They weren’t developing strong literacy skills, and I couldn’t put my finger on why. This feeling of unease stayed with me for years. I had a sense that something was missing, but I didn’t yet have the knowledge to identify what it was.
So, I started searching. I spent thousands of my own dollars on professional development, training, and resources, determined to understand how children really learn to read. What I discovered changed everything.
A New Approach
A few years ago, I had a Grade 1 class with students at both extremes of the literacy spectrum. I had students who couldn’t yet identify all the letters in the alphabet, sitting beside a student who was reading Harry Potter books. In the past, someone would have been left out. Either the beginning readers would have been overwhelmed, or the advanced readers would have been left bored.
But now, I was armed with tools. I had a structured, systematic, and explicit approach to literacy that allowed me to teach all my students at the same time, at their level.
All of my students engaged in learning about orthography and morphology, and it was evident how much they enjoyed it – especially when we played Facey (our structured literacy version of Hangman). The phoneme-to-grapheme connections (i.e., <igh>) and other orthographic conventions (i.e., reasons for Marker <e>) we explored were brand new and exciting for every student, regardless of their starting point.
During small group instruction, I targeted my lessons to each student’s specific needs. But during large group lessons, everyone learned together. My struggling decoders worked right alongside their fluent reading peers, gaining valuable literacy instruction in a way that didn’t separate or isolate them.
I watched as students who struggled with blending explain marker <e> blocks English words from ending in <v>. They applied that understanding to their writing, spelling have correctly, even as they continued working on blending consonant clusters.
Meanwhile, my Harry Potter reader, though advanced in decoding, had difficulty forming letters. Structured Literacy gave me the clarity to know that handwriting instruction was just as essential for him as phonemic awareness was for my beginning readers. Both needed explicit instruction in different areas, and both got it – without being held back or pushed too fast.
The Power of Morphology for Every Student
One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen since embracing Structured Literacy is in my students’ vocabulary development. Morphology is now embedded across my curriculum, and my students constantly make meaningful connections between words.
I hear things like:
🗣️ "I know century means 100 years because cent means 100 cents in 1 dollar."
🗣️ "Is the bound base <tract> in the word contract something that pulls you to a job? My dad just got a contract, and I know that a tractor is something that pulls."
These are conversations happening in a Grade 1/2 class.
Vocabulary plays a fundamental role in reading comprehension. Through Structured Literacy, even my struggling readers – those still working on decoding – are exposed to and engaging with rich vocabulary. They aren’t being left behind. They’re learning alongside their peers, building background knowledge and expanding their understanding of words.
Looking at Literacy Through the Active View of Reading
Duke and Cartwright’s Active View of Reading (2021) offers a more comprehensive framework for understanding literacy development. Unlike older models that oversimplify reading into isolated skills, this model acknowledges that reading is an active process involving:
🔵 Word Recognition (phonological awareness, phonics knowledge, decoding)
🔴 Language Comprehension (background knowledge, syntax, verbal reasoning)
🟢 Active Self-Regulation (motivation, executive functioning, strategy use)
Structured Literacy doesn’t just support struggling readers – it strengthens all three areas for every student.
- Struggling readers get explicit instruction in decoding.
- Advanced readers deepen their knowledge of morphology, etymology, and structure, refining their comprehension and writing skills.
- Every student builds background knowledge and develops self-regulation skills that make them more confident, engaged learners.
Teaching Literacy is Easier Now
There was a time when, every June, I would reflect on my teaching and wonder what I could have done differently. I knew something was missing, but I didn’t know what.
Not only is teaching literacy easier – not because it’s simple, but because it’s clear, it is so much more fulfilling. I have a systematic, explicit framework that allows me to meet all my students’ needs. I continue to study and grow, knowing that my understanding will keep evolving, and I no longer feel lost.
Most importantly, my students love learning about words. They’re engaged, motivated, and making connections that will stay with them long after they leave my classroom. And that’s exactly what literacy instruction should do – empower every student.