The Importance of Controlled Text in Learning to Read

The past 30 years of scientific research in the fields of cognitive psychology, communication sciences, linguistics, neuroscience and education have converged to give us great insight and understanding into how the human brain learns to read. We know that humans are born hard-wired for vision and oral language; we are not born with a brain ready to read. Every time a human learns to read, the brain must build new neural pathways that never existed between parts of the brain responsible for vision, language processing, and meaning making. It is through instruction that these neural pathways get built, mostly in the brain’s left hemisphere.

Certain types of instruction have been found to be more efficient at building these neural connections than others.Through brain-imaging research, we have found that certain instructional methods can actually build slow, inefficient pathways for reading, mostly in the right hemisphere of the brain; this is the hemisphere of the brain that struggling readers rely on. These methods include having students memorize words visually, as whole units. Instructional practices that activate and integrate the parts of the brain involved in the optimal “reading circuit” will allow the student to become a strong, efficient reader. This is why evidence-based reading instruction is so life-changing; it is brain surgery through Instruction.

It is through evidence-based instruction that learners gain insight into the internal sound structure of words and are able to learn to read, spell, and write. This might sound like a simple task, but it can be quite an epiphany for a child to realize that the continuous string of sounds coming out of their mouth as they speak can be segmented into discrete sounds and THEN matched to letters in written form to represent all the sounds they are saying. It is not a natural developmental process, for example, to realize that the word “ship” is composed of 3 speech sounds, /sh/, /i/, and /p/ and which letters represent each of these sounds. It is through systematic, explicit instruction that students can crack this code. As students are learning the code, it is essential that they have ample opportunity to practice applying their knowledge of matching sounds to letters through controlled text.

Controlled text is text that follows a scope and sequence of letters, sounds, and syllable types that the child has been taught. For example, if students are learning the possible pronunciations of the diphthong “ow,” then the controlled text will include words such as “flow, glow, flower, and lower.” This is a critical opportunity for a student to apply, practice and integrate their developing knowledge of how letters represent sounds. As students are taught more sound-letter combinations, they read controlled text with those patterns and practice spelling words with those patterns. These are essential practices for building neural pathways in the brain that will ultimately lead to recognizing words instantly and effortlessly. During this period, it is very important that students be exposed to rich, complex oral language and vocabulary through read-alouds, class discussions, and audio books.

While controlled text provides practice with reading words, they will not provide sufficient exposure to complex language, syntax, or vocabulary, or provide sufficient background knowledge development to aid reading comprehension skills. Controlled text is an essential component of reading instruction that sets students up for success in being able to independently access more complex text as they solidify their reading skills. Controlled text equips students with the skills they need to become capable readers; strong readers can learn to love reading, learning, participate in society, and can fully access their potential.

-By: Ruthie Swibel

About Ruthie Swibel:

Ruthie is a literacy specialist who has seen the work of literacy and learning-disability  education from every angle. She currently is a literacy consultant, supporting schools implement evidence-based reading practices and providing training to teachers in the science of reading. Prior to her work as a consultant, Ruthie served as Director of Admissions for a three-campus school for students with learning disabilities. She has also held roles as a classroom teacher and reading intervention specialist. She has collaborated with professionals in various fields to map-out individualized intervention plans and strategies on a student-by-student basis. Ruthie’s goal is to get the word out on evidence-based teaching practices, early identification, early intervention and prevention of reading difficulties. She is passionate about bridging the gap between the scientific world of reading research and educational practice to improve the literacy outcomes and Iives of children and create equity in society. Ruthie recognizes that the right to read is a fundamental human right and that all children must have access to evidence-based reading instruction. Ruthie earned a Master’s in Language and Literacy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She lives in Chicago--with her husband, three daughters, and dog.

*Favorite authors: Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, George Saunders, Alice Munro,

Grace Paley, David Sedaris

*Quote that inspires me every day

“Reading shaped my dreams and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.” -Ruth Bader Ginsburg