Word Recognition

Word-recognition skills are foundational to reading. These are the skills that allow us to read the words on the page. If your middle school students cannot yet decode, you’ll need to address these gaps first.

The Word-Recognition Skills All Readers Need

The Ladder of Reading

Different students need different amounts of instruction in order to learn how to decode.

Studies show that as many as 65 percent of students require explicit and systematic instruction in order to learn to decode on grade level. If you have students in Grades 6–8 who haven’t yet mastered decoding, it does not mean they are unable to master decoding. They likely have not yet gotten the instruction and practice they need.

Young, N. (2018). The ladder of reading. International Dyslexia Association.
https://dyslexiaida.org/ladder-of-reading-infographic-structured-literacy-helps-all-students

BY THE NUMBERS

Middle School Students
Who Need Intervention
in Word Recognition

i-Ready Assessment data shows that, of all the students who took the i-Ready Diagnostic in fall 2022, 16 percent of students at the Grade 6 level and 9 percent of students at the Grade 8 level are below grade level in the foundational reading skills necessary for decoding.

These students need explicit and systematic instruction in word recognition in order to get on a path to proficiency that will allow them access to grade-level content.

Drive Explicit Instruction for Middle School with These Tips

Students who require intervention in foundational skills need instruction to be explicit and systematic. Use these tips to drive effective interventions in your middle school classroom.

Focus on the critical content.

Why It Works
Striving readers in Grades 6–8 need to address gaps efficiently to avoid missing out on essential grade-level content. Accelerate learning by identifying and teaching the critical content.

Teach predictable routines.

Why It Works
You want students’ focus to be on the lesson content—not on figuring out what they’re expected to do next. Keep the flow of lessons predictable and well organized.

Encourage active participation.

Why It Works
Instruction should be designed so all students have multiple opportunities to practice.

Provide immediate, corrective feedback.

Why It Works
Explicit instruction requires students to receive corrections immediately so they can learn the right answer and continue moving forward.

Maintain a perky pace.

Why It Works
Quick pacing is essential to maintaining student focus at the middle school level.

Want more tips on driving explicit instruction?
Download this free poster for tips from reading expert Dr. Anita Archer!

Teach the Critical Content for Word Recognition

What is the critical content? Some key areas where middle school teachers should focus their reading interventions are:

Teaching multisyllabic words
Building fluency

In this next section, we’ll look at a few high-leverage practices recommended by What Works Clearinghouse (2023) for older learners to support growth in these areas. These practices are not meant to be comprehensive but to serve as examples of high-impact strategies for your work with students.

CRITICAL SKILL

Teach Multisyllabic Words

Why is this critical for middle school learners?

Foundational skills programs designed for younger students spend significant time on single-syllable words. However, teachers providing decoding intervention to middle school learners need to accelerate access to multisyllabic words so these students may more quickly gain access to complex and sophisticated grade-level content.

CRITICAL SKILL

Teach Multisyllabic Words, Cont'd.

High-Leverage Practices

Focus on Morphology
How does this support learning?

Improves meaning making
Develops phonemic awareness
Provides strategies to attack unfamiliar words
Grows vocabulary by a factor of 20+
Builds confidence

Use Chunking and Looping
How does this support learning?

Helps break words into smaller parts so they’re easier to process
Teaches students to look inside of the word for familiar word parts
Builds metacognitive skills

CRITICAL SKILL

Build Fluency

Why is this critical for middle school learners?

Fluency describes the ability to read accurately, with ease and appropriate pacing. Fluency allows readers to shift their focus from sounding out words to making sense of the content. By prioritizing fluency-building activities, you can begin to build comprehension, confidence, and motivation to read.

While your students are building decoding skills, fluency practice should leverage decodable texts that use letter sounds and combinations that students have been taught. You will need access to decodable texts to serve these students in practicing this skill.

CRITICAL SKILL

Build Fluency, Cont'd.

High-Leverage Practices

Reread with a Purpose
How does this support learning?

Provides opportunities to practice fluency
Focuses attention on a goal so rereading does not become dull or discouraging
Technique:

Have students reread text three to four times with a different purpose each time.
Examples may include identifying multisyllabic words or answering a simple question about the passage.

Focus on Reading with Expression
How does this support learning?

Pauses, tempo, and emphasis can help readers understand what they’re reading.
Technique:

Read a paragraph twice to students—the first time without expression or pauses and the second time with them.
Ask students to audio-record themselves reading so they can listen to and hear their own progress.

Accelerate Knowledge Building with Fluent Word Recognition

Why is this critical for middle school learners?

Fluent word recognition will increase comprehension and improve knowledge building. Although your students’ gaps in language comprehension need to be addressed in order to access grade-level text, they will see improvements in their ability to comprehend simply as a result of their word-recognition work.

Read on for more tips on building knowledge and comprehension.