Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade

The 'Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade' guide, published in July 2016 and revised in December 2019 by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), offers four key recommendations for educators. This guide is designed to assist teachers, administrators, and other educational professionals in enhancing foundational reading skills for students in kindergarten through third grade. It complements the guide 'Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade'.

The first recommendation focuses on teaching students academic language skills, which encompasses the use of inferential and narrative language, as well as vocabulary knowledge. This foundational aspect is crucial for developing a comprehensive understanding of text.

The second recommendation emphasizes developing students' awareness of sound segments in speech and understanding how these sounds link to letters. This skill, known as phonological awareness and phonics, is vital for decoding and early reading.

The third recommendation instructs educators to teach students how to decode words, analyze word parts, and effectively write and recognize words. This builds upon phonological awareness to create proficient readers.

The final recommendation highlights the importance of ensuring that every student engages in daily reading of connected text. This practice is essential for supporting reading accuracy, fluency, and overall comprehension.

The guide targets a broad audience including administrators, parents/families, school specialists, and teachers across grades K-3. It is supported by various related resources such as rubrics, webinars, videos, and guides for family involvement and professional learning communities, developed by research staff and a panel of experts appointed by the WWC.