1. Basic Reading Skills By
Thomas Bold

2. Introduction
There are five basic reading skills that essential for student learning
These reading skills are: phonemic awareness, writing, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension
This presentation will provide the framework that is both useful to parents and act as a classroom resource for teachers

3. Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness deals with a phoneme which is the smallest unit of sound that makes a difference in meaning
Phonemic awareness is the understanding that a word spoken is comprised of individual sounds
Examples of skills associated with phonemic awareness include: rhyming words, breaking sentences and words down into smaller forms
Strategies for teachers to utilize with phonemics in the classroom are: isolation, matching, blending, segmentation and manipulation (deleting, adding, substituting)

4. Writing
Writing is closely aligned with reading and both are reciprocal in nature
The definition of writing is a process of communication that allows meaning to be constructed as thoughts and ideas are expressed in written form
Writing requires the organization of ideas along with the use of writing conventions such as usage, mechanics, grammar and spelling
Components of writing include: prewriting, first draft, revisions, editing and publication

5. Fluency
Fluency refers to rate, accuracy and prosody: the ability to read with intonation, expressing and phrasing
Readers that are fluent have the ability to comprehend and recognize words at the same time
Fluency is thought to be an important component needed for reading comprehension
Strategies for teachers to utilize with fluency in the classroom include: students reading passages aloud with guidance, choral or unison reading, partner reading, readers’ theatre and timed readings

6. Vocabulary
Vocabulary refers to words that people need to know in order to communicate
There are four types of vocabulary that are important for teachers to utilize in the classroom: listening, speaking, reading and writing
Similar to fluency, vocabulary is an important component of reading comprehension
A focus should be on teaching words that have multiple meanings such as antonyms, synonyms or related words

7. Comprehension
Comprehension is defined as the construction of meaning through interaction in the text and the reader
Comprehension utilizes the application of specific cognitive strategies
The National Reading Panel recommends the following as effective teaching methods of comprehension: comprehension monitoring, cooperative learning, use of graphic and semantic organizers, question answering and question generating, recognizing text structure and summarization
Additional teaching techniques include: direct explanation, modeling, guided practice, feedback and application

8. Resources