Understanding the Science of Reading: Key Models and Strategies for Effective Instruction

Reading is a foundational skill that empowers us to access information, connect with ideas, and communicate effectively. In a previous blog post, I shared my journey of exploring the science of reading—a field that continues to reshape how we approach literacy education. Today, I want to dive deeper into two evidence-based models of reading instruction: the Simple View of Reading (SVR) and the Cognitive Foundations Framework. These models provide a clear and systematic approach to teaching reading that aligns with the latest research.

While Balanced Literacy has been a cornerstone of reading instruction in my own teaching experience, it’s clear that embracing the science of reading offers a more effective path forward. I’ll also explore the Four Pillars of Learning, introduced by Stanislas Dehaene, and why understanding how the brain learns is essential for designing effective reading instruction. This blog post draws on research I conducted during my postgraduate studies at the SOLAR Lab at La Trobe University, and I hope it provides practical insights for educators like you.

How We Learn: The Importance of Direct Instruction

Reading is a biological secondary skill, meaning it is not innate—we need to be explicitly taught how to read. Understanding how humans learn is essential before diving into the theoretical models of reading instruction. Research consistently shows that novice learners learn best through direct and explicit instruction, which ensures that foundational skills are taught systematically.

The Four Pillars of Learning (found in the book How We Learn), developed by cognitive neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene, provide an excellent framework for understanding how students learn:

Attention – by directing attention, students can filter out distractions and engage fully with the content.
Active Engagement – through students actively participating in the learning process.
Feedback – by providing immediate feedback to correct errors, reinforce correct responses, and guide students towards mastery.
Consolidation – by transferring knowledge from short-term to long-term memory, enhancing retention and automaticity.

We now have a greater understanding of the role of working memory and long-term memory and how to support students with retaining information in their long-term memory. This is has been one of my favourite concepts that I have learnt about in my studies! For information to be stored in long-term memory, it must first be ‘worked’ or manipulated in short-term memory. Novice readers require explicit and systematic lessons that allow for repetition, practice, and constant revisiting of concepts. By applying these principles, educators can design lessons that move beyond passive exposure to reading and instead emphasize structured, repeated practice and concept reinforcement. This understanding also highlights why Balanced Literacy, with its emphasis on student-led discovery and immersion in a literacy-rich environment, falls short. Students don’t learn to read by simply being surrounded by books—they need explicit instruction grounded in cognitive science principles.

Science of Reading – The Simple View of Reading (SVR)

The Simple View of Reading (SVR), introduced by Gough and Tunmer in 1986, is a foundational model for understanding reading comprehension. It posits that reading comprehension is the product of two critical components: decoding and language comprehension.

Decoding (Word Recognition): Students’ ability to get words off a page is called decoding or word recognition. It involves phonological awareness, knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondence, blending and segmenting, and orthographic knowledge. For students to become proficient in this area, there needs to be a deliberate and systemic approach to teaching word recognition through a synthetic framework of phonics instruction.
Language Comprehension: Language comprehension refers to grammar, semantics, conversational and narrative discourse, metalinguistic knowledge, and language conventions —skills necessary for interpreting and understanding text.

Note. Adapted from “Decoding, reading, and reading disability,” by Gough, P.B. & Tunmer, W.E, 1986, Remedial and Special Education, (7), 6.10 (https://doi.org/10.1177/074193258600700104). In the public domain.

The product is reading comprehension which refers to the ability to read fluently to gain meaning. For reading comprehension to be strong, both decoding and language comprehension must be strong. If a student struggles with decoding but excels in language comprehension (or vice versa), their reading comprehension will still be weak. This model provides a clear, evidence-based roadmap for structuring reading instruction.

The Cognitive Foundations Framework

The Cognitive Foundations Framework from Tunmer and Hoover 2019 expands on SVR and offers a more detailed overview of how the components of decoding and language comprehension work together to produce reading comprehension from a cognitive perspective. This model builds on from the simplicity of the SVR.

This framework was developed from the SVR and the recommendations from the National Reading Panel (NRP) in the United States, where they have identified five crucial pillars for reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These are often referred to as the Big Five of Reading. This model categorises the cognitive elements of reading into:

Language Comprehension

Linguistic knowledge
- Phonological knowledge: Understanding the sound structure of language.
- Syntactic knowledge: Grammar and sentence structure.
Semantic knowledge: Meaning and vocabulary.
Background knowledge and inferencing skills
- Information and experiences a reader brings to the reading process.
- Exposure to diverse texts across various subjects supports context-based learning and retention.
- A knowledge-building curriculum is essential for fostering comprehension.

Word Recognition (Decoding)

Further broken down into alphabetic coding skills, which include:

Concepts about print: Basic understanding of how print works (e.g., directionality, spacing).
Knowledge of the alphabetic principles: Letters represent sounds.
- Letter knowledge: Ability to identify and distinguish letters.
- Phonemic awareness: Recognizing and understanding individual speech sounds.
Orthographic Knowledge: Understanding spelling patterns and word structures for fluent reading.

Adapting Instruction Based on Cognitive Foundations

By adopting the Cognitive Foundations Framework, teachers can align instruction with students’ developmental stages. In the early years, emphasis is placed on building alphabetic coding skills—the foundation of word recognition. Repeated practice and systematic phonics instruction enable students to develop fluency.

As students progress, the instructional focus can shift toward language comprehension by expanding vocabulary, grammar knowledge, and background knowledge. This ensures students are prepared to tackle more complex texts while engaging deeply with content. Importantly, no component of the framework operates in isolation; a holistic approach ensures reading instruction addresses all aspects of literacy.

This model highlights the need for a knowledge-rich curriculum, exposing students to diverse topics and building the background knowledge necessary for comprehension.

A Shift Toward Evidence-Based Reading Instruction

Understanding how students learn reinforces why we need to move away from culturally accepted but less effective models like Balanced Literacy. Instead, evidence-based frameworks such as the SVR and the Cognitive Foundations Framework offer a roadmap for teaching reading in ways that truly support student success.

As Louisa Moats aptly puts it: “In disseminating effective practices grounded in research, everyone has a role to play.”

By integrating these models, teachers can create a comprehensive, dynamic approach to reading instruction. Foundational skills like decoding and higher-order skills like language comprehension work hand in hand to ensure a well-rounded literacy experience for students across primary school years.

I hope this blog post provides valuable insights into reading instruction. As a teacher passionate about lifelong learning, I’m committed to sharing research-backed strategies to support you on your teaching journey. Let’s keep the conversation going—what approaches have worked in your classroom?