by Steve Tattum
There are certain skills that a child needs to have established before ever even entering a classroom to ensure that he/she is able to read. So, what areas of processing need to be developed in order for students to maximize their reading and writing potential?
In Part I of this article series, we discussed Marilyn Jager Adams' research on the four processors and highlighted the phonological processor. In Part II, we will address the orthographic processor.
Whereas speech stimulates the phonological processor, the orthographic processor is stimulated by print. It processes strings of letters and 'glues' these letters together into spelling patterns and syllables, allowing for swift recognition of words of varying length. If this processor is acting properly, it processes the letters of the word and quickly checks with the phonological processor to see if the word sounds correct while also connecting to the meaning processor.
If the meaning processor recognizes the word and the contextual processor supports its meaning in a passage, the word is read correctly. This process becomes automatic at some point during first or second grade. At that point, the phonological processor is relied upon less and less, except when encountering a difficult or technical word. The processing of most words neurologically shifts from upper portions of the brain to an area right behind the ear.
Students who experience this shift flourish as readers, and, through the discipline of reading twenty minutes a day, they will see over a million words a year. Many of these words are stored for spelling as the orthographic processor quickly confirms spelling patterns with the phonological processor. Children with fully functioning processors are able to recognize patterns in words for reading and spelling and soon become independent language learners...
Ah, if only life were that simple! Unfortunately, less than a third of our students have these strong abilities. This percentage is even lower in the inner cities where students haven't been exposed to oral reading as frequently as have students from more affluent socioeconomic situations. Thus, the rest of the population needs stronger support from the phonological processor to make the gains needed for successful reading.
(Read Part III of this series to learn more about the final two processors and their role in preparing your child to read.)
In Part I of this article series, we discussed Marilyn Jager Adams' research on the four processors and highlighted the phonological processor. In Part II, we will address the orthographic processor.
Whereas speech stimulates the phonological processor, the orthographic processor is stimulated by print. It processes strings of letters and 'glues' these letters together into spelling patterns and syllables, allowing for swift recognition of words of varying length. If this processor is acting properly, it processes the letters of the word and quickly checks with the phonological processor to see if the word sounds correct while also connecting to the meaning processor.
If the meaning processor recognizes the word and the contextual processor supports its meaning in a passage, the word is read correctly. This process becomes automatic at some point during first or second grade. At that point, the phonological processor is relied upon less and less, except when encountering a difficult or technical word. The processing of most words neurologically shifts from upper portions of the brain to an area right behind the ear.
Students who experience this shift flourish as readers, and, through the discipline of reading twenty minutes a day, they will see over a million words a year. Many of these words are stored for spelling as the orthographic processor quickly confirms spelling patterns with the phonological processor. Children with fully functioning processors are able to recognize patterns in words for reading and spelling and soon become independent language learners...
Ah, if only life were that simple! Unfortunately, less than a third of our students have these strong abilities. This percentage is even lower in the inner cities where students haven't been exposed to oral reading as frequently as have students from more affluent socioeconomic situations. Thus, the rest of the population needs stronger support from the phonological processor to make the gains needed for successful reading.
(Read Part III of this series to learn more about the final two processors and their role in preparing your child to read.)
RSS Feed
