Science of Reading Resources for Teachers

What Is the Science of Reading?

The science of reading is a vast body of research — spanning decades of work in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and education — that tells us how the brain learns to read and which instructional approaches are most effective. It is not a single program or method, but rather the converging evidence from thousands of studies about what skilled reading involves and how to teach it.

In Australian classrooms, the science of reading has driven a significant shift toward systematic synthetic phonics, explicit vocabulary instruction, and structured literacy approaches. The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and state curriculum authorities increasingly reference this evidence base when guiding schools on effective reading instruction.

The science of reading identifies five essential components of effective reading instruction, often called the "Big Five." Each pillar is critical, and strong reading programs address all five explicitly and systematically.

1. Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Before students can connect letters to sounds, they need to be able to hear those sounds in speech. Activities include blending sounds into words, segmenting words into sounds, and manipulating sounds (e.g., "What word do you get if you change the /k/ in cat to /b/?").

Phonemic awareness is best taught in Foundation and Year 1, and it is one of the strongest predictors of early reading success. For practical classroom ideas, see our phonological awareness activities page.

2. Phonics

Phonics is the understanding of the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes). Systematic synthetic phonics — where letter-sound correspondences are taught in a planned sequence and students blend sounds to read words — is the approach most strongly supported by research.

The Australian Curriculum v9 emphasises systematic phonics instruction from Foundation through Year 2, and many schools now use structured phonics programs that align with the evidence.

3. Fluency

Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, at an appropriate speed, and with proper expression (prosody). Fluent readers can focus their attention on meaning rather than decoding. Fluency develops through repeated reading practice, modelled reading, and access to texts at an appropriate level.

4. Vocabulary

Vocabulary knowledge — understanding the meanings of words — is essential for comprehension. Students need both direct vocabulary instruction (explicitly teaching specific words and their meanings) and indirect exposure through wide reading and rich oral language experiences. The science of reading highlights the importance of building vocabulary across all year levels, not just in the early years.

5. Comprehension

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading: understanding and making meaning from text. Effective comprehension instruction teaches students specific strategies — making predictions, asking questions, summarising, making inferences, and monitoring understanding — and gives them opportunities to practise these strategies with a range of texts.

Start with Structured Literacy

Structured literacy is the practical classroom application of the science of reading. It means teaching reading through explicit, systematic instruction that follows a logical scope and sequence. Key elements include:

• Explicit instruction: Skills are directly taught, not left to chance or discovery
• Systematic sequence: Concepts are introduced in a planned order, building from simple to complex
• Cumulative practice: Each new concept builds on previously taught skills
• Diagnostic teaching: Instruction is responsive to student data and individual needs

For guidance on teaching high-frequency words alongside phonics, see our Sight Words List page.

Audit Your Current Practice

Moving toward the science of reading doesn't require throwing everything out overnight. Start by asking:

• Am I teaching phonics explicitly and systematically, or relying on incidental or embedded approaches?
• Do my students have access to decodable texts that match the phonics patterns I've taught?
• Am I explicitly teaching vocabulary, or assuming students will pick it up from context?
• Do I teach comprehension strategies explicitly, or just ask comprehension questions after reading?
• Am I using assessment data to identify students who need additional support?

Build Knowledge-Rich Content

The science of reading also emphasises the role of background knowledge in comprehension. Students who know more about a topic understand texts about that topic more easily. Building knowledge through science, history, geography, and the arts directly supports reading comprehension — it's not a distraction from literacy.

Use Assessment to Guide Instruction

Effective science of reading implementation relies on regular assessment:

• Phonics screening: Identify which letter-sound correspondences students have mastered and which need more teaching
• Fluency checks: Monitor reading accuracy and speed to track progress
• Vocabulary assessments: Check whether students understand the words being taught
• Comprehension monitoring: Use formative assessment to check understanding during and after reading

Foundation & Year 1

The early years focus heavily on phonemic awareness and systematic phonics. Students learn to hear and manipulate sounds in words, then connect those sounds to letters. Decodable readers are essential at this stage, giving students the opportunity to practise applying phonics knowledge in real reading. Vocabulary and comprehension are developed primarily through rich read-alouds and oral language activities.

Year 2 & Year 3

As students become more fluent decoders, the balance shifts. Phonics instruction continues with more complex patterns (vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, multisyllabic words), but fluency practice and vocabulary development take on greater importance. Students begin reading a wider range of texts and applying comprehension strategies more independently.

Year 4 to Year 6

By the upper primary years, most students have strong decoding skills and the focus shifts to vocabulary, comprehension, and reading across content areas. Students tackle more complex texts including informational texts in science, history, and geography. Explicit comprehension strategy instruction, vocabulary building, and critical literacy become the primary focus — but the foundation laid by phonics and fluency instruction in earlier years is what makes this possible.