Bringing the Science of Reading into Library Storytimes and Play Spaces

The “Science of Reading” is a term gaining traction and informing legislation but it is not new. Gough & Tunmer brought us their model for reading comprehension in 1986, The Simple View of Reading, and described a simple formula:

RC = D x LC

Reading Comprehension (RC) is the product of Decoding (D) and Language Comprehension (LC) proficiencies.

The science of reading remains grounded in this same research and now encompasses thousands of studies. As librarians, we can employ specific strategies to incorporate this knowledge into our programming and play spaces. Let’s focus on concrete ways we can bring this research into our daily work to assist our youngest patrons on their lifelong reading journey through weekly reading assignments, discussions, and reflection on our current practices.

Learning Outcomes

1. Study intentional ways of incorporating phonemic awareness into programming
2. Be able to teach at least one decoding strategy during a storytime
3. Be able to embrace vocabulary and background knowledge within their children’s space
4. Investigate their own state (or local district) standards for Preschool-2nd grade
5. Evaluate recorded storytimes to see specific strategies in action
6. Create their own storytime plan that embeds at least two specific strategies learned during the course and receive instructor feedback

Course Audience: Youth Services Librarians, Coordinators, and Managers of public libraries

Required Materials: 

• 7 Mighty Moves by Lindsay Kemeny
  • $26.99 in print

• The Science of Reading: Defining Guide (Free ebook)

• • Available in English and Spanish