Hello and welcome to the first edition of Enough Rope, the structured literacy newsletter for teachers, home school parents and fellow educators trying to keep our heads above water as we navigate this seismic shift towards a more evidence-based approach to literacy instruction.
Taking a deep dive into the research around the science of reading and structured literacy instruction has answered so many questions for me - questions that remained frustratingly unanswered during my time as a classroom teacher. In this edition we explore answers to questions around structured literacy, specifically what, how and for whom.
You may be surprised (and relieved) to learn that structured literacy encompasses more than just phonics instruction, and in fact will only achieve the desired outcomes when combined with knowledge building and vocabulary instruction.
Structured literacy provides a systematic and explicit framework that guides students from understanding individual sounds to mastering complex text. Think of it as a map, ensuring no one gets lost on their literacy adventure.
We hope you’ll find these fortnightly newsletters super helpful and we look forward to journeying with you.
Structured Literacy: What, How, and for Whom?
In this video, Dr Melinda Hirschmann from the Center for Dyslexia (MTSU), breaks down the instructional approach known as structured literacy.
She explains the instructional content included in a structured literacy approach, evidence-based instructional practices, and the type of students that benefit from structured literacy instruction.
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The teaching change this school made that supercharged its students' reading skills
A report by The Grattan Institute released in February 2024, found that one-third of Australian students are struggling to learn to read effectively due to ineffective teaching methods. The institute described this as a "preventable tragedy" that costs the Australian economy $40 billion, with poor reading skills linked to higher chances of students becoming disruptive in school and facing unemployment or imprisonment in the future. The think tank recommended that all school systems adopt structured literacy as a solution.
Read how one school in Victoria switched to structured literacy and ‘supercharged' its students reading skills.
Dr Nathaniel Swain - In My Classroom
Speech-Language Pathologist, Dr. Nathaniel Swain shares insights into how he teaches structured literacy in his classroom.
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Why I switched to Structured Literacy
Two classroom teachers share about their transition to structured literacy and explain what they and their students find so beneficial about this approach.
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