The concept of the Literacy Big 6 emerged from extensive research on reading instruction and literacy development, particularly influenced by the findings of the National Reading Panel (NRP) in the United States.

National Reading Panel (NRP) Report

In 1997, the U.S. Congress convened the National Reading Panel to assess the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children to read. The panel reviewed over 100,000 studies on reading instruction conducted since 1966, focusing on evidence-based practices. The NRP published its report in 2000, identifying five critical components of effective reading instruction, which later became known as the Literacy Big 5. The inclusion of oral language as a sixth component was influenced by a growing body of research that highlighted its critical importance in early literacy development. While the original Literacy Big 5 (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) provided a robust framework for literacy instruction, educators and researchers noticed that oral language skills were foundational and interwoven with these components.

Research Foundations

The Literacy Big 6 framework is supported by a vast body of research from cognitive psychology, education, and linguistics. Key research findings include:

• Oral Language: Studies (e.g., Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998) highlight the link between early oral language skills and later reading success.

• Phonological Awareness: Research (e.g., National Reading Panel, 2000) demonstrates that phonological awareness is critical for early reading development.

• Phonics: Systematic phonics instruction is supported by numerous studies (e.g., Ehri et al., 2001) showing its effectiveness in improving reading skills.

• Vocabulary: The importance of vocabulary for reading comprehension is well-documented (e.g., Nagy & Scott, 2000).

• Fluency: Research (e.g., Kuhn & Stahl, 2003) shows that fluency instruction improves reading comprehension and overall reading proficiency.

• Comprehension: Instructional strategies for improving comprehension are supported by extensive research (e.g., Duke & Pearson, 2002).

National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy (NITL)

In 2005, Australia conducted its own review through the NITL, often referred to as the ‘Rowe Report.’ The inquiry examined literacy teaching practices and confirmed the importance of the Literacy Big 5 components

Rose Review

In 2006, the UK conducted the Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading, led by Jim Rose. The Rose Review echoed the findings of the NRP and emphasised the importance of systematic phonics instruction.

Scarborough’s Reading Rope is a metaphorical model developed by Hollis Scarborough in the late 1990s to illustrate the complexity of reading. It represents the various strands of skills and knowledge that are necessary for proficient reading. The strands include language comprehension (both listening and reading), decoding (phonological awareness and decoding skills), and fluency (automaticity and prosody). These strands intertwine to form a rope, representing the interconnected nature of reading. The Scarborough Reading Rope has stood the test of time because it provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the multifaceted nature of reading development, guiding educators in designing effective instruction and interventions tailored to individual students’ needs. 

Additionally, its flexibility allows for integration with emerging research and evolving educational practices, ensuring its continued relevance in literacy education.

TLC structured literacy program includes instruction in both sides of the Reading Rope, ensuring that children’s literacy learning incorporates the crucial skills of building background and vocabulary knowledge along with knowledge around language and text structures. When these areas of knowledge develop alongside ‘bottom of the rope’ foundational word recognition skills, the desired outcome of reading comprehension will be achieved.

 TLC utilises a systematic synthetic phonics approach to teach reading and spelling that focuses on the systematic and explicit instruction of letter-sound relationships. It involves breaking down words into their individual phonemes (sounds) and teaching students the corresponding graphemes (letters or letter combinations) that represent those sounds. TLC is a linguistic phonics programme, meaning it has a speech to print orientation.

 decoding a word, they ascribe meaning (with or without help) to that word and it is stored in the brain for automatic retrieval. This process, by which every word eventually becomes a ‘sight word’, is called orthographic mapping.

TLC Evidence-Based Word Recognition Program Inclusions

• Lippincott Program (Bond and Dykstra, 1967)
• Dockland’s Study (Stuart, 1999)

• Clackmannanshire Study (Watson and Johnson 2004)
• Queen’s University Belfast Study (Gray et. Al, 2007)

eCode

The International Phonetic Alphabet standardises the representation of speech sounds across all languages, eliminating ambiguity and variation in transcription. For linguists it serves as a critical tool n analysing, comparing and preserving phonetic aspects of languages worldwide. Yes we ask young children, budding linguists, to become proficient in identifying, manipulating and mapping sounds to letters without the benefit of a complete and transparent alphabetic code that represents all 44 speech sounds of the English language. 

Unique to TLC is an artificial, transparent, 'emoji code' (eCode), consisting of easily identifiable visual prompts for all 44 speech sounds. eCode provides a ‘stable sound hook’ to hang the various spelling patterns on. When children hear the sound, they start to use their developing spelling knowledge to choose the correct spelling for a word. Although a systematic, synthetic, scope and sequence is followed, eCode gives children access to the complete code and various spelling choices from the get-go, accelerating both decoding and encoding skills. eCode is used initially as a visual prompt to explicitly teach and cement the phoneme/grapheme correspondences. It is also highly effective for introducing children to above-level phoneme/grapheme correspondences or uncommon spelling patterns prior to explicit teaching, for example, in the teaching of irregular, high frequency words.

The Elements

TLC Structured Literacy infographic is a visual representation used to illustrate the elements

Teaching methods

TLC Structured Literacy infographic emphasizes research-backed teaching methods. These instructional approaches are particularly effective for students with reading difficulties, ensuring that all necessary skills are taught explicitly, reinforced cumulatively, organized sequentially, informed by data, delivered through multiple modalities, and supported through scaffolding.

1. Explicit instruction involves direct teaching of concepts, with clear and specific explanations, modelling, and guided practice.
2. Cumulative instruction builds upon previously learned skills, continuously reinforcing and integrating new knowledge with old.
3. Sequential instruction follows a logical order, progressing from simpler to more complex skills.
4. Data-Driveninstruction involves using progress monitoring assessment data to inform Tier 1 instructional
   tweaks and Tier 2 and 3 interventions.
5. Multi-Modal instruction uses various teaching methods and sensory modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to engage students.
6. Scaffolded instruction provides temporary support to students as they learn new skills, gradually removing the support as students become more proficient.