What are the Five Components of Reading?

Reading isn't a single skill. It's a group of interconnected abilities that help us decode words and comprehend texts. When someone has difficulty with any of the five components of reading, it's harder to make sense of a book, homework, or test questions. We can measure students' abilities in each area and focus interventions to strengthen them.

Downloadable PDF

Share this Image On Your Site

<p><strong>Please include attribution to WPS Publish with this graphic.</strong><br /><br /><a href='https://www.wpspublish.com/content/infographic/what-are-the-five-components-of-reading'><img src='https://4813430.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4813430/Full%20Infographics%20(PDF)/Five_components_of_reading_062724.webp' width='900px' /></a></p>

Five Components of Reading: Definitions and Assessment Tips

1. PHONEMIC AWARENESS
   
   1. What Is It?
      1. It’s the ability to blend or separate the 44 sounds in the English language to make different words.
      2. This includes rhyme, syllables, alliteration, and more.
   2. Assessment Tip 
      1. Isolate Sounds
         1. What's the first sound in the word “cat”?
         2. What's the last sound in the word “car”?
2. PHONICS
   
   1. What Is It?
      1. It's the ability to pair sounds with letters in a written language.
      2. Remembering letter-sound associations helps decode words quickly. The process is known as orthographic mapping.
   2. Assessment Tip 
      1. Research shows that reading nonsense or pseudo-words may be a better way to assess decoding abilities.
      2. Children with deficits in phonological awareness may still be able to identi˙ sight words. 
3. FLUENCY
   
   1. What Is It?
      1. It incorporates speed, accuracy, automaticity, and prosody in reading.
      2. Fluency also includes fluidity, pauses, and inflection. 
   2. Assessment Tip 
      1. Use rapid automatic naming tasks to measure speed and recognition.
      2. Ask students to read sentences and passages aloud to assess comprehension and tone.
4. VOCABULARY  
   1. What Is It?
      1. It's the list of words a student recognizes and understands.
      2. Vocabulary helps students build knowledge across subject areas.
   2. Assessment Tip 
      1. Use curriculum-based measures and validated assessments to measure sight vocabulary, background knowledge, and understanding of word structures. 
5. COMPREHENSION
   1. What Is It?
      1. Word recognition x language comprehension = reading comprehension
      2. It includes a student's understanding of what is explicitly stated, what can be inferred, and what conclusions are logical. 
   2. Assessment Tip 
      1. Ask students to read, then retell a story aloud, in order to assess their understanding of key ideas, details, and text structures.