1. Learning Goals
By the end of this module, tutors, teachers, and lecturers will understand:
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What decoding means
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What encoding means
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Why phonological awareness matters
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How print skills support reading
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How words become automatic (sight words)
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Why early support is important
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How structured teaching helps dyslexic learners
PART 1 — IMPORTANT TERMS
Decoding (Reading)
Decoding means reading words.
It is when a learner:
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Looks at letters
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Matches letters to sounds
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Blends sounds together
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Says the word aloud
👉 Example:
c – a – t → “cat”
Dyslexia Impact
Dyslexic learners may:
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Read slowly
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Struggle with new words
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Guess words
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Get tired when reading
They need structured phonics teaching.
Encoding (Spelling)
Encoding means spelling or writing words.
It is when a learner:
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Hears a word
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Breaks it into sounds
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Chooses letters
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Writes the word
👉 Example:
“ship” → sh – i – p
Dyslexia Impact
Learners may:
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Miss sounds
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Spell phonetically
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Reverse letters
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Forget spelling rules
Spelling is often harder than reading.
PART 2 — PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
Phonological awareness = sound awareness.
It is the ability to hear and play with sounds in language.
This includes:
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Rhyming
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Clapping syllables
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Hearing first sounds
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Blending sounds
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Breaking words apart
👉 Example:
Dog → /d/ /o/ /g/
Why It Matters
Without sound awareness:
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Decoding is difficult
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Encoding is difficult
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Phonics teaching is harder
This skill must be taught directly.
PART 3 — PRINT CONCEPTS
Print concepts = understanding how print works.
Learners must know:
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Books go left → right
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Top → bottom reading
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Letters form words
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Words form sentences
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Spaces separate words
If these are weak, reading progress slows.
PART 4 — AUTOMATIC WORD RECOGNITION
This means recognizing words instantly without sounding out.
These are called sight words.
Examples:
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the
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said
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was
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you
Repetition Matters
Different learners need different practice levels:
| Learner Type | Repetitions Needed |
|---|---|
| Highly able | 1–2 times |
| Average | 4–14 times |
| Struggling / Dyslexic | 20+ times |
Dyslexic learners need much more repetition.
PART 5 — READING DEVELOPMENT
Reading is not natural like speaking.
Key Facts
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Speech developed over 100,000 years
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Writing is only about 5,000 years old
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Print for the public is even newer
This means the brain must learn reading — it is not automatic.
PART 6 — EARLY INTERVENTION
Important research shows:
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Struggling readers do not catch up alone
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Support works best when early
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Children can be identified in Kindergarten
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Waiting makes intervention harder
If support is delayed until Grade 4:
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It can take 4× longer to help
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Learning gaps widen
PART 7 — READING IS A 3-PART PROCESS
Reading relies on three skill areas:
1. Word Recognition
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Sounding out words
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Phonics knowledge
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Sight word memory
2. Language Comprehension
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Understanding vocabulary
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Knowing sentence meaning
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Making sense of text
Built through:
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Conversations
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Being read to
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Life experiences
3. Strategic Knowledge
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Reading skills
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Finding main ideas
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Making predictions
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Making connections
PART 8 — HOW WORD RECOGNITION DEVELOPS
Before decoding begins, learners need:
1. Phonological Awareness
Hearing sounds
2. Phonemic Awareness
Manipulating individual sounds
3. Print Knowledge
Tracking text and letters
Once these develop → phonics can begin.
PART 9 — FLUENCY DEVELOPMENT
Fluency = smooth, accurate reading.
It develops through:
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Repetition
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Practice
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Exposure to print
Struggling readers may need 20+ exposures to master one word.
PART 10 — LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Language develops from birth.
Receptive Language
Language we understand:
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Listening
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Reading
Expressive Language
Language we produce:
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Speaking
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Writing (encoding)
Dyslexic learners may have gaps between receptive and expressive skills.
PART 11 — PHONOLOGY vs ORTHOGRAPHY
Phonology
Study of sounds in speech.
Orthography
Study of spelling patterns and written forms.
English uses both sound and meaning patterns.
PART 12 — THE ORTON-GILLINGHAM APPROACH
A structured teaching approach for dyslexia.
Developed by:
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Samuel Torrey Orton
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Anna Gillingham
Key Features
1. Structured & Sequential
Skills taught step-by-step.
2. Cumulative
New learning builds on old learning.
3. Multisensory
Uses:
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Seeing
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Hearing
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Touch
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Movement
4. Diagnostic
Teaching is personalized.
5. Explicit
Nothing is assumed — everything is taught directly.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK — QUESTIONS
Section A — Multiple Choice
1. What is decoding?
a) Spelling words
b) Reading words
c) Drawing words
2. Encoding means:
a) Writing / spelling
b) Listening
c) Guessing words
3. Phonological awareness is about:
a) Handwriting
b) Sound awareness
c) Eye tracking
4. Sight words are recognized:
a) Slowly
b) By guessing
c) Automatically
5. Dyslexic learners often need:
a) Less repetition
b) More repetition
c) No phonics teaching
Section B — True or False
6. Reading is a natural skill like speaking.
True / False
7. Early intervention improves outcomes.
True / False
8. Encoding is harder than decoding for many dyslexic learners.
True / False
Section C — Short Answer
9. Name one print concept skill.
10. Name one feature of structured dyslexia teaching.
ANSWER GUIDE (Tutor Copy)
1 — b
2 — a
3 — b
4 — c
5 — b
6 — False
7 — True
8 — True
Examples:
9 — Left-to-right tracking / letters vs words
10 — Multisensory / sequential / explicit
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