The Science of Reading in Grades K–2: Building Strong Readers From the Start

Early literacy instruction shapes everything that follows in a student’s academic journey. In grades K–2, students aren’t just learning to read. They’re learning how reading works.

That’s why the Science of Reading has become central to early literacy conversations. Grounded in decades of interdisciplinary research, it provides clear guidance on the skills students need and how those skills develop.

Building Strong Readers Starts With Sound

One of the strongest predictors of reading success is phonemic awareness: the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. Because this is an auditory skill, it must be taught before students interact with print.

Effective classrooms build phonemic awareness through:

• daily sound play (5–7 minutes)
• blending, segmenting, and phoneme isolation routines
• movement-based strategies like tapping or sound boxes
  
  

Connecting Sounds to Print With Systematic Phonics

Once students can work with sounds, phonics instruction connects those sounds to letters and spelling patterns. Research shows phonics is most effective when:

• instruction follows a clear, cumulative scope and sequence
• only a few patterns are introduced at a time
• teachers model decoding before expecting independence
  
  

Practice That Actually Builds Reading Ability

Instruction alone isn’t enough; students need aligned practice. Decodable texts give students opportunities to apply the phonics patterns they’ve been explicitly taught.

Strong decodable practice includes:

• texts aligned to the phonics sequence
• small-group or center use for targeted support
• repeated readings across the week to build automaticity
  
  

Beyond Decoding: Fluency, Vocabulary, and Knowledge

As decoding becomes more automatic, students develop fluency through repeated reading, echo reading, and teacher modeling. At the same time, knowledge-building read-alouds expose students to complex ideas, vocabulary, and content they aren’t yet ready to decode independently.

When these practices are embedded into HQIM like Kiddom’s EL Education curriculum, teachers can implement the Science of Reading consistently without piecing together materials.

Learn more about how Kiddom EL Education supports Science of Reading-aligned instruction in grades K–2.