Overview

Reading is not natural. Speaking is natural (every human does it). Reading is a technology we invented 5,000 years ago. It rewires the brain. Literacy is the foundation of all other education. If you can’t read, you can’t learn history, science, or math.

Core Idea

The core idea is Decoding. Turning squiggles on a page into sounds and meaning in your head.

Formal Definition

The ability to read and write. Functional Literacy: Reading well enough to function in society (read a menu, fill out a job application).

Intuition

  • The Code: English is a code. “C-A-T” stands for the sound /kat/. You have to crack the code (Phonics) before you can understand the message (Comprehension).

Examples

  • The Reading Wars: The 100-year battle between “Phonics” (teaching letter sounds) and “Whole Language” (guessing words based on context).
  • Science of Reading: The verdict is in. Phonics wins. Brain scans show that good readers decode every letter, they just do it really fast.

Common Misconceptions

  • Reading comes naturally: No. It must be explicitly taught.
  • Dyslexia is seeing letters backwards: No. It’s a problem with processing sounds (Phonemic Awareness).
  • Digital Literacy: The ability to navigate the internet and tell fake news from real news.
  • Aliteracy: People who can read but choose not to.

Applications

  • Prison Pipeline: 70% of inmates cannot read above a 4th-grade level. Literacy is the best crime prevention.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Cultural Bias: Standardized reading tests often use passages about things poor kids haven’t experienced (like sailing or skiing), making them harder to understand.

Further Reading

  • Wolf, Maryanne. Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain.