Module 4: Activity 2

I personally believe Allington does the better job of outlining key components of reading instruction. Allington does this by listening and explaining the five missing pillars of reading instruction that NRP left out. The five pillars he lists are all incredibly important to the reading success of a child or any beginning reader.

The first pillar is the "access to interesting texts and choice". I agree with this pillar that kids needs available texts that they are not only able to read but they are also interested in reading. The second pillar is "matching kids with appropriate texts". He makes a great point that students will not learn from reading texts that they are unable to read. As teachers, it is important to plan our instruction around finding texts that meet students' reading level and comprehension abilities. The third pillar focuses on "writing and reading having reciprocal positive effects". Decoding texts and spelling words should be incorporated together in lessons rather than separately. The fourth pillar discusses the need for balancing "whole class teaching with small group and side-by-side instruction". Whole class instruction is important for introducing the topic or skill for the day or week. Students need the small group instruction to deepen their understanding and to get clarification on skills they are struggling with. The last pillar is the "availability of expert tutoring". This pillar essentially hopes that each child has access to an expert to provide addition support. I would argue that this pillar is often the hardest to establish. Most schools have a reading coach, however, it is nearly impossible to ensure that the reading coach can spend ample time with each student.

Although I agree with each of Allington's five pillars, I believe the most vital is pillar two which emphasizes matching kids with the right text. The goal of reading is to gather meaning and understanding. If students are reading text way above their abilities, they will have little to no comprehension and entirely too many miscues. Children need to feel confident in their reading abilities, which begins by providing the correct text. So much learning is gained when children read well and comprehend a story. If students are receiving appropriate texts, they will be able to participate in fluent reading.