“Reading is demanding. It is at once dizzyingly complex, requiring us to coordinate several different cognitive processes at once, and an everyday act that feels almost effortless for skilled readers.”
Supporting Reading Comprehension in Key Stage 2, EEF

Breaking down the complexity

There is a huge amount of research about the teaching of reading, and how the different aspects of reading relate to one another.

The ​‘House of Reading’, adapted from Hogan, Bridges, Justice and Cain, is an illustration that helpfully breaks down some of this complexity.

Today, the EEF is publishing our newly developed ​‘House of Reading’ tool: an interactive library of blogs, resources, and key definitions for teachers and leaders.

Use this tool to learn more about the components of successful reading comprehension for your own classroom practice, or for planning professional development in your teams.

The West Wing: Word Reading

On the left-hand side, or the ​‘west wing’, of the house, we have the vital elements that make up Word Reading.

For successful reading comprehension, children must learn the ​‘mechanics’ of reading written language. They build phonological awareness (an awareness of the sound structures of language) and print knowledge (knowing how language is represented in writing.)

These building blocks support children as they learn how to decode (translate written words into the sounds of spoken language).

Over time, pupils can develop automatic full word recognition and learn to read with increasing fluency.

The East Wing: Language Comprehension

The right-hand ​‘east wing’ of the house presents the aspects of Language Comprehension that support effective reading comprehension.

Pupils need to develop a rich, broad vocabulary, and an understanding of grammar and syntax, to interpret meanings whilst they read.

They build on this foundation as they learn about text structures across a range of contexts and genres. They learn how to make inferences (using textual information and background knowledge to understand things implied). These aspects come together in comprehension monitoring, where pupils monitor their own understanding of the text as it develops.

Furnishing the ​‘House of Reading

Understanding each of these components, as well as how they build upon each other and come together, is a crucial first step in developing effective literacy provision in our schools.

The EEF’s new interactive tool is designed to break down the evidence that supports effective literacy teaching. Click on each of the rooms to step inside the house, where you will find concise definitions, blogs, resources and shorter snapshots from our suite of Literacy Guidance Reports.

Keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks as we continue to develop the house…