Developed by Dr. Hollis Scarborough in the early 1990s, the reading rope is a reading model developed to help parents gain a deeper understanding of the skills needed to become proficient readers. Scarborough’s original text can be found in the Handbook of Early Literacy Research by Susan Neuman and David Dickinson in the chapter “Connecting early language and literacy to later reading disabilities: Evidence, theory, and practice.”
The rope is used as a visual example to show just how the different strands of material are all woven together, but also independent of each other. These strands work together towards reading proficiency.
When we look at a piece of rope, or string for that matter, we see that multiple strands are holding it all together. Scarborough divided them into upper strands and lower strands. When all the strands get wrapped together to form the “rope”, we see a student who demonstrates reading fluency and comprehension. The goal is to have a “tight rope”.
The Science of the Reading Rope: A Look at the Upper and Lower Strands
According to Scarborough’s model, there are two sections to the literacy rope: language comprehension (Upper Strands) and word recognition (Lower Strands). Each section contains these sub-strands that intertwine to support fluent and meaningful reading.
The upper strands that represent language comprehension are built by sub-strands that consist of background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge. The lower strands of the rope are titled word recognition and are home to important pre-reading skills that include knowing how to blend sounds together to make words (also known as Phonological Awareness), decoding, and sight recognition. The strands are woven together to create a strong bond. If any of the strands are weak, we see that the rope is not strong enough to support reading comprehension.
Background Knowledge
So, let’s break down the strings of the rope further. Returning to the upper strands, we see background knowledge. Having background knowledge helps us make sense of any new ideas presented to us. When we read, we rely on background knowledge to gain an understanding of what it is that we are reading. It’s important for readers because it helps us read for knowledge instead of just reading to get the task done.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary helps our readers further make sense of what they are reading, past background knowledge. For example, if a student can use their decoding skills and match with a word that their mind has already orthographically mapped, this will build their confidence, thus making them more likely to move forward with less stress.
Language Structure
Language Structure is the third string-set of the upper strands of Scarborough’s model and includes both syntax and semantics. In English, syntax relates to the arrangement of the words in a sentence while semantics is the study of the meanings of the words and sentences.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning is the fourth string of the rope in the upper strands and includes two parts: inference and metaphor. Inference is the understanding that the reader can draw from known facts or evidence (like background knowledge). Metaphor is a word or phrase used to describe a likeness and in words you use “is” instead of “like” (If you were to say “like” then that would make it a simile). For example: Sally is pure sunshine. (To say that Sally’s personality is fun and bright).
Literacy Knowledge
Finally, literacy knowledge finishes off the upper strands. Literacy knowledge involves taking a look at what is on the page and categorizing it. For example, knowing the difference between a letter and a word. It also involves rules of reading such as reading left to right and top to bottom. Also, within Literary Knowledge lies genres of literature, different themes and motifs to expect within a certain subject.
The Lower Strands: Word Recognition
The lower strands of the rope represent all word recognition. Again, if any of the strands present themselves as weak, we will not have a strong enough foundation to reach the goal of reading comprehension. The lower strands are key components to reading because they allow us to understand and make connections of what it is that we read.
Phonological Awareness
Phonological Awareness is the cornerstone of early reading. Here’s what it includes: sounding words out, segmenting sounds, blending sounds, and even manipulating these sounds to make new words. It’s a crucial awareness to have when reading and helps build our word banks. If we don’t have a strong sense of this awareness, as readers, we won’t be able to build our sight word vocabulary which would make reading increasingly difficult.
Decoding
This strand includes the ability to break down the relationships of sounds and letters. For our readers at home, this is the understanding that letters represent different sounds. (The Alphabetic Principle) A great activity to practice this is a game called “Build it”. In this game, the student will build words from flashcards that have individual letters written on them. This allows the young reader to segment the sounds, blend them together, and create a new word to recognition in the form of the game. Oftentimes, gamifying the activity allows information to stick.
Sight Recognition
The final strand in this lower section involves sight recognition. This is our sight word memory or words that we have already orthographically mapped. When we have strong sight recognition, we are better able to move forward to the next word or sentence without hesitation when reading.
A Visual Reference
Image Credit: Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy (pp. 97–110). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
In the Classroom: How Teachers Use Scarborough’s Reading Rope
The reading rope greatly informs instructional decisions in the classroom, thus becoming familiar with it makes us better informed parents and caregivers. For example, if a student is struggling with decoding, the teacher might want to focus on phonics that targets the letter-sound relationships while also at the same time strengthening phonemic awareness through oral blending games like “snail talk”.
Teachers also use the reading rope to come up with reading interventions for the student and to help guide them to the next steps to take in their reading journey. For example, when completing an assessment, a teacher might ask “Is the student struggling with comprehension?” or “On a scale of 1-10, how strong is the student’s verbal reasoning skills?” Teachers examine the strands of the reading rope to properly assess the student so they can meet them where they are and work from there to meet the goal of reading proficiently.
Teachers also use the Reading Rope to better communicate with parents about what is really involved when learning to read. There’s so much more to it than just “sounding it out”. As we’ve learned, there are many cogs in the machine, working together in order to get to the result of reading comprehension.
How Can You Support Your Readers at Home?
- Supporting our readers at home through the lens of the reading rope means that we must nurture both word recognition and language comprehension. Here are some fun and engaging activities to try at home that directly support your child’s development in terms of Scarborough’s Reading Rope.
- Play Sound Games! You can rhyme words, clap out the syllables, and segment sounds in words on a flashcard.
- Practice Phonics! Use magnetic letters on your refrigerator to build new words and break them down.
- Sight Word Fun! Make flashcards together, play “Word Bingo” with common sight words, or play Scrabble!
- Read Aloud Together! This is a perfect bedtime activity (or anytime activity for that matter!) When you read, point to the words. This will reinforce word recognition.
