What is Structured Literacy? A Parent's Guide

If you are on a mission to find the right reading help for your child with dyslexia, the term Structured Literacy is the most important one to have in your vocabulary. It is not a brand name or a specific curriculum, but rather a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction that is based on decades of research on how the brain learns to read.

Endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association, Structured Literacy is an umbrella term for a variety of evidence-based teaching methods that have been proven to be effective for all students, but are essential for students with dyslexia.

So, what does it actually look like in practice? All Structured Literacy approaches share five core principles.

1. Explicit

In a Structured Literacy classroom, there is no guesswork. The teacher provides direct, explicit instruction for every concept. They don’t assume that students will just “pick up” skills on their own. Every rule of language—from letter sounds to spelling rules to sentence structure—is taught clearly and directly.

2. Systematic and Cumulative

Structured Literacy is like building a house. You have to build a strong foundation before you can put up the walls and the roof. Instruction follows a logical, sequential order, starting with the simplest concepts and gradually building to more complex ones. Each lesson builds upon the skills taught in the previous lesson. This systematic approach ensures that there are no gaps in a child’s learning.

3. Hands-On and Multisensory

One of the hallmarks of this approach is that it engages multiple senses at once. This helps to forge stronger neural pathways in the brain. A child might:

• See the letter ‘p’.
• Say its sound, /p/.
• Trace the shape of the letter in the air or in a sand tray (kinesthetic-tactile).

This multisensory engagement helps to lock the concept into the child’s memory in a way that simply looking at it on a page cannot.

4. Diagnostic and Responsive

A Structured Literacy teacher is also a detective. They are constantly assessing a student’s understanding and looking for areas of weakness. Instruction is tailored to the individual student’s needs. If a student is struggling with a particular concept, the teacher will re-teach it using a different method until it is mastered.

5. Focus on the Structure of Language

Structured Literacy teaches the architecture of our language. This includes:

• Phonology: The study of the sound system of a language. Students are taught to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds in words.
• Orthography: The writing system. Students are taught the connection between letters and sounds.
• Morphology: The study of how words are formed. Students learn about root words, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Syntax: The rules of grammar and sentence structure.
• Semantics: The study of meaning.

Why is This So Important for Dyslexia?

Children with dyslexia do not learn to read naturally or intuitively. Their brains are not wired to easily make the connections between sounds and letters. They need to be taught these connections in a way that is explicit, systematic, and multisensory. A Structured Literacy approach provides exactly that.

When you are advocating for your child, “Structured Literacy” is your north star. Ask your school if their reading interventions are based on Structured Literacy principles. Ask if the teachers have been trained in this approach. It is the most effective, research-backed path to turning your struggling reader into a skilled and confident one.

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Related reading:

• Orton-Gillingham Explained: The Gold Standard for Dyslexia
• Red Flag: Why the Three-Cueing System Doesn't Work
• How to Know If Your School’s Reading Program is Evidence-Based