LET Elementary Principles and Strategies of Teaching — Developmental Reading and Literacy InstructionRevision Notes

Exam Tips

• LET items often give a scenario (e.g., 'A Grade 4 pupil reads a science textbook to discover facts about ecosystems') and ask which Chall stage is demonstrated — answer: Stage 3.
• When a question describes a child who 'pretend-reads' or recognizes logos but cannot decode — this is Stage 0 (Emergent).
• If asked about the MAIN goal of reading instruction in Grades 1–2, answer: decoding (learning to read). In Grades 4–6: comprehension and content learning (reading to learn).
• Emergent literacy supports the DepEd practice of daily read-alouds and classroom libraries even in Kinder and Grade 1 — link this to K-12 BEC policy.

Key Points

• Reading development is sequential and hierarchical — each stage builds on the previous one.
• Jeanne Chall identified six stages (0–5) spanning pre-reading through adult/expert reading.
• Stage 0 (Emergent/Pre-reading): Before formal schooling — child builds oral language, print awareness, and letter knowledge; pretend-reads books.
• Stage 1 (Initial Reading/Decoding): Early primary grades (Grades 1–2) — child learns letter-sound correspondences and sounds out words.
• Stage 2 (Confirmation/Fluency): Later primary (Grades 2–3) — reads familiar text accurately and smoothly, consolidating decoding.
• Stage 3 (Reading to Learn): Intermediate grades (Grades 4–8) — uses reading to acquire new knowledge across subjects.
• Stage 4 (Multiple Viewpoints): High school — handles varied and conflicting texts and perspectives.
• Stage 5 (Construction/Reconstruction): College and beyond — reads critically and selectively for personal purposes.
• The most tested LET pivot: the shift from 'learning to read' (Stages 0–2) to 'reading to learn' (Stage 3 onward) happens around Grade 4.
• Emergent literacy: literacy development begins at birth through exposure to print, read-alouds, oral language, and early writing — NOT only at school entry.
• Reading readiness (older view) has been replaced by emergent literacy (current view): literacy grows continuously from birth, not from a fixed maturity point.
• A print-rich classroom environment and daily read-alouds support emergent literacy in Grades 1–3.
• Reading and writing develop together (not sequentially) — a key principle of emergent literacy.

Definitions

Section Title

Stages of Reading Development (Chall's Model)

Common Mistakes

• Numbering Chall's stages starting from 1 instead of 0 — Stage 0 is Emergent/Pre-reading.
• Placing 'reading to learn' at Grade 1 — it begins at Stage 3, around Grade 4.
• Confusing emergent literacy (a continuous process from birth) with reading readiness (a fixed maturity point) — they are opposite views.
• Thinking Stage 2 (Fluency) is where new knowledge is gained — fluency consolidates decoding; new knowledge comes at Stage 3.
• Assuming that because a child cannot decode, they have no literacy knowledge — emergent literacy includes oral language and print awareness even before decoding.

Exam Tips

• If an LET item describes a teacher asking pupils 'How many sounds are in the word SHIP?' with no letters shown — this is PHONEMIC AWARENESS (oral task).
• If a teacher shows a card with the letter 'b' and says 'This letter makes the /b/ sound' — this is PHONICS (print + sound).
• Vocabulary is the strongest predictor of comprehension — this fact appears in both LET and professional development exams.
• When asked about the ORDER of the big five in instruction: phonemic awareness → phonics → fluency → vocabulary → comprehension (though all develop somewhat simultaneously).
• The LET may describe a reader who reads accurately but very slowly — this is a FLUENCY problem, not a decoding problem.

Key Points

• Research (National Reading Panel, USA; confirmed globally) identifies FIVE essential reading skills every teacher must develop in learners.
• Skill 1 — Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. PURELY ORAL — no letters involved.
• Skill 2 — Phonics: Understanding the systematic relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) to decode written words. Connects PRINT to SOUND.
• Critical LET distinction: Phonemic Awareness = oral/sound only (no print). Phonics = sound + letter/print.
• Phonemic awareness is a subset of the broader Phonological Awareness, which includes syllable awareness and rhyme awareness as well.
• Skill 3 — Fluency: Reading with appropriate SPEED, ACCURACY, and EXPRESSION (prosody). Fluency is the BRIDGE between decoding (phonics) and comprehension.
• A reader who labors over every word cannot focus on meaning — fluency frees cognitive resources for comprehension.
• Skill 4 — Vocabulary: Knowing the meanings of words, both in isolation and in context. Vocabulary is the STRONGEST single predictor of reading comprehension.
• Vocabulary is built DIRECTLY (pre-teaching key terms, teaching roots/affixes, graphic organizers) and INDIRECTLY (wide reading, rich classroom talk).
• Sight words = high-frequency words recognized instantly as wholes (e.g., 'the,' 'and,' 'is'). Distinct from decoding (sounding out unfamiliar words).
• Skill 5 — Comprehension: Constructing meaning from text. THE ULTIMATE GOAL of reading instruction.
• Fluent readers use both sight word recognition AND decoding to read efficiently.
• Meeting a new word REPEATEDLY in context (not a one-time definition) leads to true word learning.

Definitions

Section Title

The Big Five Reading Skills

Common Mistakes

• Saying phonemic awareness involves letters — it does NOT. It is purely about sounds heard in speech.
• Treating fluency as the GOAL of reading — comprehension is the goal; fluency is the MEANS/BRIDGE.
• Confusing phonological awareness (broad) with phonemic awareness (narrow) — phonemic awareness is one subset of phonological awareness.
• Thinking vocabulary is only taught directly through definitions — indirect vocabulary learning through wide reading is equally important.
• Forgetting that sight words and decoding are BOTH used by fluent readers, not one or the other.

Exam Tips

• LET scenario: 'Teacher uses letter sounds (not names) and a non-ABC sequence to teach beginning reading' — answer: MARUNGKO APPROACH.
• LET scenario: 'Teacher immerses Grade 1 pupils in big books and uses story context to guess unknown words' — answer: WHOLE LANGUAGE (top-down).
• LET scenario: 'Teacher combines daily phonics drills with reading of real stories and writing activities' — answer: BALANCED LITERACY.
• Both Marungko and Fuller = Filipino + sound-first + decoding. If an item gives only one of them as a choice, choose based on which specific feature is described.
• MTB-MLE (DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2012) requires beginning reading in the mother tongue in Grades 1–3 — Marungko is used for Filipino, and similar sound-based methods exist for regional languages.

Key Points

• Three major camps: Phonics (bottom-up), Whole Language (top-down), and Balanced Literacy (combination).
• PHONICS approach: explicitly teaches letter-sound relationships; learners decode words from parts to whole (letters → words → meaning). Bottom-up model.
• WHOLE LANGUAGE approach: immerses learners in meaningful, authentic whole texts; meaning and context drive word recognition. Top-down model.
• BALANCED LITERACY: combines systematic, explicit phonics instruction with rich, meaningful reading and writing experiences. This is the mainstream approach today.
• Bottom-up model builds from smallest unit (letters/sounds) UP to meaning.
• Top-down model starts from meaning and the reader's prior knowledge and works DOWN to individual words.
• MARUNGKO APPROACH: Philippine beginning-reading method that teaches LETTER SOUNDS (not letter names) and re-sequences the alphabet so learners can blend sounds into real words very early. Phonics-type, decoding-oriented. Well-suited to Filipino (a language with shallow/regular orthography).
• FULLER METHOD (Fuller Technique): another Philippine beginning-reading approach emphasizing LETTER SOUNDS and BLENDING so learners read words early. Shares the sound-first, decoding-based character of Marungko.
• KEY EXAM POINT: Both Marungko and Fuller are SOUND-FIRST (letter sounds, not names) and DECODING-BASED (phonics-type) Filipino approaches.
• Marungko's distinguishing feature: RE-SEQUENCED alphabet order (not A-B-C) chosen so early letters can be blended into real words immediately.
• Filipino language has a SHALLOW orthography (spelling is very regular, nearly phonetic), making phonics-type approaches especially effective.
• DepEd's Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in Grades 1–3 uses beginning-reading approaches (including Marungko) in the child's first language.
• The debate between phonics and whole language is resolved in practice by BALANCED LITERACY, which is the recommended stance in Philippine teacher education.

Definitions

Section Title

Approaches to Teaching Reading

Common Mistakes

• Saying Marungko teaches letter NAMES — it teaches letter SOUNDS. This is its defining feature.
• Confusing Marungko's re-sequenced alphabet with random order — the sequence is DELIBERATE to enable early blending into real words.
• Thinking whole language means NO phonics — it means phonics is NOT explicitly taught in isolation; meaning and context are primary.
• Classifying balanced literacy as top-down — it is NEITHER purely top-down nor bottom-up; it combines both.
• Forgetting that Filipino's regular orthography is WHY phonics-type methods like Marungko are especially effective for the language.

Exam Tips

• LET scenario: 'Before reading, Teacher C asks pupils what they know about volcanoes and what they want to find out; after reading, pupils record what they learned' — answer: KWL.
• LET scenario: 'Pupils preview chapter headings, turn each into a question, read the chapter, answer questions in their own words, and review' — answer: SQ3R.
• LET scenario: 'Teacher asks a question whose answer is not stated in the text but can be inferred from clues' — answer: INFERENTIAL comprehension.
• Remember the order of comprehension levels: Literal (lowest) → Inferential → Critical/Evaluative → Applied/Creative (highest).
• The gradual release model ('I do, We do, You do') applies to ALL strategy instruction — link it to Vygotsky's ZPD and scaffolding.

Key Points

• Comprehension strategies are explicit, teachable techniques that help readers actively construct meaning from text.
• KWL CHART (Donna Ogle, 1986): Three-column chart — K (What I Know), W (What I Want to Know), L (What I Learned). Completed BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER reading.
• KWL activates prior knowledge (K), sets a reading purpose (W), and consolidates new learning (L).
• SQ3R (Francis Robinson): A study-reading method with FIVE steps: Survey → Question → Read → Recite → Review.
• SQ3R is designed specifically for reading to learn from TEXTBOOKS (informational/expository text).
• STORY GRAMMAR / STORY MAP: Identifying narrative elements — Setting, Characters, Problem/Conflict, Events, Resolution.
• DRTA (Directed Reading-Thinking Activity): Learners PREDICT before reading, read to CONFIRM or REVISE predictions, then predict again — across segments of a text.
• Other key strategies: predicting, visualizing, questioning, summarizing, and MONITORING comprehension (metacognition).
• Gradual Release of Responsibility: 'I do, We do, You do' — teacher models the strategy, guides group practice, then learners practice independently.
• LEVELS of comprehension (tested on LET): Literal → Inferential → Critical/Evaluative → Applied/Creative.
• LITERAL: Facts stated directly in the text. INFERENTIAL: Reading between the lines — implied meaning. CRITICAL: Judging the text against criteria. APPLIED: Using text ideas in new situations.
• Good questioning MOVES learners up from literal (recall) to inferential and critical comprehension.
• Metacognition in reading = monitoring one's own understanding while reading and using fix-up strategies when meaning breaks down.

Definitions

Section Title

Comprehension Strategies

Common Mistakes

• Attributing KWL to Robinson — KWL is Donna OGLE. SQ3R is Francis ROBINSON.
• Saying SQ3R has three steps because of '3R' — it has FIVE steps (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review). The '3R' refers to the three R-steps only.
• Confusing literal and inferential comprehension — literal = stated in text; inferential = implied, must be inferred.
• Thinking story grammar is only useful for Filipino/English class — it is a reading strategy applicable to any narrative text across subjects.
• Applying SQ3R to story/narrative texts — SQ3R is designed for INFORMATIONAL/EXPOSITORY/TEXTBOOK texts, not fiction.

Exam Tips

• LET items often ask: 'Which practice best demonstrates that every teacher is a teacher of reading?' — answer: a Science teacher pre-teaching vocabulary before a reading activity.
• Linking content-area literacy to Chall Stage 3 (reading to learn) earns full marks in constructed-response or scenario items.
• If asked about the BEST strategy for a Grade 5 Science lesson on photosynthesis — pre-teaching vocabulary and KWL before reading the textbook passage are excellent answers.

Key Points

• Core principle: EVERY TEACHER IS A TEACHER OF READING — not only the Language/Filipino teacher.
• Content-area literacy: the ability to use reading and writing to learn in a specific subject area (Science, Math, Social Studies, etc.).
• Each subject has its OWN specialized vocabulary, text structures, and reading purposes.
• Text structures in informational/content texts: cause-effect, problem-solution, sequence, compare-contrast, description.
• Science texts: dense with technical vocabulary, diagrams, and data tables; require readers to read non-linearly.
• Mathematics texts: require reading word problems, interpreting symbols, and understanding precise mathematical language.
• Social Studies texts: feature chronological, compare-contrast, and cause-effect structures; require critical evaluation of sources.
• Content teachers support reading by: (1) pre-teaching key vocabulary, (2) using graphic organizers, (3) activating prior knowledge, (4) teaching text structures.
• The importance of content-area literacy GROWS as learners enter Stage 3 (reading to learn) — especially from Grade 4 onward in Philippine schools.
• Under DepEd K-12 BEC, all subject teachers are accountable for developing literacy in their disciplines — this is embedded in learning standards.
• Reading across the curriculum is most critical at the intermediate level (Grades 4–6) when textbooks and subject-specific reading demands intensify.
• KWL and SQ3R are equally applicable in Science and Social Studies classrooms, not only in reading/language classes.

Definitions

Section Title

Reading in the Content Areas

Common Mistakes

• Thinking only the Filipino or English teacher is responsible for reading instruction — ALL teachers in ALL subjects are responsible.
• Forgetting that content-area literacy becomes critical at Grade 4 (reading-to-learn stage) — it is not primarily a Grades 1–3 concern.
• Assuming graphic organizers are only for language class — they are powerful tools in Science, Math, and Social Studies.

Exam Tips

• LET scenario: 'A pupil reads with 80% accuracy and poor comprehension even with help' — this is the FRUSTRATION level; teacher should provide easier text.
• LET scenario: 'Teacher uses Phil-IRI results to group pupils and assign differentiated reading tasks' — this demonstrates diagnosis-based, differentiated reading instruction.
• LET scenario: 'The text is assigned for silent sustained reading at home' — this text should be at the INDEPENDENT level.
• Linking the instructional level to Vygotsky's ZPD is a strong conceptual connection the LET rewards.
• Under RA 7836 (Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act), teachers are professionally obligated to use assessment data ethically to serve each learner — Phil-IRI data is confidential and must be used to plan instruction, not to label children.

Key Points

• Before remediating, ALWAYS DIAGNOSE — identify the specific skill gap and the reader's instructional level.
• Three reading levels (Betts): INDEPENDENT, INSTRUCTIONAL, and FRUSTRATION.
• INDEPENDENT LEVEL: Reader reads with high accuracy (95%+) and good comprehension WITHOUT teacher help. Use for pleasure reading and homework.
• INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL: Reader reads successfully WITH teacher support (accuracy ~90–94%). This is the OPTIMAL LEVEL FOR TEACHING.
• FRUSTRATION LEVEL: Text is TOO HARD — accuracy and comprehension both break down. Do NOT force learners to read at this level.
• PHIL-IRI (Philippine Informal Reading Inventory): The official DepEd tool for assessing learners' oral reading, silent reading, and comprehension and placing them at the three Betts levels.
• Phil-IRI identifies learners who need intervention (remediation) and those who are independent readers.
• Effective remediation principles: (1) Diagnose before remediating, (2) Teach at the instructional level, (3) Provide explicit and systematic instruction in the missing skill, (4) Give abundant successful practice, (5) Monitor progress regularly, (6) Build confidence and motivation.
• Early intervention is CRITICAL — reading gaps widen quickly as content demands rise from Grade 3 to Grade 4.
• Common skill gaps in struggling elementary readers: decoding (phonics), fluency, or both.
• Struggling readers who cannot decode need explicit PHONICS instruction (bottom-up), not just more text exposure.
• The instructional level (not the independent or frustration level) is where LEARNING happens most efficiently — this is a key LET fact.
• Under DepEd policy, ALL Grade 1–3 learners are assessed with the Phil-IRI at the beginning of the school year for reading placement.
• Every teacher has the professional and ethical obligation under RA 7836 (Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act) to use assessment data to guide instruction and serve learners' best interests.

Definitions

Section Title

Reading Levels and Remediation

Common Mistakes

• Saying the FRUSTRATION level is where teaching should occur — NEVER. Teaching should occur at the INSTRUCTIONAL level.
• Saying the INDEPENDENT level is where teaching occurs — independent level is for practice without teacher support, not new learning.
• Thinking Phil-IRI is only administered once a year — it is used at the beginning of the year for placement and can be re-administered to monitor progress.
• Skipping diagnosis and going straight to remediation — ALWAYS diagnose first to identify the specific skill gap.
• Providing more of the same kind of instruction that already failed — true remediation means CHANGING the approach to address the root cause.