What Is Scarborough’s Rope and How Does It Explain Teaching Reading?

Experienced teachers know that true literacy is much more than just ringing the letters on the page. Experienced readers must be able to master what the words are and what they mean. To do this successfully, they bring together different skills such as vocabulary, language structure and verbal reasoning. Scarborough's rope model can help educators better understand what it really takes to attract qualified readers.

What is Scarborough's rope?

Source: Brainspring

dr Hollis Scarborough invented the reading rope concept in the early 1990s. She used it to help parents understand the different skills their children needed to master in order to become competent readers. Originally, she twisted together a model made out of pipe cleaners to demonstrate her point.

In 2001 the model was released in Handbook of Early Literacy Research (Neumann/Dickinson). Reading teachers immediately saw how useful it was, and it became a staple in the training of new teachers and parents alike.

Scarborough's Rope contains two main sections: Word Recognition and Speech Comprehension. Each of these consists of several smaller strands. Woven together, these strands become the rope that stands for complete reading. All components are interconnected and dependent on each other. If just one strand is weak, the rope (and reader) as a whole will be affected.

word recognition

Source: Payne STEAM Academy on Twitter

The lower part of Scarborough's Rope focuses on word recognition skills. These are the skills we think about most when we talk about teaching kids to read. Imagine a child exploring the letters on a page or making phonetic sounds and syllables. These are the basics of word recognition.

Phonological Awareness

Simply put, phonological awareness is about understanding that words are made up of sounds. Children learn to speak without ever having to see a written word. But when they learn to read, they need to realize that the sounds they make with their mouths correspond to the words they see on the page. This is a very early skill that sets the stage for what follows.

decoding

Decoding is what we imagine when we see beginning readers: children pronouncing the words letter by letter. It includes things like phonetics, mixtures of letters, silent letters, and more. Children who are good at decoding can pronounce all the words they see on a page, even if they don't know what the words mean.

sight words

Some words are used so frequently that it makes more sense to teach children to recognize them at first sight. This is an extremely common method used in pretty much every early elementary school classroom today. Learn more about sight words here.

language comprehension

Source: @teachloveread

Word recognition alone does not create fluent readers. If children don't know what the words themselves mean, they're not actually reading. Furthermore, understanding the meaning of words alone is not really useful. Fluent readers understand the text they are reading as a whole, draw meaningful conclusions, and find important insights. The top strands of Scarborough's Rope are incredibly important in creating strong readers.

background knowledge

This is where cross-curricular learning can really come into play. Children who read a novel set in Germany during WWII will get a lot more out of it as they understand more about WWII in general. For teachers, this means putting reading choices in context. Use reading (at any age) as part of a larger lesson on any topic. Children develop a deeper understanding while improving their reading and writing skills. Learn more about the importance of building background knowledge here.

vocabulary

Building a rich vocabulary means children enjoy reading a wider variety of books. If you have to stop every few sentences to look up a word, you'll probably give up reading a lot faster. It's even worse when children keep trying to figure out the meaning of a word because they've "read" something without fully understanding it - or at all.

language structure

When we speak of language structure, we generally mean syntax (the order of words) and semantics (the meaning of the text). English has many rules about the patterns and order of words known as syntax. Semantics looks in depth at how words and phrases combine to produce meaning and how an author's choice of words affects that meaning. It's a complicated subject that good readers grapple with throughout their lives.

verbal reasoning

When it comes to Scarborough's rope, verbal reasoning refers to understanding when and how words are figurative and literal. It includes things like metaphors, analogies, idioms, and figurative language. Children learn some of these things as they grow, but classroom instruction can also be helpful. (Try these anchor charts for teaching imagery.)

Alphabetical Knowledge

Children acquire literacy skills through exposure to a wide range of genres and styles. For this reason, a strong curriculum includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry in all their forms. In general, the more types of reading a child encounters, the more advanced their reading and writing skills will become.

How can teachers use Scarborough's rope?

Source: Brainspring

Many teachers find Scarborough's rope useful in two ways. First, it helps teachers themselves identify where reading difficulties may need more help. For example, a student may be very good at pronouncing the words on the page, but lack the vocabulary or verbal reasoning to make sense of what is being read. Once they identify the weak strands, a teacher can make adjustments or offer enrichment to help that student succeed.

Second, teachers can (and should) share this model with parents. It can help them understand why their child is struggling or why teachers use so many different methods in the classroom. It's a good tool to make it clear that reading at home is essential to building the literacy skills children need in school and throughout life.

Scarborough's rope resources

Try these free resources to learn more about this valuable literacy model.

How has Scarborough's Rope improved your reading lessons? Share your thoughts on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE on Facebook.

Plus what is balanced literacy?

By: What Is Scarborough’s Rope and How Does It Explain Teaching Reading?