Growing Word Noticers
Keys to the Kingdom—For Every Student
This isn’t just about memorizing; it’s about giving every child access to the deeper logic of our language. With each discovery, they grow as readers, thinkers, and confident explorers of literacy.
Growing from the Known to the New
The Science of Reading is a large and growing collection of research that shows how people learn to read and how to teach reading effectively. It brings together findings from fields like psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and child development to guide best practices in all areas of literacy instruction. Structured literacy approaches are grounded in the Science of Reading research, using evidence-based methods to teach reading in explicit, systematic, and cumulative ways.
What is Explicit Instruction?
Explicit instruction is a way of teaching that is very clear and direct, so children know exactly what they are learning and how to do it. Dr. Anita Archer explains that explicit instruction includes two main parts:​
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1. Planning the lesson – Teachers choose important skills to focus on and break them into small, easy-to-learn steps. Lessons are carefully organized to help students build on what they already know.
2. Delivering the lesson– Teachers first show how to do something (“I do it”), then practice together with students (“We do it”), and finally let students try it on their own while checking to make sure they understand (“You do it”).​
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Practice is a big part of explicit teaching—helping children remember and master new skills. The best practice happens when:
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It has a clear purpose (deliberate practice)
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It happens over time, not all at once (spaced practice)
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Students revisit and use skills they’ve already learned (retrieval practice), turning it into a cumulative review that strengthens long-term understanding
Guided Discovery Can Incorporate Explicit Instruction!
Guided discovery and explicit instruction are not opposites—they can work together. In guided discovery, teachers lead students to uncover ideas on their own through well-planned tasks and questions. While the focus is on student exploration, explicit elements—like giving clear directions, modeling strategies, and providing corrective feedback—can still be included. Teachers can also connect new content to what students have already learned, helping them make meaningful connections as they explore.
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Purposeful practice is a key part of both guided discovery and explicit instruction. It means giving students practice tasks that are clearly connected to the learning goal—not just busy work. In both approaches, practice should:
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Target specific skills or concepts
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Be thoughtfully chosen to reinforce what students are learning
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Help students improve through feedback and repetition
In guided discovery, purposeful practice might involve exploring examples or solving problems that lead students toward a key insight. In explicit instruction, it could mean practicing a newly taught skill with support, then gradually moving toward independence.
So whether students are discovering or being directly taught, purposeful practice helps make learning stick!
Explicit, Guided, and Inquiry-Based Approaches
Can they work together? The most powerful word in this question is “can.”
​Guided discovery is a structured form of inquiry-based learning, where students can explore and uncover ideas on their own—but with thoughtful support from the teacher. While students investigate a question or concept, the teacher uses explicit teaching to guide the process. This might include modeling how to look for patterns, explaining how to work with materials, providing opportunities to practice, and most importantly, giving corrective feedback along the way! Inquiry-based learning can be teacher-led, student-led, or a blend of both—depending on the needs of the learners and the goals of the lesson. This approach exists on a continuum because different learners and different topics may require varying levels of explicit, direct teaching. Some students’ brains need more clear guidance, while others can explore more independently.
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This combination of inquiry and explicit teaching is powerful because it helps children truly understand what they're learning—not just memorize information! By actively discovering answers with the right support, students build deeper thinking skills and lasting knowledge they can apply in new ways.
My approach is based on Reading Science and uses Structured Word Inquiry (SWI), which combines clear, step-by-step teaching with guided exploration. Instead of just memorizing spelling rules, kids learn to investigate words—their parts, meanings, and histories—building strong reading and spelling skills while sparking curiosity and confidence. This isn’t just about memorizing; it’s about opening doors to the deeper logic of our language and giving every child the keys to the kingdom.