Meet Olivia.
She’s a bright 5th grader who’s been in reading intervention since 2nd grade. She has phonic skills, can sound out most words, and passes her decoding checks.
But when she reads connected text?
She’s slow, halting, and frustrated. She avoids reading whenever she can. Her teachers have taught the basic skills—but something still isn’t clicking.
If you’ve met students like Olivia, you’re not alone. Across classrooms, many kids can decode but haven’t crossed the bridge to become automatic, fluent readers.. That’s where the Science of Learning comes in.
From Sounding Out to Fluent Reading: The Missing Bridge
Think of reading growth like crossing a river.
- On one side: Decoding — built through strong phonics instruction and word study.
- On the other: Comprehension — reading to learn, think, build vocabulary, and grow knowledge.
- In the middle: Automaticity and Fluency — the bridge that connects the two.
Some students never fully build that bridge. They can decode and recognize some words, but reading still feels like hard work. To help them, we need to look at how the brain actually learns and automates complex skills.
That’s what the Science of Learning (SOL) helps us do.
What the Science of Learning Tells Us
The Science of Learning is not new – the term even predates the “Science of Reading”! The Science of Learning studies how the brain takes in, stores, and retrieves information. It is essential to understand these learning processes to support struggling readers who need the right practice to make learning “stick”. The Science of Learning shows us what kind of practice helps students move from effortful decoding to fluent reading.
Here are five learning principles that can make a big difference — and what they look like in reading instruction.
1. Vary the Practice
Mix it up! Provide many contexts for students to learn and use skills.
Instead of endless drills on one concept at a time, use practice that mixes up the practice tasks so students can begin to recognize regularities and patterns across many contexts.
Classroom Example:
Have students read words aloud that incorporate certain vowels, and then switch the task to identifying the target vowel sound after hearing words. You can then have the student write the word or identify vowels in 2-3 syllable words.
Why it helps:
The brain learns to recognize patterns across different contexts, not just one format. This promotes retrieval and generalization.
2. Create “Desirable Difficulties”
Make learning just challenging enough.
We want students to stretch, not struggle.
Classroom Example:
Introduce slightly longer words, more complex texts, or new tasks—but keep the success rate high.
Why it helps:
When learning takes some effort, it sticks. The brain forms stronger, more lasting connections.
3. Interleave Skills
Don’t focus all practice on one skill—strategically select several and alternate practice.
Instead of teaching one vowel pattern for a whole week, combine several and contrast them in a systematic and strategic way. If you want more information on this, see the WordFlight scope and sequence.
Classroom Example:
Alternate between long and short vowel words in the same session.
Why it helps:
Interleaving is a strategy where different types of concepts or skills are mixed together during practice, rather than practiced one at a time (blocked practice). The brain notices the differences which strengthens long-term retention and transfer to new situations.
4. Space the Practice
Spread it out. Don’t cram.
Classroom Example:
Review phonics patterns in several short and focused tasks that vary the targets within a word. For example, contrast words that have the same digraph which may occur in the initial or final position in a syllable.
Why it helps:
The brain consolidates learning better over different tasks and across time. Several focused tasks a day beats one long lesson that repeats the same pattern in one task.
5. Use Retrieval Practice
Ask students to recall and connect, not just review.
Classroom Example:
Say, “What were the tricky words we worked on yesterday?” or have them write them from memory before showing the list.
Why it helps:
Actively pulling information from memory strengthens recall and builds automaticity.
Rethinking “Practice” in Reading Intervention
Practice doesn’t mean repeating the same thing again and again.
It means designing experiences that make the brain think, connect, work, and retrieve.
For students like Olivia, this might look like:
- Reading and writing words in a variety of contexts—lists, sentences, and short passages
- Working with words that are challenging but achievable—introduce longer words with more syllables or add morphemes to a known word to change its meaning.
- Mixing new and review patterns in the same session
- Getting immediate feedback and celebrating small wins
When students engage in this kind of “smart practice,” they recognize patterns, generalize to new contexts, build automaticity and fluency faster, and retain skills longer.
How Technology Can Help
When used well, technology can bring the Science of Learning to life.
A reading platform based in the science of learning and reading can:
- Personalize practice and adjust to each student’s needs
- Mix and space out tasks for stronger retention
- Provide instant feedback and support to try again
- Allow students to practice privately and confidently
- Give consistent, bite-sized opportunities for retrieval
But here’s the key: tech shouldn’t just digitize worksheets. It should use what we know about how the brain learns to design smarter practice.
Imagine Olivia Again…
Now, Olivia’s reading program:
- Mixes word reading, spelling, and sentence-level tasks
- Gradually introduces longer words that stretch her skills
- Reviews old and new word patterns together
- Spaces out practice across tasks and days of the week
- Provides opportunities for her to recall past learning and reflect on similarities and differences
- Gives instant feedback so she can track her progress and provides support so she can learn from her errors
Soon, reading starts to feel smoother—and she starts to see herself as a reader again.
The Takeaway
The Science of Learning teaches us how to help learning stick.
It can help more students cross that bridge from decoding to fluent, confident reading—and open the door to knowledge and joy in reading.
💭 Teacher Reflection: Try It in Your Classroom
Take a few minutes to reflect or discuss with your team:
- Which of the five learning principles (varied practice, desirable difficulty, interleaving, spacing, retrieval) shows up most often in your reading instruction? Which could you use more intentionally?
- What’s one small way you could make reading practice more “brain-friendly” this week?
- How might you use short, spaced retrieval activities—like “What do you remember?” warm-ups—to strengthen automaticity?
- If you use technology for reading intervention, does it apply these principles—or simply repeat skills digitally?
💡 Start small. Even one tweak—like spacing review or mixing skill types—can make a big difference for your Olivias.
Want to learn more? Watch the webinar on November 13th: “Building Reading Fluency: The Role of Rich and Varied Practice”