Connecting Top-Down Theories of the Reading Process and Whole-Word Reading Instructional Practices

Top-Down Theories of the Reading Process

Duirng reading and learning to read, language is processed from the whole to the parts, as in taking a completed jigsaw puzzle apart.
Learning to read is based on "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts", as asserted by Gestalt psychology.
Learning to read is accomplished naturally and holistically through immersion in print-rich and language-rich environments.
Repetition in reading is focused on practicing phrases, sentences, or stories again and again until the text elements are interalized,
Language stimuli in beginning reading material are not controlled but represent naturally occurring patterns of langauge such as "run, run as fast as you can..." in the "Gingerbread Man" story.
Learning how to read stories, sentences, or phrases is assumed to lead to a perception of the parts andt heir relationship to the whole text and meaning.
Repeated readings of authentic books of interest with help or independently are assumed to lead to an ability to read fluently with comprehension.
Mistakes or miscues are seen as positive indicators of students' willingness to take risks.
Having a large oral language base gives students access to printed language.
Comprehending texts provides access to new vocabulary wors and increased insights into how the sound-symbol system works for decoding unknown words.

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