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Curriculum Change Plan: Part 1 - Research Matrix
Courtney
School of Education, Liberty University
Curriculum Change Plan: Part 1 - Research Matrix
Curriculum Change Plan Proposed Topic: Kindergarten Phonics
RESOURCE #1
1. Title, Year
Key Knowledge to Support Phonological Awareness and Phonics
Instruction - 2022
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2. Theoretical
Framework
The theoretical framework addressed in this article is the simple view of
reading and Scarborough’s rope. The first framework addressed is the
simple view of reading theory, which was developed by Phil Gough and
William Tunmer in 1986. This theory defines how students comprehend
the text that they are reading. They outlined that students must be able
to decode words and have oral language skills to produce reading
comprehension skills (Models of Reading 2025). The second framework
addressed is Scarborough’s rope. This reading model was developed in
2001 by Dr. Hollis Scarborough. He examines and identifies the multiple
components of oral language comprehension, as well as word
recognition, that are essential for becoming a fluent reader (Models of
Reading, 2025). Both the simple view of reading and Scarborough’s rope
are important theories of reading, as they highlight the essential skills
required to become a fluent reader (Models of Reading, 2025).
3. Research
Question(s)
1. What do teachers need to know about phonological awareness and
phonics instruction to support beginning readers?
4. Methodology
and Results
This article addresses the knowledge teachers need to support students
in learning phonological and phonics skills, as well as the necessary
instruction to achieve this. Shayne Piasta and Alida Hudson (2022) noted
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that phonological awareness and phonics skills are interconnected yet
distinct. They also explained that both phonological awareness and phonics
need an understanding of language development, which aligns with the
simple view of reading and Scarborough’s rope. This also requires students
to build connections between orthography, phonology, and semantics
systems, and this instruction should begin with alphabet instruction (Piasta
et al., 2022). The article then concludes that phonics and phonological
instruction are necessary but often lacking in classrooms and can be
supported with teacher knowledge and highquality instruction (Piasta et al.,
2022).
5. Locator
Information:
Provide the
URL to the
resource or a
description of
the resource.
https://research.ebsco.com/c/r3w5i4/viewer/pdf/6ncpegjhmj?route=details
6. Curriculum
Change Plan
Applications:
Explain the
application to
your
curriculum
change plan
topic. Relate
to specific
curriculum
change plan
strategies.
Phonological awareness and phonics instruction are key parts of
kindergarten literacy instruction. This article outlines concepts necessary to
thoroughly teach phonological awareness and phonics skills to students,
enabling them to become fluent readers. The article emphasizes the need
for this instruction to be explicit, systematic, and applied to the material
students are reading.
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RESOURCE #2
1. Title, Year
Rethinking English Phonics Instruction for Early Childhood English
Learners - 2025
2. Theoretical
Framework
The theoretical framework addressed in this article is a social
constructivist framework, which is aligned with Vygotsky’s
Zone of Proximal Development (Ventriglia-Navarrette et al.,
2025). The constructivist theory emphasizes the individual
child and their development. The theory further states that
children construct knowledge based on their prior knowledge
and development (Schull et al., n.d.). The article ties the
constructivist theory with Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal
Development. The Zone of Proximal Development is defined as
“the distance between the actual development level as
determined by the independent problem solving and the level
of potential development as determined through problem
solving”
(Schull et al., n.d., p. 136). This theory illustrates how a student
requires support, known as scaffolding, which is gradually
removed as the student develops.
3. Research Question(s) 1. After receiving the intervention with the RULE of
3 involving systematic phonics instruction embedded
in a language development and social construction
framework, do ELs in kindergarten display higher
phonics skills than K-1 ELs receiving early literacy
instruction-as-usual?
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2. Do baseline literacy levels moderate intervention
effects?
3. What are the percentages of kindergarten ELs in
the
intervention and control groups who reach DIBELS grade-level
benchmarks?
4. Methodology and
Results
The methodology used in this study was a multisite randomized
trial, which was used to examine the effectiveness of the RULE
of 3 intervention. The study included eight public elementary
schools from three different school districts in Southern
California. Each school was assigned to either the intervention
group or the control group. The classrooms included were 16
kindergarten classrooms and a total of 339 students. As part of
the study, nine teachers implemented the intervention
program for 189 students, and seven teachers implemented
regular classroom instruction for 150 students. At the
conclusion of the study, the kindergarten benchmark data
showed that 70% of the intervention group met the reading
composite benchmark compared to just 5% of the group that
did not receive the intervention (Ventriglia-Navarrette et al.,
2025).
5. Locator Information:
Provide the URL to the
resource or a description of
the resource.
https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.70049
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6. Curriculum Change Plan
Applications:
Explain the application to
your curriculum change
plan topic. Relate to
specific curriculum change
plan strategies.
This article focuses on how phonics instruction can be
improved for students whose first language is not English.
While this article primarily focuses on English learners, it also
addresses the benefits of systematic instruction in phonological
awareness and phonics for both native and non-native English
speakers. This article emphasizes the importance of explicit and
systematic phonics and phonological awareness instruction,
highlighting the benefits it brings to all students. The Rule of 3
intervention is grounded in Vygotsky’s social constructivist
theory and allows students to rehearse, analyze, and produce
sounds and words. With support and scaffolding, students gain
knowledge and become fluent readers.
RESOURCE #3
1. Title, Year
Effect of an Instructional Program in Foundational Reading
Skills on Early Literacy Development of Students in
Kindergarten and First Grade
2. Theoretical Framework The article focuses on the Simple View of Reading theoretical
model framework along with Scarborough’s rope. The Simple
View of Reading was developed in 1986 by Phil Gough and
William Tunmer. This theory is a model of reading
comprehension that states that decoding and language
comprehension are equivalent to reading comprehension
(Models of Reading, 2025).
3. Research Question(s) 1. What are the effects of UFLI Foundations on
early reading skills of kindergarten and first-grade
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students in comparison to students who did not
receive the program?
2. What effect does instructional fidelity have on
student outcomes?
4. Methodology and
Results
The authors in the study used “a pretest-posttest
quasiexperimental design with baseline equivalence. The
comparison
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group consisted of students in the same grade levels during the
prior year and received business-as-usual instruction” (Lane et
al., 2025, p.3).
The study began in the Fall of 2021, with students in one
northcentral Florida school district comprising 21 elementary
schools. The district used data from the previous school year
for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Teachers
designed the UFLI Foundations curriculum as an explicit and
systematic phonics program to guide the development of
phonemic awareness, decoding, and encoding skills. Explicit
and systematic instruction is crucial for developing foundational
reading skills in early childhood, and most curricula fail to
provide the necessary practice for students in the early grades.
At the conclusion of the study, it was determined that teaching
phonics through explicit and systematic instruction led to
positive growth for students in both kindergarten and 1st grade
(Lane et al., 2025).
5. Locator Information:
Provide the URL to the
resource or a description of
the resource.
https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.607
6. Curriculum Change Plan
Applications:
Explain the application to
your curriculum change
plan topic. Relate to specific
This article emphasizes that early literacy skills should prioritize
the development of students' foundational reading skills,
including phonemic awareness, decoding, and encoding.
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curriculum
change plan strategies. It also emphasizes that phonics instruction should be explicit
and systematic, which is crucial for developing foundational
reading skills in kindergarten.
RESOURCE #4
1. Title, Year
Effects of Integrated Spelling in Phonics Instruction for At-Risk
Children in Kindergarten - 2021
2. Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework addressed in this article was the
Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s rope. The Simple
View of Reading was established by Phil Gough and William
Tunmer in 1986 to describe what students need in order to
comprehend what they are reading. They suggest that students
need both decoding skills and language comprehension skills to
achieve reading comprehension. Scarborough’s Rope ties into
the Simple View of Reading by expanding the subskills under
both decoding and language comprehension. Both theories
together show the necessary skills students need to be
proficient readers.
3. Research Question(s) 1. Does integration of spelling activities into systematic phonics
instruction in kindergarten support at-risk children’s
development of phonemic awareness, reading, and spelling,
even when spelling practice replaces other letter-sound
activities?
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2. Does literacy instruction that emphasizes recall and
articulation of letter-sounds lead to better letter-sound
knowledge, reading, and spelling ability than teaching that only
requires recognition of letter-sounds?
4. Methodology and
Results
The methodology for this study employed a randomized
controlled group design, which was conducted in April and May
of the kindergarten school year, where students had already
turned six. The study aimed to investigate the specific effects of
integrated spelling instruction in systematic phonics instruction
for students who struggle with letter knowledge, phonemic
awareness, and word reading (Moller et al., 2021).
The results of this study were promising, as students in a group
that used integrated spelling showed significant gains
compared to those in the other groups. The study authors
indicate that integrated spelling activities benefit at-risk
students, as they provide an additional opportunity to practice
letter sounds and activate letter-sound knowledge (Moller et
al., 2021).
5. Locator Information:
Provide the URL to the
resource or a description of
the resource.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.1907638
6. Curriculum Change Plan
Applications:
Explain the application to
your curriculum change
Kindergarten students benefit from explicit and systematic
phonics instruction to build their knowledge of letters and
sounds, ultimately becoming fluent readers. This study
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plan topic. Relate to
specific curriculum
change plan strategies. demonstrated that incorporating additional spelling practice
into systematic and explicit phonics instruction provides extra
practice for students who are already struggling with phonics
skills. This practice would provide students with a way to
activate letter-sound knowledge in a way that is explicit and
visual for all students.
RESOURCE #5
1. Title, Year
Phonics Instruction in Early Literacy: Examining Professional
Learning, Instructional Resources, and Intervention Intensity -
2022
2. Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework for this study is based on the Simple
View of Reading and Scarborough’s Rope. Both of these reading
theories integrate the importance of phonics, phonemic
awareness, decoding, and language comprehension, enabling
students to comprehend complex texts and become successful,
fluent readers.
3. Research Question(s) 1. Which strategies are most effective for which
students?
2. How should interventions be structured for the
best results?3. Which school personnel should
deliver these interventions?
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4. Methodology and
Results
This literature study used a systematic review methodology to
examine the latest research findings in the kindergarten
through third-grade classrooms (Dilgard et al., 2022). The
authors employed four steps to identify studies for the
literature review, which included an extensive search of the
literature to identify
relevant studies, screening, analysis, and a review for themes
(Dilgard et al., 2022). The results of the literature review
brought out three themes in response to the previously posed
questions, which included professional learning to foster a deep
understanding of language, instructional resources to support
teachers with limited knowledge of supports, and intervention
intensity (Dilgard et al., 2022). The following strategies were
recommended for phonics interventions: explicit instruction,
which is beneficial to striving students; balanced instruction
between encoding and decoding, which shows positive
outcomes; student subgroup phonics’ needs are specialized and
should be a priority through intervention, intervention should
be aligned to student needs, and literacy leaders can use a
variety of individuals for intervention if proper support and
training is provided (Dilgard et al., 2022).
5. Locator Information:
Provide the URL to the
resource or a description of
the resource.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2022.2126045
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6. Curriculum Change Plan
Applications:
Explain the application to
your curriculum change
plan topic. Relate to
specific curriculum change
plan strategies.
The literature review outlined in this study gives an
understanding of what students need regarding explicit and
systematic phonics instruction. The literature outlines the
benefits of explicit and systematic instruction for all students,
prioritizing students' needs through targeted interventions, and
emphasizes that these interventions should align with the
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individual student's needs.
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References
Lane, H. B., Contesse, V. A., Gage, N. A., & Burns, M. K. (2025). Effect of an instructional program
in foundational reading skills on early literacy development of students in kindergarten
and first grade. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1).
https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.607
Libretexts. (2024, November 26). 1.3: Examining theories that support literacy development.
Social Sci LibreTexts.
https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Early_Childhood_Education/
Early_Childhood_Literacy_Engaging_and_Empowering_Emergent_Readers_and_Writer
s_-_Birth_to_Age_5_(Schull_et_al.)/01%3A_Chapters/
1.03%3A_Examining_Theories_that_Support_Literacy_Development
Møller, H. L., Mortensen, J. O., & Elbro, C. (2021). Effects of integrated spelling in phonics
instruction for at-risk children in Kindergarten. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 38(1), 67–
82. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.1907638
Piasta, S. B., & Hudson, A. K. (2022). Key knowledge to support phonological awareness and
phonics instruction. The Reading Teacher, 76(2), 201–210.
https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2093
Ventriglia Navarrette, L., & Moylan, A. R. (2025). Rethinking english phonics instruction for early‐
childhood English learners. TESOL Journal, 16(3).
https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.70049
WETA. (2025). Models of reading. Reading Rockets.
https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/how-children-learn-read/
modelsreading#the-simple-view-of-reading
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