Skill-based and literacy-based reading instruction stem from two different philosophies about how children should learn to read and write. Proponents of a skill-based approach to reading believe that children learn to read by first learning about letter sounds and then practicing decoding words. This is a bottom-up approach. Proponents of a literacy-based approach believe that children learn to read by being read to and experiencing words as part of a meaningful text or story. This is a top-down approach to learning to read.
Because of their differing philosophies about reading, skill-based and literacy-based systems of teaching reading focus on different aspects of reading. Skill-based instruction focuses on teaching children phonics, or letters and combinations of letters that make specific sounds. Children learn to read words by sounding them out, and the approach seeks to help children learn to be skillful readers. Literacy-based instruction focuses on comprehension and figuring out words based on their context in a piece. Children learn to appreciate the written word as a whole, and the approach seeks to help children learn to enjoy reading.
Skill- and literacy-based reading programs rely on different teaching methods. Skill-based reading programs focus on helping children to memorize letters, letter sounds and words. The sight-word movement in which children learn to read common words from memory is part of the skill-based approach to reading. Teachers who use a skill-based approach use sets of basal readers with a progressively more difficult vocabulary. Opponents of this method believe that it teaches children to read mostly through skill drills. Literacy-based reading programs use authentic literature such as poems and nursery rhymes to teach children how to read. They focus on reading, writing and listening as related skills and support children as they learn to read whole texts rather than basal readers. Opponents of this method believe that it lacks sufficient focus on developing necessary reading skills.
Balanced literacy is a combination of both the skill- and literacy-based approaches to teaching reading. It aims to combine the strengths of each approach into a well-balanced reading program. Proponents of balanced literacy believe that children first need to learn the skills to read well and then have opportunities to practice those skills with authentic text. This approach aims to compensate for the weaknesses of both the skill- and literacy-based approaches, although there is some disagreement on the correct mix of each approach.