Building Strong Reading Skills with a Content-Rich Curriculum

As educators, we know the importance of fostering strong literacy skills in our kids as soon as possible. Early literacy is key to a child’s learning and future success both in school and society. It helps develop thinking and communication skills while making learning more enjoyable. Strong reading skills in early childhood lead to better performance in school and help close learning gaps between students. Reading also builds problem-solving skills and emotional understanding, allowing children to connect with different ideas and perspectives.

The effectiveness of early literacy can possibly be enhanced by combining it with a content-rich curriculum that builds both reading skills and knowledge about the world. Instead of focusing only on phonics and isolated vocabulary, a content-rich approach integrates subjects like science and social studies into literacy instruction. This helps children connect new words to meaningful topics, deepening their understanding and making reading more engaging. When children learn through a knowledge-based curriculum, they develop stronger vocabulary, better comprehension, and improved critical thinking skills. By exposing young learners to rich content early on, we give them the tools to succeed academically while fostering curiosity and a love for learning.

New research shows that learning about the world while practicing reading can help children build stronger vocabulary, improve their listening skills, and ultimately do better in school. A study by Cabell et al. (2024) – Impact of a Content-Rich Literacy Curriculum on Kindergarteners’ Vocabulary, Listening Comprehension, and Content Knowledge – found that teaching kindergarteners a knowledge-rich curriculum helped them understand both language and different subjects better.

Even though schools focus a lot on teaching kids how to read, many still struggle with understanding what they read—especially those from low-income backgrounds. Standardized tests show big gaps in reading skills, and the COVID-19 pandemic made things even harder.

Experts agree that strong speaking and listening skills help children become better readers. But many reading lessons focus only on phonics (sounding out words) and teaching vocabulary words separately, without connecting them to real-world knowledge (see this recent blog/substack from Nathalie Wexler on this subject). Cabell and colleagues look at whether adding science and social studies topics to reading lessons – knowledge-based reading instruction – can give young kids a better foundation.

Knowledge-based reading instruction helps kids learn about different subjects while improving their reading skills. The Core Knowledge Language Arts: Knowledge Strand (CKLA: Knowledge) curriculum, studied by Cabell and her colleagues, teaches science and social studies topics using interactive read-alouds. This method connects ideas, encourages discussions, and introduces new vocabulary in a way that helps kids understand difficult texts later in school.

The researchers studied 1,194 kindergarten kids in 47 schools across the United States. Some schools used the CKLA: Knowledge curriculum, while others continued with their usual reading programs. Kids were tested before and after to see how much they learned about vocabulary, listening, and different subjects. They specifically found that:

• Kids in the CKLA: Knowledge program learned more new words, especially the ones taught in the lessons.

• The program helped kids understand science and social studies better, showing that early exposure to these subjects improves comprehension.

• While improvements in listening comprehension were smaller, kids became better at understanding spoken language.

• Kids who already knew more words at the start of the study learned even more, proving that prior knowledge makes it easier to absorb new information.

And…?

This research shows that reading lessons shouldn’t just focus on phonics and memorizing words. Instead, teachers should build kids’ knowledge about the world to help them become better readers. Using a knowledge-rich approach makes reading more interesting because it connects to real-life topics. It also gives all kids a fairer chance to succeed, especially those who don’t get as many learning opportunities at home. Plus, when kids learn new words in a meaningful way, they remember them better.

Here are some simple ways to bring knowledge-based reading into the classroom:

• Read books on the same theme: Choose books or stories that focus on the same topic to help kids build a deeper understanding of what they’re reading.

• Encourage discussion: Ask kids questions that connect what they’re reading to what they already know.

• Incorporate writing activities: Have kids draw or write about what they’ve learned to help them remember it. That is: Use generative strategies.

• Teach subject-specific vocabulary naturally: Introduce new words while discussing interesting topics.

• Make connections between subjects: When teaching science or social studies, tie it back to reading lessons to reinforce learning.

Conclusion

The study discussed here highlights how a content-rich reading curriculum can help young kids develop stronger language and comprehension skills. By adding knowledge-building activities to early reading lessons, we can better prepare kids for lifelong success. Teachers have the power to make reading instruction more meaningful, ensuring that all children—no matter their background—gain the knowledge they need to succeed. A knowledge-rich approach doesn’t just create better readers; it helps kids become curious, informed learners who love to explore the world through language.

Cabell, S. Q., Kim, J. S., White, T. G., Gale, C. J., Edwards, A. A., Hwang, H., Petscher, Y., & Raines, R. M. (2025). Impact of a content-rich literacy curriculum on kindergarteners’ vocabulary, listening comprehension, and content knowledge. Journal of Educational Psychology, 117(2), 153–175. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000916