Three cueing

Three cueing, also known as the searchlight model or MSV (which stands for meaning, syntax, and visual information) is a controversial method of teaching young children how to read.^[1] It involves guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words based on context clues, rather than the more traditional and mainstream method of sounding out words (phonics).^[2]

One aspect of three cueing prompts students to look at pictures for the meaning of words

Its origins are contested.^[3] Three cueing is frequently criticized, especially in the mainstream media, as contrary to the known science of reading. Predicting words is not correlated with reading proficiency and an overreliance on contextual information can cause children to confuse words with different meanings such as pony and horse. The sound-spelling-meaning model and phonics-based instruction have more evidence supporting their use.^[4] The public debate between which reading method is most effective has been dubbed the "reading wars".^[1]

As of 2020, an estimated 75% of American teachers use three cueing.^[5] 45 states in the US have since passed bills regarding reading reform after renewed public interest and low scores in standardized testing.^[1] A lawsuit was filed by families in Massachusetts whose children had been taught three cueing; one of the plantiffs stated that her son had difficulty reading once classroom materials transitioned into using chapter books.^[6]

See also

• Reading recovery, which uses three-cueing
• Functional illiteracy
• Dyslexia
• Why Johnny Can't Read