Why is it essential to build students' fast and accurate word recognition and spelling?

Building students' fast and accurate word recognition and spelling is essential because it allows them to read fluently without laboriously sounding out each individual word. When students are able to recognize words quickly, they can focus their cognitive resources on understanding the meaning of the text rather than the mechanics of decoding. This fluency is crucial for developing comprehension skills, as it frees up cognitive "desk space" for higher-level thinking and engages students more deeply with the content. By achieving speed and accuracy in word recognition, students become more confident readers, which is vital for their overall literacy development.