| Struggling readers are simply individuals who have | | | | Good readers regularly re-read, predict, infer, |
| not learned effective reading strategies. Don't be | | | | conclude, question, compare, contrast; and the list |
| too concerned if you aren't familiar with the term, | | | | goes on. Good readers don't usually realize what |
| "reading strategies;" most good readers never | | | | they were doing while reading unless someone |
| had to learn them; instead, they just use them | | | | forces them to reflect on it. Struggling readers do |
| naturally. Struggling readers, on the other hand, | | | | few of the things that good readers do. They |
| have no idea how their friends can finish their | | | | generally have only one goal in reading--to get it |
| work before they make it through the first | | | | over with. Understanding what was read is called |
| paragraph. Why is it that their friends are reading | | | | comprehension. Comprehension strategies are |
| "Lord of the Rings" and they are still reading | | | | those things that a reader does to understand a |
| "Magic Tree House" books? How do their friends | | | | text. |
| manage to read those really long and unfamiliar | | | | There is one main indicator that a student needs |
| words with ease? | | | | explicit instruction in comprehension |
| Reading strategies can be organized into two | | | | strategies--they are good decoders, but they |
| distinct groups: decoding strategies and | | | | can't answer higher level questions about the text. |
| comprehension strategies. | | | | Higher level questions are ones that involve more |
| Decoding Strategies | | | | than just extracting words from the text. For |
| Without getting into a long debate over whether | | | | example, a higher level question related to the last |
| children should learn to read through phonics or | | | | paragraph is, "What goals do good readers have in |
| whole language, the fact is that some students | | | | reading?" A reasonable answer would involve |
| need to be taught explicitly phonemic awareness. | | | | contrasting the goal that struggling readers have |
| Phonemic awareness is basically being able to | | | | in reading, using the information about what good |
| pronounce the bits and pieces of words to turn | | | | readers regularly do, and using prior knowledge or |
| them into words that the student knows or has | | | | experience. |
| heard. Even if the word is unfamiliar, students with | | | | There are many comprehension strategies that |
| good phonemic awareness can usually pronounce | | | | can be taught to struggling readers. Telling a |
| a reasonable representation of the word. | | | | struggling reader to just read it again won't cut it. |
| Struggling readers need to be taught the sounds | | | | They need direct support, explicit instruction, a lot |
| of the language--the phonemes--and to be given | | | | of practice and coaching and many opportunities |
| plenty of opportunity and coaching in their use. | | | | to experience success. Searching the Internet for |
| Some indicators that a student needs explicit | | | | reading strategies should garner a description of |
| instruction in phonemic awareness include: skipping | | | | at least a dozen different tried and true |
| words while reading, "sounding out" words | | | | strategies. Following is a brief description of just a |
| incorrectly, attempting a pronunciation that doesn't | | | | few of them. |
| make sense, and avoiding reading. | | | | Re-Reading - Not to be confused with "just read |
| It is helpful if students are able to recognize and | | | | it again," re-reading is a deliberate attempt to find |
| spell a number of simple words. Dolch vocabulary | | | | information. With the question in mind, students |
| words are great for younger students. For older | | | | attempt to find relevant sections of the text to |
| students, try to get a list of the 1000 most | | | | re-read. Once they zero in on a relevant section, |
| common words in the English language. Phonemic | | | | they usually read a few sentences or paragraphs |
| awareness starts with letter sounds. Students | | | | before and a few sentences or paragraphs after. |
| learn how to pronounce various combinations of | | | | Sometimes, it is necessary to re-read the entire |
| letters, and they learn that letters are not always | | | | text to get the desired information. |
| pronounced the way they should be. Consider a | | | | Predicting - Using titles, pictures, or key words, |
| simple example: the word, "the," is pronounced | | | | students attempt to predict the content of a |
| with a short u sound. Students compare unfamiliar | | | | text. When the student reads the text, they |
| words with words that they know; thus the | | | | make comparisons to what they predicted and |
| necessity for a good repertoire of sight words. | | | | what they read. |
| A common decoding strategy that is taught to | | | | Re-Stating - This strategy encourages students |
| struggling readers is called chunking. If students | | | | to look at main ideas. They re-state what they |
| have developed some proficiency with phonemes, | | | | read in a shorter version. Sometimes this |
| they can begin chunking unfamiliar words. Using | | | | strategy involves restricting how long the |
| their finger, they cover all but a chunk of the | | | | summary can be. For example, can you re-state |
| unfamiliar word. They pronounce it then move | | | | the description of predicting in only two words? |
| onto the next chunk. Once the student has | | | | The best support for struggling readers is |
| pronounced all of the chunks, they try to put the | | | | individual and intensive. In my opinion, struggling |
| chunks together and make it sound like a word | | | | readers make the most progress when they are |
| they know or have heard. This strategy, again, | | | | given one-on-one support outside of the regular |
| requires a significant amount of practice and | | | | classroom. Individual support allows them to |
| coaching. | | | | receive frequent and timely feedback on their |
| One school of thought considers the ability to | | | | efforts. Outside of the classroom means that the |
| decode words a precursor to reading | | | | support is extra-curricular and does not interfere |
| comprehension. After all, if you can't understand | | | | with their regular work. If you are a parent or a |
| the individual words, how can you understand the | | | | teacher of a struggling reader, find out what |
| whole sentence? Often, a struggling reader will | | | | support is available at your school. Use the terms |
| cope with their abilities by getting answers from | | | | phonemic awareness and reading comprehension |
| other students, answering the text explicit | | | | strategies to communicate what your child needs. |
| questions (e.g. "The girl's red hair blew in the | | | | If your school can't offer the support, look for |
| breeze." What color was the girl's hair?), or making | | | | commercial services. Even though it might cost |
| excuses for not getting their work | | | | money, the benefits will be outstanding; spend the |
| done--avoidance behaviors. | | | | money. |
| Comprehension Strategies | | | | |