Do You Have Readers Who Still Struggle?

[Anna J. Small Roseboro]

Do you have students who still struggle with reading? If so, it may be that they’ve forgotten to apply some of the reading strategies they were taught, but did not perfect when they were in elementary school. You don’t have to be a reading specialist to help some of these students significantly improve their reading in just a few weeks.

You can be as bold or subtle as is appropriate for your teaching situation. For example, you could review the strategies and present mini-lessons to the whole class or in selected small groups. Or, you could suggest that everyone can improve reading by recalling and applying some basic reading strategies and then provide a handout and hang posters around the room.

You could blame it on the holiday break, and say, “You know, I read something during the break that may be of interest to you. I’d forgotten about many of these things myself, but thought you’d be interested…. How many of you remember these?” Then list or project some of the reading strategies like these READING STRATEGIES and READING STRATEGIES for Middle School from the ReadWriteThink website. Next invite class members to explain what they recall. Have on hand a few examples for them to demonstrate using…etc.) Real subtle, hunh? Doing a web search for already prepared PowerPoint slides will save you lots of time if you decide to do a few mini-lessons.

It’s worth a class period to assist your struggling readers. You may find it beneficial to plan and present several mini-lessons over the course of several weeks or simply use one period and then hang posters to remind students to use the strategies as the need arises in the coming weeks.

It’s OK if they giggle and even guffaw if you decide to post silly elementary looking posters around the room. Some of the giggling will be nervous embarrassment that they’ve forgotten. Some will be an appreciative release of tension that someone is offering them something they forgot and can use to raise their reading levels without having to be sent out of the classroom and missing the fun the others are having.

Whatever the case, reminding or re-teaching the reading strategies will enhance your instruction and improve the reading proficiency of most of your students.