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The Struggling Reader: Interventions That Work and Teaching Resources

Jean Blair

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Reading is a fundamental skill that unlocks countless opportunities for learning and success. However, for many students, reading can be a significant struggle. Struggling readers often face challenges with decoding words, understanding text, and maintaining fluency. These difficulties can have a profound impact on their academic and personal lives, leading to feelings of frustration, low self-esteem, and disengagement from school.

The Struggling Reader: Interventions That Work (Teaching Resources)

by J. David Cooper

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1804 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	326 pages

Fortunately, there are numerous evidence-based interventions and teaching resources that can help struggling readers overcome their challenges. By providing targeted support and instruction, educators and parents can empower students to develop the reading skills they need to succeed.

Effective Interventions for Struggling Readers

Phonics Instruction

Phonics instruction is essential for teaching struggling readers how to decode words. It involves breaking down words into their individual sounds (phonemes) and teaching students the relationship between these sounds and the letters that represent them. Research has consistently shown that phonics instruction is an effective way to improve reading skills, particularly for students in the early stages of reading development.

Fluency Building

Fluency is the ability to read smoothly, accurately, and with expression. Struggling readers often benefit from fluency-building exercises, such as repeated reading, choral reading, and partner reading. These activities help students develop automaticity in word recognition, which frees up their cognitive resources for comprehension and other higher-order reading skills.

Comprehension Development

Comprehension is the process of understanding what one reads. Struggling readers often have difficulty understanding the meaning of text. Comprehension development interventions focus on teaching students strategies for making inferences, drawing s, and summarizing information. These strategies help students to engage more deeply with text and to develop a better understanding of what they read.

Other Effective Interventions

Multi-sensory instruction: This approach engages multiple senses, such as sight, hearing, touch, and movement, to help students learn new information. It can be particularly effective for struggling readers who learn best through hands-on experiences.
Technology-assisted instruction: Technology can be a valuable tool for supporting struggling readers. Computer-based programs and apps can provide personalized practice, interactive games, and other engaging activities that can help students improve their reading skills.
Peer tutoring: Pairing struggling readers with more proficient readers can provide them with additional support and encouragement. Peer tutors can help students with decoding, fluency, and comprehension, and they can also provide a positive role model.
Parent involvement: Parents play a crucial role in supporting their children's reading development. By reading to their children, engaging in conversations about books, and providing a supportive home environment, parents can help struggling readers overcome their challenges and foster a love of reading.

Teaching Resources for Struggling Readers

In addition to effective interventions, there are a variety of teaching resources that can support struggling readers. These resources can be used in both the classroom and at home to provide additional practice and reinforcement.

Phonics Programs

Orton-Gillingham: This multi-sensory phonics program is designed to teach struggling readers the relationship between sounds and letters. It is a highly structured program that provides students with explicit instruction and practice.
Wilson Reading System: This Orton-Gillingham-based program is designed to provide struggling readers with intensive phonics instruction. It is a highly individualized program that is tailored to each student's needs.
Project Read: This phonics program is designed to teach struggling readers the skills they need to decode words. It is a computer-based program that provides students with interactive lessons and practice activities.

Fluency-Building Programs

Repeated Reading: This fluency-building strategy involves having students read the same text multiple times. As students practice, their fluency and comprehension improve.
Choral Reading: This strategy involves having students read a text aloud together. This can help students to improve their fluency and prosody.
Partner Reading: This strategy pairs struggling readers with more proficient readers. The more proficient reader reads aloud while the struggling reader follows along. This can help struggling readers to improve their fluency and comprehension.

Comprehension Programs

Reciprocal Teaching: This comprehension strategy involves students working together to teach each other a text. Students take turns leading discussions and asking questions about the text.
Think-Aloud: This strategy involves teachers or parents modeling their own thinking as they read a text. This can help struggling readers to learn how to make inferences, draw s, and summarize information.
Questioning: Teachers and parents can use questioning to help struggling readers to understand the meaning of text. Questions can help students to identify important information, make connections, and evaluate the text.

Struggling readers can overcome their challenges with the right support and instruction. By providing students with evidence-based interventions and teaching resources, educators and parents can help them to develop the reading skills they need to succeed in school and beyond. With patience, dedication, and a belief in their ability to learn, struggling readers can reach their full potential as readers.

The Struggling Reader: Interventions That Work (Teaching Resources)

by J. David Cooper

4.6 out of 5