Struggling Readers

By middle school it can be difficult to interest students in reading, especially students who are already reading under grade level. The article "Boost Reading Skills by Summer," by Jennifer L. W. Fink, offers suggestions on how to help catch students up.

1.      Get Graphic - Using graphic novels will appeal to older students, even struggling readers, and is a great way for them to build reading skills. Plus, it will not be obvious that the student is reading a graphic novel that is below the their grade level.

2.      Build Confidence - Middle school struggling readers often have a defeatist attitude toward reading. Build confidence by praising their progression, even with books under grade level, use contests, rewards, or incentives.

3.      Develop Effective Routines - Make reading a part of their day. For example, challenge your students to complete an independent reading project.

Students who are struggling or have identifed disabilities often have negative self concept and have a more difficult time devleoping a positive self-image (Dolgin, 2011, p. 156). According to Dolgin (2011), current research braching off of Piaget’s theories of cognitive development state that the central feature of adolescent cognitive development is that older adolescents control their own learning and thinking, and are more likely to succeed at cognitive tasks (p. 129). The same can be said for students who are struggling; if they do not focusto control their thinking and learning because they feel at a disadvantage or behnd their peers, they will not learn. As the saying goes, you can do what you put your mind to. Using the above tips, you can help convince your students who are struggling readers that they can, in fact, succeed.

References

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Ward, Jennifer L. W. Fink. (2012). Boost reading skills by summer. Scholastic Instructor. Spring 2012, 52-54.