Remediate the Difficulty
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Building Confidence
Readers who lack confidence do not see themselves as readers. They are unable to choose appropriate books and set a purpose for their reading. A reader without confidence often reads word-by-word because they do not believe that they know the words in the text. A timid reader also misunderstands the importance of interest to fuel their reading journey.
Difficulty Because Strategy Reads word by word Lacks confidence Sustained Silent Reading Choosing books Sees no purpose in reading Purposes of Reading Do not see themselves as a reader Lacks confidence Reading Buddies (Partner Reading) Choosing Books Lacks experience choosing “just right” books Genre/Author Studies Unaware of reading strengths Lacks confidence Context Clues, Rereading, & Skipping Loses their place while reading Uninterested in reading Read Aloud to Students Only reads one genre/type of book Do not see themselves as a reader Language Experience Stories -
Building Literacy Knowledge
A reader lacking knowledge about literacy has not made the connection between reading words in the text and words within their environment. The child may only have limited experiences with books and be unaware of print, basic concepts about print, letter recognition, or how letters work to build words. Finally, a reader may have a basic understanding of text but a limited sense of figuring out unknown words or problem solving through a text because of their limited literacy experiences.
Difficulty Because Strategy Ignores print in the environment Do not see a purpose Environmental Print Ignores print in the environment Limited exposure to text Read Aloud to Students Letter-sound correspondence Limited exposure with hearing text read aloud Interactive Reading Word units are not recognized Lacks opportunities to write News and Announcements Charts Guesses at unknown words Few decoding strategies Literacy Play Boxes Guesses at unknown words No one-to-one correspondence Computer and Tape-Recorded Readings Not comfortable with handling books Lacks exposure to text Shared Reading Word units are not recognized Lacks exposure to text Language Experience Stories -
Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, & Decoding
A reader who is unable to use multiple strategies for figuring out unknown words, does not see patterns/connections between similar words, or has little knowledge of letters and the letter/sound relationship need additional support with phonemic awareness, phonics, & decoding. This reader may also guess at unknown words or memorize text.
Difficulty Because Strategy Reads word-by-word Few decoding strategies Finding Little Words in Bigger Words Reads letter-by-letter Does not understand that words are composed of letters Counting Words in Speech—Matching Letters to Sounds Guesses at unknown words Few decoding strategies Context Clues, Rereading, & Skipping Guesses or hesitates at unknown words Do not see patterns & connections within words Onsets & Rimes/Tongue Twisters Rhyming Books Memorizes text Lacks one-to-one correspondence Read Aloud to Students Memorizes text Lacks attention to words in the text Cloze Procedures Difficulty with letter-sound correspondence Lacks experience with high-frequency letter-sound relationships Riddles & Rhymes Lacks knowledge about alphabet Not interested in letters Letter Recognition Reads letter-by-letter Does not realize letter-sound relationships for forming words Everyday Phonics Guesses at unknown words Does not realize words can be divided into chunks or syllables Clapping Syllables -
Working with Words
A reader who is overly dependent on decoding or does not have high frequency/sight words committed to long-term memory needs multiple opportunities to work with words. A reader who lacks the vocabulary necessary for understanding a text needs opportunities to work with words to build their vocabulary to support their comprehension of a text.
Difficulty Because Strategy Over-relying on “sound it out” Few decoding strategies Finding Little Words in Bigger Words Over-relying on “sound it out’ Do not see patterns/connections between words Building Reading & Writing Vocabulary Structural Analysis Lacks knowledge of common high-frequency words No connection is being made to prior knowledge/experience for storage in long-term memory Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic-Tactile (VAKT) Approach Lacks knowledge of common high-frequency words Not attending to frequently occurring words in text Bag Words/Sight Word Vocabulary Sees all words as “new” and unknown Not recognizing patterns in words Word Walls Lacks ownership in learning new vocabulary encountered while reading Believes saying the word accurately is all that is necessary Word Maps Memorized text Lacks one-to-one correspondence Scrambled Sentences Errors during reading do not make sense Lacks understanding of semantic cueing system for reading Context-Structure-Sound Reference (CSSR) Errors during reading do not sound like spoken language Lacks understanding of syntactic system for reading Context-Structure-Sound Reference (CSSR) Lacks knowledge of new vocabulary Lacks understanding of relationship between prefixes, suffixes, root words, and word meanings Building Reading & Writing Vocabulary Structural Analysis Lacks knowledge of new vocabulary Lacks exposure to varied types of words in meaningful contexts Word of the Day & List-Group-Share (LGS) Lacks knowledge of new vocabulary Not using context to anticipate word meanings Contextual Analysis Fluency
A child who reads slowly because they do not see the purpose of reading or they lack multiple opportunities or have limited exposure to text need opportunities to build their reading fluency. A child who lacks reading fluency may need time to practice reading, a real audience for motivation to practice, or opportunities to have reading fluently modeled by an expert reader.
Difficulty Because Strategy Reads slowly Does not see purpose for reading Writing Text for Struggling Readers Reads slowly Lacks opportunities hearing text read aloud Modeling Fluent Reading by Reading Aloud Reads slowly Lacks opportunities for rereading/revisiting familiar text Repeated Readings Reads slowly Lacks experiences with a proficient reader modeling reading process Think Aloud Reads slowly Needs time and practice to build a reading muscle Sustained Silent Reading Reads slowly Needs a real audience for performance purposes Readers’ Theater Reads quickly but inaccurately Lacks understanding that reading rates change depending on demands of the text Choral Reading Before Reading Comprehension
A reader who does not comprehend because they do not understand the importance of bringing everything they already know into a text to comprehend or make meaning from the text needs support at the first stage of the reading process, referred to as the before reading stage. These struggling readers may not know how to choose appropriate books, lack necessary background knowledge, have low levels of interest in the text, or lack exposure or experiences with the text’s structure or genre.
Difficulty Because Strategy Comprehension is compromised No accessing and using prior knowledge Surveying & Predicting Comprehension is compromised Not choosing appropriate reading materials Guided Reading Lacks background knowledge on topic Lacks opportunities for rereading/revisiting familiar text Pre-Teaching Vocabulary for Building Prior Knowledge Misses main idea/purpose Not accessing and using prior knowledge Purposes of Reading Inattentive to text Uninterested before beginning the text Jackdaws Reads quickly but without understanding Not accessing and using prior knowledge Guided Imagery/Role Playing Comprehension is compromised in nonfiction Lacks exposure to nonfiction texts Pre-telling/Sequencing Comprehension is compromised in nonfiction Not accessing and using prior knowledge on the text content Questioning Not using prior knowledge Not connecting new information to known information Brainstorming/Webbing Makes predictions but does not confirm and/or adjust thinking Lacks understanding of the purpose of predictions for reading Inferential Strategy During Reading Comprehension
A reader struggling with maintain comprehension often loses focus or shifts to a passive reading stance rather than remaining active during the reading process. These readers often miss details, the main idea, and/or the text’s purpose. A reader who often loses his/her place during reading or reads accurately but cannot retell or think beyond a literal level may need during reading support for understanding that reading is a meaning-making process.
Difficulty Because Strategy Comprehension is compromised Overly focused on reading words accurately Imagery Misses details within text Not remaining active while reading Paraphrasing/Summarizing Misses main idea/purpose Not connecting information in text to personal experiences, prior knowledge, or other texts Connecting Unable to make inferences Unable to go beyond literal level of text Inferential Strategy Inattentive while reading Lacks understanding of reading purpose Purposes of Reading Regularly losses place while reading Not remaining active while reading Predicting/Self Questioning Comprehension of nonfiction is compromised Limited knowledge of text structure/topic Reciprocal Teaching Comprehension of nonfiction is compromised Not remaining active while reading Reciprocal Teaching Ignores new vocabulary Believes that reading words accurately is only reading requirement Word of the Day & List-Group-Share (LGS) Comprehension is lost when text becomes complicated and unclear Lacks understanding of value of rereading and rethinking Adjusted Reading Rate After Reading Comprehension
Readers struggling with after reading comprehension are often unable to expand upon the meaning of the text or even retell the main events/ideas presented in the text. These readers are sometimes hurried and are preoccupied with finishing a book rather than comprehending the text. Students struggling with comprehension may understand only literal meanings derived from the text but lack the skills necessary to synthesize or determine the implicit meanings.
Difficulty Because Strategy Unable to retell Lacks knowledge of retelling Story Mapping Unable to retell Overly focused on reading words accurately rather than understanding Summarizing/Retelling Misses details in text Hurried reading overly interested in finishing Response Journals Unable to synthesize Lacks ability to use smaller details within text to formulate larger understanding Interpretive Questions Finishes quickly but comprehension is compromised Lacks purpose for reading Pair-Think-Share Only reads one type/genre of book Lack opportunities to interact with other readers and get new ideas for reading Literature Circles Unable or unwilling to retell Lacks confidence Linguistic Roulette Unable to retell Inability to keep up with events throughout the text Visual Timelines Unable to make personal, text, or world connections Not relating new information to known information Artful Artist or Sketch to Stretch Unable to retell Inability to keep up with multiple characters Semantic Webbing of Characters in a Story Inability to make connections between texts on same topic/subject Not relating new information to known information Compare and Contrast Charts
