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Building Confidence In The Struggling Reader

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Hi everyone! Emily here, from The Reading Tutor/OG. I'm excited to share with you in this brand new year! Today, I'm going to open a discussion. Many of us work with challenged or struggling readers every day.

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Student Choice and Voice

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Student-Centered, Asset-Based Learning

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by Claudia Anne Katz and Susan Bohman Upper elementary school through middle school What Is Partner Reading? Partner Reading as it exists in Susan Bohman’s urban fifth-grade classroom is a simple, independent reading activity that can be facilitated with books or periodicals from the school or class…

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CommonLit | Free Online Reading Passages and Literacy Resources

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CommonLit is a comprehensive literacy program with thousands of reading lessons, full-year ELA curriculum, benchmark assessments, and standards-based data for teachers.

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I am about to tell you what I believe to be the “secret sauce” in teaching kids to read. In my opinion, it is all about confidence. A child who reads with confidence feels good about reading, likes to read and wants to read. A child who struggles with reading does not like to read and does not wa…

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How to Improve Self-Esteem in Struggling Readers - TeachHUB

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Struggles with reading negatively impact student self-esteem. With proper strategies, though, you can learn how to improve self-esteem in struggling readers

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Confident students are more likely to speak in class and ask for help when needed.

Last year during the first week of school, I called on one of my second graders, Brian, to read a section of our book aloud. He struggled through it and at the end said, "you know, I just can't read."

I was instantly reminded how important it is to build students' confidence. Confident students are more likely to speak in class and ask for help when needed. They often pick up material faster and are more excited to learn.

Over the past year, I've paid special attention to building confidence in my students. I've found that these techniques are the best ways to do that:
Focus on the 'yet.'
When Brian was discouraged and said he couldn't read, I said not yet. Remind students that just because they can't do something now doesn't mean they won't be able to in the future. It may not be tomorrow.

It may not be in two weeks. It may not be this year, but someday, you will get it.
Sharing personal experiences puts this in context. I let them know that I don't always get things right the first time, or even the second time, but I persisted and came to a solution.
Don't overcorrect.
When you interrupt a student to correct every small mistake, you harm their confidence. Always let the student finish his or her thought, then gently explain why there is a better answer. Then, rather than telling students to get the right answer, encourage them to be better than before. This way, they won't feel nervous to give another wrong answer.
Make extra time for the students who need it.
If a student is clearly showing a lack of self-confidence, I make sure to prioritize one-on- one time. This can be pulling the child aside during group activities, during lunch, after or before school- you name it.

Brian came to my classroom during lunch several times a week to practice his reading.
Making extra time can also mean involving the parents more to keep the confidence building up at home. Rather than only calling parents to flag an issue, take a more positive approach. Call parents periodically just to say that their child is doing a great job and you wanted them to know. This will increase praise at home and demonstrate the value of confidence outside of the classroom.
Give students an active role.
Kids bring a lot to the table. It would be a waste to simply stand in front of the classroom and deliver-and it doesn't do much for students' confidence, either. Let them take turns leading the discussions or activities. Bring out each student's knowledge and encourage them to not only share with others, but to get everybody to participate.

Giving students a sense of leadership and importance will be a boost for their confidence and self-worth. If you genuinely care, they will know.

Brian would sometimes ask me why I cared so much if he could read. I told him it was because I knew he was so close-I knew he could do it.

One year later, Brian still comes to visit me during lunch sometimes. He reads for me-and picks more and more challenging books every day. Sometimes I remind him that one year ago, he thought he couldn't read. And every time, without fail, he says: "I know, but I can now."

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Last year during the first week of school, I called on one of my second graders, Brian, to read a section of our book aloud. He struggled through it and at the end said, "you know, I just can't read." I was instantly reminded how important it is to build students' confidence.

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A shared reading journal strategy encourages rich conversations that support differentiated instruction and social and emotional learning.

These days, many of us are struggling to stay on top of our reading, both personal and professional. Our workloads are often overwhelming, and precious time with books and articles is often a casualty.

But educators aren't the only ones struggling to adapt to new literacy norms-many kids are, too. Some don't have a quiet place to read, others are unengaged and unmotivated, and still others are just plain tired or depressed.

In the face of this crisis in reading, teachers need reliable methods that attend to social and emotional learning and cultural sensitivity while being flexible enough to work in multiple modes of instruction-synchronous or asynchronous, in person or remote.

It's worth exploring a versatile approach called the reading conversation journal (RCJ) that engages students in reading in a thoughtful, personal way that works well in a virtual environment.

What a Reading Conversation Journal Is and How It Works

Reading conversation journals are rooted in the notion that literacy growth and development are energized and amplified through carefully crafted, deliberate talk between student and teacher that unfolds-sometimes over the course of an entire academic year-ideally in an online document. Teacher and student write back and forth to each other, but the student leads the conversation, while the teacher coaches with deliberate, calculated comments and questions, providing literacy instruction based on the student's individual interests, needs, and developing skill.

The RCJ model adapts the usual side-by-side approach by shifting individual conferences online and takes it up a notch because resources from the internet can become part of the conversation. Within an RCJ, teachers can spontaneously recommend books; suggest articles and infographics related to student interests; share YA novel and movie trailers; post music videos, commercials, how-to tutorials, and read-alouds; relay author interviews and related book and genre lists; offer multilingual novels and book translations; and steer readers toward online libraries and book clubs, fan fiction, reviews, and Amazon previews.

An RCJ is a powerful literacy tool, but it can also double as a check-and-connect SEL mechanism. I've found that over time, students often reveal social, emotional, and mental health struggles in their RCJ, as well as things that are affecting their learning success or focus in school (e.g., bus, cafeteria, or hallway problems; name or pronoun changes; parental or sibling concerns; or frustrations with other classes).

The Instructional Benefits of the RCJ

RCJs create opportunities for one-on-one conversations with students, even if those conversations are asynchronous. Students can share what they think about what book they're reading and how those books make them feel, directly with their teacher. That deep thinking helps make them comfortable with the very act of talking about books, which is of course crucial to literacy.

There are other benefits, too.

Equity: Any given class can be populated with a combination of ELLs, students with special needs, and students with different literacy skill levels. RCJs allow all students the opportunity to grow and develop academically, socially, and emotionally, at a pace that works for them.

Differentiated instruction: With digital conversation journals, teachers can read students' work any time, but the data they get from the journal can inform more formal one-on-one conferences, resulting in conferences that are more focused and characterized by more deliberate teaching tactics.

Easy record keeping: Digital reading journals can function as a running record for each student in any classroom. Information from them can document how specific readers are progressing toward IEP or 504 learning objectives; be shared with parents who are curious about what their children are reading and how their writing is progressing; and be folded into responsive teaching practices.

Authentic reading and writing instruction: When literacy teachers feel limited in the classroom, often citing state and district testing mandates and curricular guides, student writing and reading assignments tend to follow suit, resulting in assembly-line assignments culminating in bland five-paragraph response essays. RCJs counter that by encouraging choice and creative commentary, which increases motivation. An RCJ can even operate as a yearlong reading response essay with multiple thesis statements, multiple texts, multiple genres, and hundreds of chances for precise, differentiated reading and writing instruction.

Getting Started

Teachers can ask students to write in the journal daily, every other day, or once a week. If the writing is happening in the Google Classroom, teachers can view live writing, quickly scroll through an entire classroom full of journals, and even watch volume increase and revisions happen in real time. (Be sure to have students write their newest entry at the top of the document so you don't have to scroll to find it.) Hold virtual writers accountable by saying things like, "Kamal, I don't see you in your journal" or "Alina, you have only written one sentence. Can you look over the questions I asked and see if you can elaborate a bit?"

Here are some things to remember as you start your digital reading conversation journals in your class.

Respond regularly: Regular writing is key, and so is regular teacher response. Don't let too many days go by without responding to what students are writing. This is ultimately a conversation, so treat it like one.

Ask questions to promote thought and exploration: Questions allow students to think more deeply about what they are reading and promote more writing volume. Asking questions about how readers are feeling, what they are learning, and where they are headed is an important part of the RCJ process. Questions can be chosen depending on the skill level of the reader.

Share your own stories: Share stories about yourself in the digital exchanges you have with your students so that your human, personal side emerges and reveals itself. This builds deeper, more meaningful relationships and trust in any kind of classroom.

De-emphasize grading: The response writing should have the feel of a conversation-casual, continuous, intimate, organic. If students are thinking about earning a grade (or the criteria on a 10-point rubric), they are less apt to talk freely, and they are much less likely to say or realize anything interesting.

Allow the conversation to wander: Reading conversation journals give students space to talk to a caring adult about the things that excite them, the things that get them out of bed each day, and their passions, beliefs, and struggles. Let the conversation veer into the realm of movies, video games, sports stars, or fan fiction. Also, in these tangents, students might reveal information that could help you better differentiate instruction or understand their learning style and classroom goals. Moreover, tangents might be where students reveal details about their home life, language needs, physical disabilities, classroom seating preference, reading or writing limitations and history, and emerging beliefs and philosophies about culture and lifestyle choices.

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Combining Literacy Skills and Community Building

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A shared reading journal strategy encourages rich conversations that support differentiated instruction and social and emotional learning. These days, many of us are struggling to stay on top of our reading, both personal and professional. Our workloads are often overwhelming, and precious time with books and articles is often a casualty.

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I can read. I am a reader.

On the surface, these sentences seem to say the same thing, but I would argue that they are distinctly different ideas. One is grounded in the mechanics of phonetically crafting words from the combination of letters on a page; the other is anchored in self-identity.

The skill of sounding out words is "reading" at the most basic level. Add in the understanding of those words, and that's the next level. But not everyone who can read words and comprehend them sees herself as a reader-someone who seeks information through text, who can get lost in a story, who conjures up visual imagery while savoring a poem, who satisfies her curiosity by diving down the rabbit hole of her latest question/interest/passion.

Texts have tremendous power in our lives; they open realms, spark and extend interests, and add to our understanding of the world we live in. In order to tap into all of that information, get lost in those stories, explore the ideas of poets and dig deep into their curiosities, our kids must see themselves as readers.

Very young children don't pick up a book and think, "Oh, I should learn to read." On the other hand, I don't think they pick up a book and think, "Reading is hard/stupid/a waste of time." As pre-readers, they grab a book because they have an interest in it-the cover, the memory of it being read to them, the pictures. In the case of some of the latest board books, children may simply be drawn to the textures added on each page. At that point, children are intrigued, curious, and wanting to explore.

What happens, then, as the years go by and they come to believe that reading is a skill beyond their grasp or a challenge they may never conquer? With some kids, once their confidence gets rocked, it can be difficult to recover.

Confidence is a multi-faceted construct. It's all about believing that even if you can't do something now, you will be able to do it in the future. As Carol Dweck and others like her would say, you can't do it yet; a growth mindset removes the limits of your current abilities. That growth mindset must eventually become internalized, but it often starts with a gentle nudge from someone who cares.

Sometimes self-confidence and the belief in one's self as a reader gets waylaid by a less than ideal reading environment, such as parents who don't read at home or classroom instruction in reading that centers on worksheets rather than rich texts. Hurdles are also created by adults who tell kids they "cannot" read a text because it's "too" something-too easy, too hard, too much of the same. As kids get older, other obstacles enter the arena, such as peers who think reading isn't cool or assigned novels taking precedence over student choice in reading.

(It's also true that some children struggle as readers due to the way their minds and bodies process the intake of information. I'm excited about research in those areas and the potential for support for those students, but that's not my focus here.)

What's the secret sauce that allows students to see themselves as a reader?

In this day and age of data, reading ability is one of those things that many educators and administrators want to quantify. I understand the desire to do so; data allows for clear decision making, gives teachers and schools a way to measure progress, and satisfies school boards (as long as the trend continues upward.) But I would contend that data is only one piece of the puzzle.

Reading comprehension should be viewed on a multi-faceted continuum that takes into account the student's skill level in decoding words, their willingness to take on a text, and their exposure to the content. When readers approach the page, they bring their own schemas and personal experiences to that work. Their interests play a part. Consider:

A kid who is a dinosaur expert will likely have much higher comprehension in a challenging book about dinosaurs than she might if she attempts to tackle a difficult biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

A student who spends many fall weekends in a deer stand in the woods with his uncle should be allowed to attempt to read an above-his-level novel that centers around hunting.

A person who can phonetically "read" a medical report full of jargon will find that her comprehension ramps up exponentially when a beloved family member faces a medical challenge.

Trusting one's ability to tackle tough texts can impact so much beyond just the books kids read. When students believe in their abilities to dig in and figure out challenging vocabulary and concepts:

They can take on standardized tests with more confidence.

They level up instinctively when making book selections, thinking, "I'm interested in this book, and it looks a bit harder than what I usually read, but I'm going to give it a try."

They experience growth in reading steadily-and naturally.

Being a reader takes risk, whether it's picking up a book in a new series, taking on a longer chapter book or exploring a different genre. Confident readers take on that risk and bounce back with resilience when the book is not a great fit, doesn't hold their interest, or when they sense that they are not understanding what they read. They know that the problem isn't "them" per se. They can ask themselves if perhaps need more time before they're ready for that book. Or if they need to build some schema before taking it on. Or maybe the book simply isn't interesting. They separate the difficulty of accessing the texts from their identities as readers.

When kids don't have confidence in their reading ability, they lack trust in their comprehension as well. It's a vicious circle. They don't feel confident when reading, and so comprehend less. They comprehend less, and so their confidence suffers. And just as confident readers are capable of separating the difficult texts from their self-identification as readers, non-confident readers have the opposite issue. Each struggle convinces them more and more that they are not readers-and never will be.

Teachers who get it will set kids up for success, building in work to enhance fluency and taking time to engage in conversations that deepen comprehension. Perhaps most importantly, these educators strengthen their relationship with each student in order to gently open a learner's mind to more difficult or more complex stories or different genres. They may encourage students to take a step back from choosing the "big books" in the library in order to look smarter and to instead choose books that will increase the likelihood of solid comprehension.

Students need a support system to bolster self-belief. In my practice, the students who grow the most in reading ability are those who spend their days in a classroom that focuses on creating a literacy community. They read books and then talk about them. They are free to recommend books to each other, and to the teacher. They see themselves as contributors, participants, and most importantly, as readers.

To remind yourself of what it's like to be a reading learner, challenge your own self as a reader. It's amazing to me how I feel when I take on a poem or novel that pushes my envelope. I have come to embrace the discordant thoughts and feelings when I'm enjoying a rich classic or powerful modern piece of poetry. I notice how I have to slow down to digest the words. I pay attention when I see an unfamiliar word (and actually stop to figure out exactly what it means.) This kind of reading is both exhilarating and exhausting. It may not be the perfect beach reading, but it keeps my heart focused on how kids feel when they are pushing themselves in stories that are slightly beyond their current independent reading levels.

I know we have to keep our eyes on the data, but let's put our energies into the stuff that truly works. Build relationships. Listen to kids. Find connections with -and for-them. Develop safe and strong reading communities. Read to kids. Read with kids. Read for kids. Model for them how to make choices that help them grow, but understand when they return to an old favorite like it's a security blanket. In time, they'll take those risks. I promise.

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To Foster Confidence and Motivation in Young Readers, Consider This - EdSurge News

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I can read. I am a reader. On the surface, these sentences seem to say the same thing, but I would argue that they are distinctly different ideas. One is grounded in the mechanics of phonetically crafting words from the combination of letters on a page; the other is anchored in self-identity.

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"I hate to read!" I can't tell you how many times I have heard this as a Special Education teacher. Some students hate reading because they feel that they are not good at it AND they have no confidence in themselves. Before you can even begin to address their weaknesses, you have to get them to to read. Activating a student's interest in reading by showing how a story can come alive is the first step in building confidence.

Strategy 1: It's Okay to Make Mistakes

Model reading for your students. It is excruciating to see a student get hung up on sounding out a word as they read aloud. By the time they figure out the word, they have lost whatever meaning of the text that they had up to that point. Let your students know it is okay to not know words as they read by modeling what to do when you run across a word you don't know.

Tip 1: Demonstrate in a read-aloud how to skip the unknown word and use the context to try to figure it out. When my children were young, the Harry Potter books were a huge deal. They were too young to read them on their own, so I read the first one to them. When we first came across the word "muggle", I had no idea what that meant. I stopped reading, and we tried to figure out the meaning using the context. Lexia Learning has some fun activities to practice using context clues. Silly Sentences is a fun activity that I have used with my students. A variation of this activity can be used by creating a semantic web. I take a passage and replace a word with a nonsense word and write it in the center circle. As the teacher reads the passage, the students add what they know by drawing lines out from the circle and connecting it to the center. This provides a visual representation of how to use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Tip 2: It's okay to skip names. Students need to be told this. Names do not always follow phonetic rules. They need to be told not to spend too much time trying to work out the name. Share your own name mishaps when reading. When Harry Potter first came out, people really struggled with the pronunciation of Hemione. My friend's daughter told me that she loved "Hermie One" in the book! I am guilty of this as well and recently shared this story with my students: Over the winter break, I read a novel in which one of the characters was named "Eoin". I had never seen that name before. I decided it was pronounced "Ian." Finally, one day I took the time to look it up and found that it is really pronounced "Owen." Mispronouncing the character's name did not interfere with my comprehension of the story. It's okay to substitute another name and keep reading! If the student's must know how to say the name, Google "How to pronounce Eoin." I love that students can now see and hear the correct pronunciation!

Tip 3: When students are reading aloud and come across an unknown word, quietly supply the word so they can keep reading with fluency. Students need to see and hear the word pronounced correctly in order to learn it. For more about the connection between seeing and hearing words I particularly like that the author pointed out how important it is to have a sense of humor! If your students see you make a mistake and are able to laugh at yourself, they too may not be too frightened to make a mistake.

Strategy 2: Reading is Fun!

Students who don't like to read may have never experienced the joy of being immersed in a story in such a way that you care about the characters and have to keep reading in order to find out what happens to them. I actively try to find ways to introduce students to the world that can be discovered through reading.

Tip 1: Students of any age like to be read to! That's why audio books are so popular now. Find a good book, story, poem, song lyrics that tell a story, etc. to hook the student into wanting to know more! Two of my favorites to read to students are "The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe ( https://poestories.com/stories.php ) and "In the Cyclops Cave" (an audio recording can be found here on Storynory ).

Tip 2: Find a cliffhanger or a story with a twist and save the ending for later. If the students start spontaneously talking about what happens next or begging for more, you've got them! Here is a link to a list with 5 cliffhanger stories. You can't beat O.Henry for a story with a twist. Here's a dozen short stories by him.

Tip 3: Practice tongue twisters. Tongue twisters can serve a triple purpose. First, who can't make a mistake when reading one? This is a great way to learn to shrug off a mistake and move on. Full disclosure: I am terrible at reading tongue twisters much to the delight of my students! Second, using tongue twisters is also a way to practice reading aloud in a low pressure environment. They are designed for failure, so everyone fails. Third, tongue twisters can also morph into a vocabulary development lesson because unknown words may need to be defined. You can also develop vocabulary by having students try their hand at writing their own tongue twisters and looking up words that start with the same letters and sounds. I like this one for vocabulary development: flea and a fly flew up in a flue. Said the flea, "Let us fly!" Said the fly, "Let us flee!" So they flew through a flaw in the flue. Here are 50 to improve pronunciation .

Strategy 3: Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice will not only get you to Carnegie Hall; it improves reading performance in students. I tell my student that old joke:

A man on the street in NY stops to ask directions, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"

A man answers, "Practice, practice, practice."

After I explain what the joke means, I also explain that's the only way to become a better reader.

Tip 1: Paired reading. Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) is a way for students to enhance comprehension skills by using strategies before, during, and after reading a passage. This strategy could be used as a paired reading or in a small group cooperative setting. I have used this program with a group of Autistic high school students, and I opted to use it in a paired reading setting as my other goals were to encourage both students to communicate with each other and improve social skills. This is a structured program and its implementation should be modeled and taught before letting students try it on their own. The CSR strategies are: (1) preview the text, (2) click and clunk, (3) get the gist, and (4) wrap up. For more information, Check out this article on

When I used CSR with my students, I used Read Theory data to pair students with similar reading abilities. Once the students have learned the protocol, they can work together on reading passages based on their reading levels. Read Theory provides paper reading passages by grade level which can be found . You can also use this technique with supplemental reading activities that correspond with science or social studies lessons.

Tip 2: Immediate Feedback. The adaptive component of Read Theory's reading comprehension practice automatically matches a student's reading ability level with text in order for them to be successful. My favorite aspect of Read Theory's program is that it "self-adjusts." As students become more proficient, higher level passages are added. If they struggle, they go back to the previous level where they have success. As a result, students can practice their reading comprehension skills AND get immediate feedback-not days later when they have forgotten what they have read. The "adjustable" nature of the program helps keep the students motivated without increasing their frustration level.

Here's a screenshot that shows how a student's levels go up and down as they work through the program:

Growing Self Confident Readers

Self-Confidence in reading should be cultivated in reluctant readers. Plant seeds to spark interest and water with engaging materials. Continue to feed by teaching strategies and letting students know that it is okay to make mistakes. No one knows all the words all the time. Continue to grow the skills through practice and by actively teaching strategies. Then harvest the fruit of your labor-a student who has built up their confidence and wants to work on their weaknesses so they can read more!

For more strategies and tips, check out Strategies and Tips from Real Teachers and Four Comprehension Skills Every Student Needs .

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Building Confidence in Struggling Readers - ReadTheory

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"I hate to read!" I can't tell you how many times I have heard this as a Special Education teacher. Some students hate reading because they feel that they are not good at it AND they have no confidence in themselves. Before you can even begin to address their weaknesses, you have to get them to to read.

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As avid lovers of literature, teachers often find themselves wanting to impart every bit of knowledge about a well-loved text to their students. And this is not just an ELA issue-other disciplines also often focus on the content of a text. However, teaching reading skills in English classes and across the disciplines is an almost guaranteed way to help students retain content. Unfortunately, the tendency to focus on the content is a real enemy to the ultimate goal of building reading skills.

Without a repertoire of reading strategies that can be applied to any text, students are being shortchanged in their education. In order to teach students to read effectively, teachers must be sure that they are not simply suppliers of information on a particular text but also instructors of techniques to build reading skills. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate reading skills lessons into a curriculum.

Teach Close Reading Skills

Guide students in annotation by directing them to do more than highlight or underline. Encourage students to have a conversation with the text by jotting notes on the text while reading-this keeps students engaged and often increases comprehension. Annotations can include:

Defining new words

Asking questions

Coding recurring words and themes

Making personal connections to the text

Citing current events

Highlighting heading and subheadings

Summarizing paragraphs

Chunking

Categorizing information

Numbering and ordering

Drawing pictures

The list of possibilities is endless-the point is to have students form their own process when approaching a text. But don't be afraid to give students specific annotation guidelines such as "annotate the writer's characterization techniques" or "find examples of . . ." to help them focus. Annotations also help students identify which strategies work best for them as they try to process and understand information. The clip " Girls Read Comic" from The Big Bang Theory is a great way to introduce the concept of reading closely and its importance.

Appeal to the Senses

While reading is the work of the mind, incorporating the senses provides extra reinforcement for students who are still growing their skills. Reading passages aloud and verbalizing questions you would mentally ask while reading can be a great benefit to students. Students often have no idea how to ask questions, what type of questions to ask, or the frequency of questions, so modeling this skill is invaluable. This can be further reinforced especially for visual learners by using a document camera or overhead projector to write questions, mark key words and phrases, and interact with a text. And as always, encourage students to read with a pen or pencil in hand.

Guide Students in Setting Reading Goals

While writing goals are used regularly in the classroom, students do not assess personal reading skills on a regular basis. Begin the year by having students write a reader's biography to gain insight into their reading habits, struggles, and successes; this serves as a foundation for discussions on setting reading goals. After reading a novel, nonfiction text, short story, or poetry unit, help students evaluate their reading skills: Did you feel confident reading the text? Why or why not? What parts of the text gave you trouble? Could you have used a different strategy to make reading the text easier? Students should evaluate goals on a regular basis and create new goals based on their needs and growth.

Vary Text Length

When approaching a particularly difficult text, break it up and offer it in shorter segments. Students often become discouraged with lengthy texts that require intense concentration. Giving smaller segments allows the students to digest chunks in pieces, acquire academic vocabulary, and build confidence.

Offer Opportunities for Choice Reading

Simply put, the best way to improve reading is to read, and students are more likely to read when they have a choice in the reading. Newsela and CommonLit offer a variety of nonfiction articles for choice (and CommonLit includes fiction as well); both sites include articles with various grade levels and across multiple disciplines. Classroom libraries built from donations, garage sales, and thrift shops encourage students to take books for personal reading. Ask students about their interests and make recommendations. Reading for pleasure builds transferable skills for content reading and should be encouraged, including in class.

Assess Content and Skill

Students should be able to demonstrate their skills in assessment, whether it's formal or informal, formative or summative. Recall and comprehension questions are a good way to check for basic understanding, but teachers should then move to the harder how and why questions. Choose activities that require students to dig deep into a text, such as:

Facilitate a socratic discussion.

Create a playlist for a character.

Write a formal essay.

Make a meme for a character.

Present a mini-TED talk on research inspired by a text.

Create a mind map, literary 3x3, or infographic.

Most teachers already incorporate skill building in their classes to some degree; however, taking time to discuss and actively engage students in the process will keep skill development at the forefront of learning. The result will be students who not only make gains in reading but also have an understanding of how to become better readers.

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6 Techniques for Building Reading Skills-in Any Subject

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As avid lovers of literature, teachers often find themselves wanting to impart every bit of knowledge about a well-loved text to their students. And this is not just an ELA issue-other disciplines also often focus on the content of a text.

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The phrase "think big" resonated with me because it reminded me of my mom when I was much younger. She would say this whenever I would get discouraged about "little" things happening in my life.

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Welcome, employees of TUSD! This page provides information and links of use to you.

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Exposing new readers to a variety of genres can help them find the books they love. Plus, reading comprehension strategies to deepen their engagement.

Jim West / Alamy Stock Photo

Every elementary school teacher is a reading teacher and is essential in helping each child on his or her reading journey. When we provide the resources to meet the literacy needs of our students beginning as early as prekindergarten, students and teachers will feel both confident and competent in teaching and learning to read.

While helping students learn to read, it is also important to create a love of reading. Students who read voluntarily report less negativity about reading than those who are required to read.

Create Motivation

Motivation is the key in promoting a love of literacy in children. One of the best resources I have found for creating motivation is a shelf filled with books that match students' interest level and reading level. They should be surrounded by titles that reflect the lives of themselves as well as their classmates. When students find titles with characters that look like them and families that resemble their own or their neighbors, their interest level increases. Making these connections also increases student comprehension.

Students should be provided with books that represent all genres so that they can determine what they most enjoy reading. Unless a child is given the opportunity to read poetry, mysteries, historical fiction, biographies, autobiographies, and science fiction, he or she may not know all of the types of stories that are created for readers of all ages. Student book choice is the first step in getting children hooked on reading. When students have ownership of their reading, successful, independent readers begin to bloom.

Teachers can be the best book matchmakers for their students. While teachers are building relationships with their students in the beginning of the year, they can also conduct one-on-one interviews or give interest surveys to each child. This practice will help teachers learn the strengths, challenges, likes, and dislikes of their students. This information helps teachers select the best book to spark a child's interest in reading.

Peers can be a great resource for helping students find what books they will love to read. Encourage classmates to be book matchmakers by creating personalized book recommendations for their peers. It's easy to create a recommendation template that can be stacked in the class book nook. When students find a book they think would match the interests and hobbies of classmates, they can fill out the personalized book recommendation form and give it to their classmate.

Literacy diagnostic tools such as running records or anecdotal notes can also be used to understand the instructional and independent reading levels of students. During one-on-one or small-group reading instruction, teachers can note the reading behaviors they observe, including any errors made during reading, students' responses to comprehension questions, or details about their expression, tone, or reading rate.

Read Together

Through daily guided reading, teachers can introduce students to high-interest instructional text across genres. Daily individualized reading practice gives students the opportunity to read books of choice on their independent reading level and grow as readers. Introduce children to multiple genres of books during small-group reading instruction. When children find a book of interest, they can turn the book into their choice book for independent reading time.

Background knowledge about a topic or subject matter can help students engage in the reading. For example, if a child has never been to a farm, he or she may not understand how the setting of the barn is crucial to the plot of a story that takes place on a farm. If a student has no prior knowledge about the roaring twenties, he or she will not fully comprehend an article about the Great Depression. Making stories and articles relevant to everyday life and current events is one more way to increase background knowledge. In order to build background knowledge before reading, teachers should consider taking students on virtual or live field trips or giving them access to real objects.

Assume that students have no understanding of the vocabulary words or content of the text. Allow them to make predictions, make connections, and ask questions before every reading experience to gauge their knowledge. These three comprehension strategies inform a teacher of the students' proficiency about a particular topic. Encourage readers to use the title and pictures to make a prediction about what the book is about before reading it. During reading, students confirm their prediction and make a connection. Ask questions such as, "What does this text remind you of?" or "What is going to happen next?" to build comprehension.

Give students daily experiences in instructional guided reading, independent reading, and choice. Exposure them to culturally relevant and diverse genres, and guide them with comprehension strategies to enhance a love of reading.

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Developing a Love of Reading in Students

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Exposing new readers to a variety of genres can help them find the books they love. Plus, reading comprehension strategies to deepen their engagement.

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Imagine walking into an early elementary school classroom and seeing all students immersed in literacy experiences. Children are engaged in a variety of reading and writing activities while some students are working in groups and others working individually. Students explore books of various genres not just in the library or during reading times, but also in science, math, and social studies. During math the teacher reads aloud a book on math such as The Math Curse (Scieszka & Lane, 1995) and discusses the content in order to expose students to literacy across all content areas. During science, students explore the science literature such as eyewitness books to gain greater knowledge about concepts. Students interact with books on CD-Rom and listen to books on tape. Materials in the classroom are adapted not only to help students with challenges interact with text, but also to serve as a motivator for reading. Students write books and reports in all of the content areas, as well as writing in student journals and notebooks. When needing a resource for more information, students use books, computers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and word walls, as well as teachers and peers for assistance.

The classroom has labels with words and pictures everywhere so that students constantly connect written language with the things they represent. Teachers display these labels based on student needs and interest to provide children with disabilities support in the classroom (Dorrell, 2002). Students use calendars, schedules, signs, and directions to see how words can be used everyday. Teachers and students reconstruct the classroom to represent a book or a theme that the class has studied with written materials so that students can live in the lesson. All materials are adapted to meet the needs of children with disabilities. For example, Braille and textured materials may be used in labels, signs, and other displays for children with visual impairments.

Teachers engage in language and literacy activities in all elements of instruction. Conversations abound in which teachers elicit language from students and ask them to transcribe that language. For example, a teacher conducting a science lesson may request hypotheses, observations, and conclusions from students in an oral and written form. Teachers also facilitate language and literacy exploration with games and activities that students can use one-to-one, independently, or with peers. Finally, teachers demonstrate their own participation in language and literacy through modeling its use continually throughout the day. Teachers can demonstrate writing on the board by recording what children share in class discussions.

From the atmosphere and decor of the room to interactions with peers and teachers, every element of the classroom is designed to allow students with disabilities explore the elements of literacy. The literacy rich environment emphasizes the importance of speaking, reading, and writing in the learning of all students. This involves the selection of materials that will facilitate language and literacy opportunities; reflection and thought regarding classroom design; and intentional instruction and facilitation by teachers and staff (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1999). Because literacy-rich environments can be individualized to meet student's needs, teachers are able to create both independent and directed activities to enhance understanding of concept of print and word, linguistic and phonemic awareness, and vocabulary development. All of this occurs in a concrete setting giving students with disabilities multiple opportunities to gain the skills necessary to participate in the general education curriculum. For example, books, technology, manipulative materials, art projects, and explorative activities can be used around a central theme.

Classroom materials for literacy-rich environments

The intentional selection and use of materials is central to the development of the literacy-rich environment. Teachers ensure that students have access to a variety of resources by providing many choices. Teaching staff connect literacy to all elements of classroom life. Teaching staff alternate books in the classroom library to maintain student's interest and expose them to various genres and ideas (International Reading Association [IRA] & the National Association for the Education of Young children [NAEYC], 1998). For example, teachers should include both fiction and nonfiction literature. Classrooms include miscellaneous literacy materials that are used in everyday life further demonstrate how literacy is used (Goodman, Bird, & Goodman, 1991).

Examples of materials

Taking dictation for students not yet fluent in writing allows students to see how oral language is translated into written language. Written words let students see what they say. Therefore, writing makes thoughts visible. As students make attempts to write, allowing for diverse materials (pens, pencils, markers, and crayons of varying shapes and sizes, typewriters, computers, keyboards, magnetic writing boards, etc.) increases students choice and motivation. Adapted materials such as tactile books, manipulatives, slant boards, and pencil grips for diverse learners offers accessibility and motivation. Home-school connections are made through lending materials that ensure that students with diverse ability have literacy opportunities at home as well as at school. Parents are made aware of the materials and shown how students can use them at home.

Adapted materials

Tactile Books - textured print or pictures within books for students to touch and sniff

Manipulatives - hands-on skill building materials such as pattern blocks, color tiles, and reading rods

Slant boards - boards propped up on an angled book stands to assist students with their writing

Pencil grips - a pre-shaped grip that is placed over a pencil to assist students with proper grip and letter formation

Conclusion

The literacy-rich classroom serves as a means to build the basic skills necessary for literacy development by demonstrating to students with disabilities the function and utility of language in an intentional, purposeful, and intensive way. While many students come to school with exposure to literacy in their everyday lives, students who may not have access or exposure benefit from the instruction and intensity provided by teachers and staff in this setting. Given the support of this environment, students are better prepared to work on other literacy skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

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The literacy-rich environment emphasizes the importance of speaking, reading, and writing in the learning of all students. This involves the selection of materials that will facilitate language and literacy opportunities; reflection and thought regarding classroom design; and intentional instruction and facilitation by teachers and staff.

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Have confidence!

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because a lot of my students struggle with doing that

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i ask kids to write down "deep questions" and they really didn't get it... i tried to explain it was questions about questions about questions... a few levels down. like a kindergartener asking "why, but why, but why?" later i changed this to curious questions and they seem to get that better. yet still some just ask simple surface level clarification/rote/definition questions, but we're getting better!

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i ask kids to write down "deep questions" and they really didn't get it... i tried to explain it was questions about questions about questions... a few levels down. like a kindergartener asking "why, but why, but why?" later i changed this to curious questions and they seem to get that better. yet still some just ask simple surface level clarification/rote/definition questions, but we're getting better!

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Just keep swimming!
It's just not a good idea to give up...no matter what.

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This resonates with me because I think it's something we all have to consider. Teachers and students.

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attitude changes everything

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Build Confidence. A. Welsh

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Students who don't think that they can read or that books are boring will end up not being able to read. Students don't have to believe in themselves, but they do have to have an attitude of being willing to try.

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Why??? Because reading ROCKS!!!

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Attitude changes everything. Why? because it simply does.

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Because every moment is a new opportunity to change my mindset

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Lead the students to believe in their own abilities.

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Relevant content so so readers can see themselves in the text.

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Reading can inspire dreaming and creativity.

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building student confidence....thats the first step

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building student confidence....thats the first step

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Confidence.  I think that is the key to learning.

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Having students take risks with decoding rigorous reading material gets them to persevere and work through their learning.  Building confidence allows them to be warriors.

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My middle school students need confidence to succeed. All students do and reading ability leads to good grades and self confidence.

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Dream

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Be Persistent: Don't give up!

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Attitude changes everything. I chose this because my attitude has been dark and dreary. The stress and long covid have really done a number on me.

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Attitude changes everything. I chose this because my attitude has been dark and dreary. The stress and long covid have really done a number on me.

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Get to know the students and work with their strength.

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Get to know the students and work with their strength.

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Pairing students together where they can select a job where they can shine!

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Pairing students together where they can select a job where they can shine!

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Approaching a task with assurance,
Teachers foster this by using the word "Yet". Students feel that tasks will be achievable.

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Giving students a chance to collaborate together about a reading, then share what they learned from their classmates

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Giving students a chance to collaborate together about a reading, then share what they learned from their classmates

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give specific choices for class & every choice can be turned into a winner from how you turn the focus on it

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give specific choices for class & every choice can be turned into a winner from how you turn the focus on it

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Sharing times you yourself have struggled and explain how you overcame that

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Sharing times you yourself have struggled and explain how you overcame that

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Model reading, help students by example. Help them comprehend and explain metacognition...help them become aware of their own learning process.

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Helping students identify when a reading is feeling at an independent level or a frustration level, helping them be at ease with these different kinds of readings

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Helping students identify when a reading is feeling at an independent level or a frustration level, helping them be at ease with these different kinds of readings

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1. something your grateful for
2. something you're looking forward to
3. something you can't change
4. someone you're going to thank
5. someone you're going to encourage
6. something you are proud of accomplishing

facilitates 1on1 discussions and gives me massive insight into students' lives, hearts, and minds

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Students will work with partners or in small groups before the whole class discussion to build comfort.  Providing essential questions of varying levels also helps to focus, engage the students, and scaffold the material. Students use graphic organizers to help them organize their ideas before they speak or write. I sometimes give a brief summary of the text before we read, frontload vocabulary, and chunk the reading. Giving praise along the way.

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Students will work with partners or in small groups before the whole class discussion to build comfort.  Providing essential questions of varying levels also helps to focus, engage the students, and scaffold the material. Students use graphic organizers to help them organize their ideas before they speak or write. I sometimes give a brief summary of the text before we read, frontload vocabulary, and chunk the reading. Giving praise along the way.

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Kids are more likely to get excited about reading if they can see themselves and their lives reflected in what they read. It is necessary that we have classroom reading materials (classroom libraries, books read aloud to whole group, texts examined during instruction) that reflect a wide variety of cultures, lifestyles, and viewpoints. That way, students will be able to see themselves and feel more represented in what they are reading and engaged in, while also being provided with an opportunity to see things from a different point of view.

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Beginning of the year, I give them a Reading Survey that tells me what they like to read and their past experiences with reading. I also give them a learning styles survey which informs both me and my students about their styles. It helps me create lessons that honor who they are. This helps me create the menus.

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How will I create a more creative classroom?

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How will I create a more creative classroom?

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I have the kids design and build their poster boards. I usually divide the board such that each class has a portion. They are given a task and they must research the assignment. Since the school does not have a color printer, I usually print any color at my home.

I provide the kids with scaffolding. Example currently we are studying the solar system. I have a board in the hall which they will draw the night sky. I have previously given them two star maps. I will be telling them where north is and then they do the rest.
I use "the Universe at your fingertips" by Astronomical Society of the Pacific, astrosociety.org

I also ask them to annotate what they have placed on the board.

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Always look for ways to relate to the students.

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This is an interesting article - what I enjoyed is building a community of learners by defining the term rigor and how it applies to students, and for the class as a whole.  Then students reflect on how they feel successful by providing evidence.  These are great skills with ELA and student confidence.

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3 Strategies for Setting Up Rigorous Expectations With Students

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Explaining the criteria for successful learning at the surface, deep, and transfer levels puts students in a better position to meet benchmarks.

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Building Confidence In The Struggling Reader | Adventures in Literacy Land

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Building Confidence In The Struggling Reader

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Hi everyone! Emily here, from The Reading Tutor/OG. I'm excited to share with you in this brand new year! Today, I'm going to open a discussion. Many of us work with challenged or struggling readers every day.

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Classroom Environment Reading Intervention Middle School

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Classroom Environment Reading Intervention Middle School

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Provide a comfortable classroom space. Respect for all. Include expectations and structure. Dedicated reading time. Intervention centers. Small group instructions. Whole group directions. Newsela, Data, IXL, books, books, books.... Publish Center/Art

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Important to use multiple modes of reading: kids are reading all the time: texts, tweets, sports scores, sheet music, social media, driver manuals, etc. Show them that they are reading everyday--ask them to share ANYTHING they read throughout their normal day. Informational text is KEY so don't focus just on fiction to spur students into reading.

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The students will write and illustrate short branching narratives. Then they will program small text based adventures. Allow students to choose the themes and lessons to be learned from playing the game, encourage them to draw from their experiences.

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Biweekly homework: Read something and write about it

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Biweekly homework: Read something and write about it

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I already have students (ELD) read a chapter or article of their choice every 2 weeks and write at least 5 sentences about what they read. I would like to add a discussion/book walk element where students share what they read with each other.

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Just this week, I was cleaning through my files & I found my Teaching Tolerance magazines with my SPARKS packet along with 2 multicultural lesson plans - been 4-5 years since I've used this - I was so happy I did a Snoppy dance

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Just this week, I was cleaning through my files & I found my Teaching Tolerance magazines with my SPARKS packet along with 2 multicultural lesson plans - been 4-5 years since I've used this - I was so happy I did a Snoppy dance

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Gratitude journal, Continue IXL La certificate wall of # of questions answered towards goal of being a Rock Star class, IXL student certificates for growth, End of the ELD VISIONS Unit mini thematic posters of favorite chapters, Reading strategies poster, incorporate reading strategies, class trips to the school library, students create library book share cards

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In our library, we started an "Awesome Box" in addition to the regular drop box. If a student thought a book was awesome, they put it there and can make a comment about why it's awesome. Then we put it on a special display. Students like to know what their peers are loving. The books in the Awesome display get checked right out.

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I think we need to learn more about the generations (gen z and alpha) that we are teaching and we need to add as much technology and engaging activities as we can. For example, need to keep using the materials we have available like Time to Climb, Kahoot, Blooket, etc. This seem to interest my students. I make use these tools to ask reading comprehension questions about our readings.

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One of the things I do is that I have a selection of novels from which the students can pick a book that best fits their interests. I also allow them to change books if they find the one they selected was not keeping their interest. I try and have a variety of books from mystery to romance to adventure.

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Literacy confidence with vocabulary and presentations

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Literacy confidence with vocabulary and presentations

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A solid safe and great space for students is bringing the textbook alive.  In my classroom, students do this with presentations.  I provide a presentation template as a guide.  Students become comfortable with the content because vocabulary is key.

Vocabulary work is crucial and students learn to use the vocabulary in their presentations.  In my classroom, student presentations are gradual, beginning with a few seconds of speaking and progressing to 30 seconds, one minute, etc., in the Toastmasters manner.  Presentations must include the vocabulary in the correct context.  Students use visuals to present, including the presentation software.

Students feel great after a presenting, and so it progresses.  Students work on projects and present them accordingly.  This is a great way that connects literacy confidence with vocabulary and presentations, tried and true in my classroom.

Dr. Bicknell, PHS

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When reading the class text, I have a physical copy go the book available to each student, a photocopy of each chapter that the students can mark up, the Audible version of the book to listen to, and loose blank paper to use for drawing interpretations. I let the kids know that we are working toward using all methods to some degree to increase our study of the text, but that it is definitely acceptable to choose one to access primarily. I have students with ongoing, severe emotional challenges, so allowing to get into a text in the way they prefer gives them some ownership and validates what they're going through, as well. 

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When reading the class text, I have a physical copy go the book available to each student, a photocopy of each chapter that the students can mark up, the Audible version of the book to listen to, and loose blank paper to use for drawing interpretations. I let the kids know that we are working toward using all methods to some degree to increase our study of the text, but that it is definitely acceptable to choose one to access primarily. I have students with ongoing, severe emotional challenges, so allowing to get into a text in the way they prefer gives them some ownership and validates what they're going through, as well. 

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Begin with an engaging life question that ties to the reading, open discussion/written reflections, read together and stop and have those ah-ha moments - together. Live within the text. Close with a student driven project or outcome that demonstrates their personal tie-in and conclusions. There are no wrong answers or ideas. As a teacher I like to highlight the responses and welcome the students to take credit for their outcomes. It also builds our class environment of reaching, failing safely, succeeding in so many small and large ways.

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We need  "humility" and "curiosity" to try something new. Sharing data and celebrating successes will build confidence in our students. 

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We need  "humility" and "curiosity" to try something new. Sharing data and celebrating successes will build confidence in our students. 

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Reading needs to be fun, have a menu of available books, I would like to know more about the iXl (I use it now, but could use more pro-tips)

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Reading needs to be fun, have a menu of available books, I would like to know more about the iXl (I use it now, but could use more pro-tips)

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One thing that I learned is that we have to be very aware to use pre-approved texts from the district.

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One thing that I learned is that we have to be very aware to use pre-approved texts from the district.

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One thing I will do to promote literacy in my classroom is share my struggles with my students.
One question I still have is how often does TUSD review and add new approved texts?

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I really liked the discussion on Levels of reading and interest.

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I really liked the discussion on Levels of reading and interest.

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-One thing I learned from this workshop is that students need to be interested in their reading material and what they engage in if it is going to be worthwhile.

-I will design a classroom that promotes engaged readers by having a wide variety of reading materials present that reflect many perspectives and world views. I will also work to foster an open space of discussion.

-One question I still have: How do we promote engaged readers if some students are still struggling with reading comprehension?

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1. One thing I learned is that our libraries have books that are not board approved. 2. I will use SPARKS to help make my personal library more relevant. 3. No questions, thank you! - Rebekah Acosta

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1. One thing I learned is that our libraries have books that are not board approved. 2. I will use SPARKS to help make my personal library more relevant. 3. No questions, thank you! - Rebekah Acosta

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I learned that I am on track building a love for reading.
I will be even more mindful of pulling in those quiet or resistant students.

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1 - Learned how to build resiliency with struggle and growth mindset
1 - trying to utilize a padlet to increase student voice
1 - question - can there be a quarterly or monthly meeting on creating literacy confident classroom.
from James Roberts

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1. What Padlet is.
2. What the importance of scaffolding is.
3. I would like to learn more about Padlet.
KBMahaffey