"In order to recognize struggling readers who are not building a reading process system, it's beneficial to start observing children who have efficient working systems"(15, Johnson and Keier). You've got to know what you are looking for before you can fix it. Being able to understand how a child is making connections, predicting, questioning, and inferring is a key to knowing what you are looking for in a struggling reader. Struggling readers do not make connections or inferences. They won't form images in their minds or even ask questions. They won't attempt to figure out that hard word because they don't have an efficient reading process system. We have to make our struggling readers think out loud. A few ways this can be achieved is through modeling, thinking aloud, and doing shared demonstrations. This helps to make thinking visible for those readers.
" 'Literacy involves lots of brain parts working together as a symphony...' (Dana Foundation, in Clay 2005b, 102) For the struggling reader, there is little or no orchestrated symphony of strategies going on. What is happening is more like cacophony!" (20, Johnson and Keier) This quote was a perfect description of the struggling reader. They are all over the place with no rhyme or reason of why they are making the miscues that they are. They struggling reader may have all of the strategies but they are just bouncing around in their head because they cannot relate them to each other or make that connection of how they word together or can be integrated.
Your title caught my attention and I wanted to see what you were referring to. Now it's all making sense in my brain. I teach third grade and I have a very low reader, kindergarten, in my room and I'm having a hard time helping him. After reading your post, his brain isn't able to make the connections with the strategies he does know. Hmmmm, wonder how to help them do that? I'm interested in hearing more.
ReplyDeleteHi Tracey,
ReplyDeleteExcellent quotes from your reading that work together to describe the experiences of our struggling readers. You shared in this post several strategies that you've learned to use to help our struggling readers build comprehension such as modeling, thinking aloud, and doing shared demonstrations. I agree wholeheartedly. One thing miscue analysis has really taught me too is to look for what each reader is bringing with them to each text. Many times it takes digging into watching what their behaviors are as readers through kidwatching and miscue analysis as they work to read an unfamiliar text but using what they are doing helps me build on what their strengths are and helps me then introduce a strategy that will enhance their weaknesses as well. Thanks Tracey!
Hi Tracey,
ReplyDeleteYour post was definitely an eye opener for me. It helped me to realize that teachers should observe students that are proficient in reading to help understand the struggling readers. I truly believe that teachers cannot help a student with reading until they know what their looking for.
In order to help struggling readers, I believe teachers have to do a lot of modeling and thinking aloud.
I agree with this, it is key to understand why a child may be struggling with reading in order to help them!!!
ReplyDelete