When Kids Cant Read, What Teachers Can Do

Chapter 1 and 2 Response

I agree with Beers on her comments that you do not want to work on something or
continue it if you are not good at it. Why would any students want to read if they are not
confident in their own reading skills? I completely understand students not wanting to read.
However, there must be something we can do as educators to help these students get to the level
they should be at. I really dont know where I would start if I was Georges teacher. He has
trouble with reading comprehension but he also cannot read some of the words. At first I thought
that he struggled with recognition. Concerned has a lot of repetitive letter combinations that
are present in many words in the English language. However, I dont believe that students can
learn to read solely by sounding out the letters and sounds in the word. And even if they can
sound out the words, this doesnt necessarily mean that they know what they mean. Students
need to be able to read the words fluently and understand what the words and sentence mean.
In order to start helping the struggling readers, which is defined in Chapter 2, we want to
do a list of things. We want to first and foremost build the students confidence in reading. We
can allow them to read books that are less of a challenge. Once they have built their confidence
in reading, we need to assess where they are struggling. Students should read with fluency,
understand what they are reading, be able to define the words or find their meaning from their
use in the sentence. To get students to start reading, we need to appeal to their interests. The
biggest issue I think readers have is comprehension. This is the hardest problem to tackle. How
can we teach students to understand what they read and have a picture of what is happening in
their head?
Chapters 3 Response
Beers is completely right when she says not being able to read can mean a variety of
things. Not all students struggle with the same aspect of reading. I didnt know that there were
that many different factors of reading. I wonder which of the given struggles are the most
frequent. I really liked the chart on page 28. Since I am not qualified to diagnose the problem a
student is having with reading, I can use this chart to help them the best way I can. I think that
most students who do not do read as well have little confidence in their reading skills. It tells me
what I can do to help my students.
Struggling readers need to realize what good readers do and have done to become good
readers. By verbalizing good strategies to work on their reading skills, students can understand
specifically how they improve to get to where they want to be. Readers always need to be
thinking about what they are reading. They need to analyze what they are reading and always
summarize it in their heads. Good readers make connections between their reading and their own
experiences. This allows them to relate to the text and remember it in the future.
Chapter 5 and 6 Response
When I read chapter 5 I didnt know so much thought went into making an inference
about a situation. The situation given allowed me to make the same inference that the author
claims many people would make about it. After the inference was given, the author explained
what went into me making that assumption: figuring out the relationship between characters, find
out to who the pronouns refer to, decide why the characters were doing what they were doing,
and using prior knowledge to understand the details of the example. I feel like the students dont

understand the directions for the assignment when they are supposed to make an inference. Since
the teacher didnt explain what an inference is, the students cannot understand what they are
supposed to do with the passage. Some students just give up when they dont understand what to
do. Students dont see it as their responsibility to retrieve meaning from a text. They decode and
assume that they are reading. To some extent they are correct but there are so many aspects to
reading that decoding does not constitute that students understand the text. Students need to
analyze the passage and make connections to other experiences. They need to form an opinion on
the text and verbalize it in class discussion.
I like how to look gave us examples of how to prompt students to make specific
inferences. Even if students know what an inference is we cannot assume, as teachers, that they
can understand the text enough to draw their own conclusion or idea from it. Asking specific
questions or prompting students to make an inference on some part of the passage allows
students to come to the idea on their own but with the help of the teacher. By giving examples,
the author is also helping the teacher help the student. Since I might be a science teacher, inquiry
based teaching is usually how I present the material. I will always need students to be inferring
about text they read or an activity we did. They will really need to know what inferring means
and if they dont I can use this book to find questions and prompts to get students where they
need to be.
In chapter 6 Beers gives us examples of two reading strategies. I really liked the first one
because it allows students to voice their opinions on certain topics before they even pick up the
book. They know from the start that these are some of the themes or ideas discussed in the book
they are about to read. It gives them a personal investment in the book and allows them to draw
connections with the reading throughout the story. Students are also encouraged to have a class
discussion on their opinions. This allows them to remember back to the discussion during
reading the book. I didnt really like the tea party pre-reading strategy. Although this is a good
idea, I believe this will only really work for student with a higher-level thinking. Maybe a class
could do both activities to engage both levels of thinking.
Chapter 7 and 8 Response
Reading strategy 1 requires participation from all students. I know that for struggling
readers, they might not actively be listening while the other students in their group are reading.
This worries me because they might not be able to connect their own passage to something
another student read. This takes away their ability to comprehend their reading. I am not sure
what a great fix is for this problem of passive involvement when they are not the focus at the
time. I do, however, like that the students are asked to read a passage and then stop to collect
their thoughts about it. They are allowed to make any comment they need. I think that the prompt
posters are a big help to struggling readers because they can begin practice with comprehension
with picking which sentence starter they want before the passage, and apply their thoughts to that
sentence. Eventually the students wont need to use the poster to collect their thoughts and it will
be second nature to read a passage and actively comprehend as they read.
The second during-reading strategy seems like it would be affective for a student because
they can understand the importance of re-reading a passage that they might not fully understand.
Although it may take more time and effort on their part, the benefits are worth it. It will allow
them more time to comprehend the reading as well as a possible higher score on their quiz or
test. It is important to show them that people of all ages need to re-read to understand texts. We

are not always strong and attentive readers. We all have faults and this will give them more
confidence in their reading.
Some of the other during-reading strategies arent going to work as well in a classroom. I
think it is important to have students active during their reading. When they are in groups or are
sharing with the class as they go, it will be more beneficial and holds them accountable for their
work. The other strategies mentioned are assuming that the students are going to remember to
stop and write down what they think. This is very unrealistic to assume a struggling reader wont
try to get around this assignment.
I LOVE the first after-reading strategy. Scales allows students to assess what they read
and express their opinions. The broad statements that dont give much background allow
students to find their own meaning or supporting arguments. This activity also allows the class to
discuss a couple questions in an organized group facilitated by the teacher. I will definitely be
trying to incorporate scales into my classroom. It seems very beneficial for students and it allows
the teacher to build off of the activity for further instruction.
I dont like the second after-reading strategy very much. The reason I dont like it is
because WTBS assumes the struggling readers already understand what a conflict, resolution,
and vocabulary like that are in a story. The teacher cannot really model the activity for the
students with the text because that would give away answers. I even found myself a bit confused
with the activity at first. I think it is going to be very hard to get students to first understand how
to do the activity, and second to actually get them to complete it.
Chapter 9 and 10 Response
Since we just talked about how students learn vocabulary words to eventually own it I
completely agree with using the first strategy to teach students new words. If your teacher uses a
word you dont understand, you naturally are going to want to find out what it means. If you use
these new vocabulary words a week prior to introducing them, it will allow students time to
figure out the meaning themselves or at least have them conscious of the word. When you
introduce it, they will have heard it before and will be even further invested in owning it
themselves.
I have always thought a great way to teach students new words and to naturally build
their vocabulary is by teaching prefixes and suffixes. This allows students to find a root word or
another word in the English language and add something to it to make a new word. This will also
allow them to understand words used in conversation that they havent heard before. If they
know the root, prefix, or suffix, they will be able to deduce one part of the words meaning. The
tree is a great way to get students to understand the parts of a word. If they can connect those
parts to words they already know, it will allow them to use the prefix, root, or suffix more
comfortably.
I think the picture association can work in some instances but I also think that students
will have a hard time remembering what the words specifically mean. If they write the words
characterization on the notecard (adjective, noun, etc.) it will allow them to understand the
picture more. But again, this requires students to have already mastered those vocabulary words.
This just seems a little difficult for them to go back and look at if they dont remember the
definition specifically.
From chapter 10, I saw a lot of examples of what we do at Ottobine Elementary. I
specifically recognized the echo reading and coral reading. We do this daily with the students in
first and second grade. I think that these strategies have really helped with students fluency.

They get a list of about 15-20 words every week and Mrs. Richardson sounds them out and reads
the word. Then all of us sound the letters out together and read the word. After that, we pair up
and read the words again the same way. If we already know one of the words, we are encouraged
to read it without sounding it out first. This really helps students with sounding out words in their
texts after this activity.
I always get a chance to prompt students when they do not get a word right. I was
instructed to correct them on words that are going to be more difficult for them. The books that
they usually use in class are easy and the sounds are repetitive. Students are able to recognize the
similar sounds and how they rhyme. It makes it easier for them to recognize the words and for
them to be more confident because they can read the words faster.
Chapter 11 and 12 Response
When reading chapter 11 I recognized a lot of strategies we use at Ottobine Elementary.
We practice a lot with the beginning sounds of words. As I mentioned in an earlier reflection,
students are given a list of 15-20 words a week that we work through together to get them
sounding out words. They get to echo read them with our teacher by sounding out the word and
then saying the word. Our teacher purposely puts words together for the week with either the
same beginning sound or the same ending sound. This allows students to recognize
commonalities between words that have similar sounding phonemes. This is similar to teaching
rime patterns. A lot of teachers at Ottobine teach rime patterns. I think this is helpful for students,
again, to get that rhythm in their head and it will allow them to more easily recognize the word.
Out of the steps that build the common vocabulary, I believe that phonics is the least used
strategy. I never really remember what rules I learned in middle school. I always recognize site
words and high frequency words. I am able to sound out words very easily. I think that teachers
definitely need to find a better way of having students learn sight words rather than read them off
of notecards quickly.
I agree with Beers that you must differentiate students by ability for spelling. Some
students can function at higher level thinking than other students in the class. It is our duty as
teachers to keep students engaged in the classroom discussion and activity. If we need to
differentiate to make some words harder for them, then we will. The important thing is to stay
within the same ballpark of what the whole class is spelling. The same goes for lower level
functioning students. They also need a little slack when it comes to spelling. Educators should
not only help the advanced students, but also differentiate for the students who need a little more
help.
Chapter 13 and 14 Response
In chapter 13 I really enjoyed the point that we cant dumb down the material so it is
easier for the struggling readers. As I think about lessons, my first instinct is to give my students
less reading and easier reading so they can spend the same amount of time as the other students.
But I now realize that this is not effective because the students realize when a teacher is making a
special exception for them. It is not fair to dumb down their material. We should be challenging
our students to do better. But we need to do it in the right way and provide ways for them to get
better at their reading as so they are not discouraged when they are given a difficult text to read. I
have always had zero tolerance for bullying or putting-down in classrooms. I definitely
experienced that in middle school and high school and it keeps students from voicing their ideas
and opinions. I am very excited to have an open classroom where students can speak their minds,
within reason. This will allow more students to be honest and even the struggling readers to

speak their mind about a text. Suggestion number three is a given for me. I believe think, pair,
share is beneficial for students because it provides them opportunities to edit their responses for
the group discussion. Many students utilize this opportunity to collaborate and come up with a
response to a question that reflects the ideas of both them and their partner or group members.
The best suggestion for getting reluctant readers to try a book, in my opinion, is the
fourth one: to know your students interests and know your books. Getting to know your students
and what they like will allow you to refer them to the right books that they will want to read after
hearing about them. You will be able to find books that challenge students as well as ones that
they will want to read rather than books you want them to read because you enjoyed them. I like
how they gave sources to find books since you cannot know all of the books there ever were! I
will most likely be reading books that I find interesting and if I dont have common interests with
a reluctant reader, I will not know books that will interest them.