Teachers Can Support Struggling Readers in Middle and High School. Here’s How

As mentioned in our earlier post, teachers at our high school concerned about the literacy skills of our students designed instruction to advance learning in the areas of self-regulation, word-recognition skills, language, study skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. In this post, we focus on instructional practices that promote oral language as a bedrock for reading growth. Some of the ways that teachers foster oral language skills are highlighted below.

1. Quick Connection Cards

These are free electronic cards that contain ideas to easily support students engaging in brief discussions as they voice their thinking, hear the voices and ideas of their peers, and collaborate to problem-solve.

Then invite students to independently think about their response to the question. They can jot down a few notes if written support is needed before next sharing with a partner. After sharing, students may expand or refine their initial response. Finally, students can stand in a whole-class circle to voice their thinking. This process supports students adding context, providing examples, and building confidence as they elaborate on ideas. Confidence as speakers is built as students move from an individual response to a shared class collaboration.

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