Practice Brief-Struggling Readers.pdf

ecause they lack the tools to identify and then repair misunderstandings whenthey occur. When we teach students to use comprehension strategies before,during, and after reading, they can become better readers (Edmonds et al.,in press).Successful Readers• Monitor reading for understanding.Consider the writing from the author’sview, interacting with text during and afterreading.• Link content with their prior knowledge.• Use a variety of effective readingstrategies before, during, and afterreading.• Set a purpose for reading and adjust theirrate and strategy use depending on thetext and content.Struggling Readers• Fail to use metacognitive strategies asthey read.• May not be aware when understandingbreaks down.• Do not question or interact with the textduring or after reading.• May lack subject-specific priorknowledge.• Do not readily make connectionsbetween what they are learning andwhat they already know.• Have limited knowledge and use ofstrategies for gaining information fromtext.• May fail to read with purpose or goals.• Often do not enjoy reading and lackunderstanding of the utility of reading.Adapted from Denton, Bryan, Wexler, Vaughn, & Reed, 2007; Pressley, 2006.Instructional Practices Associated withImproved Reading ComprehensionA review of reading comprehension studies with students with LD (Mastropieri& Scruggs, 1997) supports the use of the strategies recommended by theNational Reading Panel, outlined below. Strategies are most beneficial whenstudents learn and practice them in meaningful contexts. For example, use arelevant text or textbook in the content area targeted for instruction to teachstudents how to derive the main idea.22