Why Do Some Students Struggle With Reading?
Why do some students struggle to learn to read while others quickly master the art of reading?
While our brains are hard-wired for language, they were never designed for reading or writing. We have added those behaviors to the tasks we ask the human brain to do in our society.
As a result, there are many reasons why one child may not make as much progress in learning to read as another.
How Does Reading Take Place?
According to some experts, learning to read begins at birth or even while the child is still in the womb.
The background knowledge that a child brings to the schoolhouse does make a difference and is directly related to how successful that child will be in school.
Researchers say that the two strongest predictors of school success are a child’s proficiency in phonemic awareness and the size of the child’s vocabulary.
We know that the gap between good and struggling readers develops as early as the end of first grade.
Without effective and timely intervention, this gap will continue to grow until it may be 4-5 years or more by the child’s high school years.
Without targeted help, struggling readers will likely never catch up with their peers. In many cases, they will either “tune out” or “act out” in classrooms nationwide.
Why is Phonemic Awareness Important?
All young readers must have a solid grasp of phonemic awareness to understand the language’s “lilt.” Phonemic awareness helps students recognize the sounds of various letters and letter combinations.
Secondly, beginning readers must be able to decode the words they encounter by understanding how to apply the English phonetic system to words.
English is not an easy language to learn because there are many exceptions to the standard rules in our language.
Beginning readers commonly learn to identify initial sounds first, final sounds second and then learn to distinguish how medial sounds change the meaning of the word.
For example, the medial sounds in “book,” “back,” and “beak” change the entire meaning of the word.
Children must quickly recognize the meaning of a word and then be able to make sense of its context.
Reading is about making meaning out of the symbols on the page. If a child does not understand the meaning of the words, reading has not occurred.
In the same way, math skills are cumulative, and reading skills are as well. A child with poor phonemic awareness skills will struggle to develop strong phonics skills.
A child with poor decoding skills will struggle to become a fluent reader with good comprehension skills.
The threads of reading must be woven around each child if they are to become capable readers. Teachers must use good assessment techniques to find the “holes” in a reader’s tapestry and then work to fill those holes with appropriate and targeted instruction.
When this does not happen, it is why students struggle with reading.
Until the holes preventing the student from mastering the level where they are “stuck” are filled, little progress will be made in moving to the next reading mastery level.
What Can Teachers Do to Help Struggling Readers?
Reading is a participation sport!
Like tennis players or golfers, students only become better readers when they practice reading. The more students practice reading, the more proficient they become.
Students learn to read by being read to regularly. Take time to model reading by reading orally to students whenever you can.
Capitalize on student interests to help them find books they want to read. By learning what interests our students, we can help them find text at the appropriate difficulty level and motivating to read.
Without meaning and joy in reading, students will continue to struggle and fight attempts to help them become better readers.
It is also essential to help students develop strong vocabularies and good background knowledge to relate to the material they read.
Reading is a Social Activity
As adult readers, we talk to our friends about books we have read or articles in our favorite magazines to reflect upon ideas or clarify meaning for ourselves.
Give students opportunities to discuss, think about, and ask questions about the meaning of the text they read.
When we understand why students struggle with reading, we can help them close gaps that prevent them from becoming proficient readers. Asking our students to read regularly will allow them to become strong and proficient readers.
If you would like more information on strengthening adolescent readers, see the article that I wrote called:
How a Concerted District Approach with Coherent Strategies can Strengthen Adolescent Readers
To read more on this topic, you might like our blog posts:
Phases of Early Literacy Development for K-3 Students or 30 million Word Gap by Age 3
You might also be interested in my ASCD books:
The Threads of Reading: Strategies for Literacy Development
or Literacy Strategies for Grades 4-12: Reinforcing the Threads of Reading
