Chapter 11: Help for Struggling Readers

As I read through the chapter, I thought about myself going through school and how much I struggled with reading. I had a hard time with comprehension because I didn’t know what I had just read and would have to go back and read it a few more times. I didn’t have that teacher that really took the time to understand where I struggled and guide me to improvement. The strategy that stood out to me was creating supportive relationships. I want to build those relationships with my students to show them that I will guide them along the way. I liked that Tovani shared with her students that she’s “been where they are and know what it’s like.” She let’s them know that she has struggled but she’s learned along the way and they can do the same. I can connect with my students on that level as well and let them know that they aren’t alone, and together we can learn what their weaknesses are and how we can progressively move forward. This isn’t useful just for reading in language arts but for all the content areas. I think “pointing out individual students’ strengths” is vital in various aspects. Knowing their strengths can be used to improve where they struggle. Each student is different, so one way isn’t going to work for them all. I want to understand what works for each individual student and try out different reading tools to find out what helps them and what doesn’t. It would also be vital when putting students in groups. Putting students in groups based on their strengths and weaknesses can be beneficial for improving their reading skills as well.

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Autumn