Helping Readers Who Struggle

“Fake Reading” is a concept that Cris Tovani explains in her book, I Read It But I Don’t Get It. The chapter, How do I help Struggling Readers Readers?, in Subjects Matter highlights her ideas about not assigning “book reports” and her “admission” to students that she also struggled with reading in school. Cris Tovani aligns herself with her students and shows positive reinforcement in hopes to create a supportive relationship between student and teacher through learning.

When a student is reading difficult or new material, their brains might be looking for a distraction the whole time they read. This happens because is not what they want to be doing or because they do not understand. I can relate to this. For example, the thought of reading about plants makes me want to cringe. I could never remember or understand how a plant grows from a “bulb”. On the other hand, I find astronomy fascinating. Therefore, when I read about planets and stars, I attain more details and mental pictures of the reading. In Chapter 11, Use Materials Students Can Successfully Read, teachers assign readings from non textbook sources. Last week, I observed this strategy in science classroom The teacher passed out a one page article from ESPN magazine. The article was about a student-athlete who died from dehydration at football practice. During group discussion, student-athletes in the class discussed their own experiences at their sport’s practices. This topic helped the students connect with the reading because it was relatable. Students found the article easy to read and understand.

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