Eighteen Literacy Strategies for Struggling Readers

This resource provides teachers with instructional strategies for teachers who teach struggling readers. The authors identify three types of readers (i.e. Non-reader, Word Caller, Turned Off Reader) and why they need help. They then explain how to help each type of reader with specific strategies. A toolbox of strategies includes a detailed description of each strategy, when to use it (before, during, after reading), and a graphic organizer (when needed) for student use. This resource contains cited references.

This resource provides multiple approaches to helping struggling readers and can be used to differentiate student learning in a class with struggling readers. This can also be used to build stronger reading skills such as inferencing skills or comprehension skills in average readers who simply need more focused reading instruction.

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Standards & Objectives

Academic standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text,...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.10: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.5: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.6: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10: By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literacy nonfiction in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.3: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text,...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3: Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.5: Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.9: Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.10: By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5: Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g.,...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9-10 Language...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CLE 3001.1.1: Demonstrate control of Standard English through grammar usage and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling).
CLE 3001.1.2: Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases.
CLE 3001.1.3: Understand and use a variety of sentence structures.
CLE 3001.2.5: Understand strategies for expressing ideas clearly and effectively in a variety of oral contexts.
CLE 3001.2.6: Deliver effective oral presentations.
CLE 3001.2.7: Participate in work teams and group discussions.
CLE 3001.5.1: Use logic to make inferences and draw conclusions in a variety of challenging oral and written contexts.
CLE 3001.5.2: Analyze text for fact and opinion, cause/effect, inferences, evidence, and conclusions.
CLE 3001.5.3: Evaluate an argument, considering false premises, logical fallacies, and the quality of evidence presented.
CLE 3001.5.4: Analyze the logical features of an argument
CLE 3001.6.1: Comprehend and summarize the main ideas of informational and technical texts and determine the essential elements that elaborate them.
CLE 3001.6.2: Analyze the organizational structures of informational and technical texts.
CLE 3001.8.4: Analyze works of literature for what is suggested about the historical period in which they were written.
CLE 3001.8.5: Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning from various literary genres.
CLE 3002.1.1: Demonstrate control of Standard English through grammar usage and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling).
CLE 3002.1.2: Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases
CLE 3002.2.7: Participate in work teams and group discussions.
CLE 3002.5.1: Use logic to make inferences and draw conclusions in a variety of challenging oral and written contexts.
CLE 3002.5.2: Analyze text for fact and opinion, cause-effect, inferences, evidence, and conclusions.
CLE 3002.5.3: Evaluate an argument, considering false premises, logical fallacies, and the quality of evidence presented.
CLE 3002.5.4: Analyze the logical features of an argument.
CLE 3002.6.1: Comprehend and summarize the main ideas of informational and technical texts and determine the essential elements that elaborate them.
CLE 3002.6.2: Analyze the organizational structures of informational and technical texts.
CLE 3002.8.4: Analyze works of literature for what is suggested about the historical period in which they were written.
CLE 3002.8.5: Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning from various literary genres.
CLE 3003.1.1: Demonstrate control of Standard English through grammar usage and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling).
CLE 3003.1.2: Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases.
CLE 3003.3.1: Write in a variety of modes, with particular emphasis on persuasion, for different purposes and audiences.
CLE 3003.3.3: Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, well-constructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
CLE 3003.5.1: Use logic to make inferences and draw conclusions in a variety of complex oral and written contexts.
CLE 3003.5.2: Analyze text for fact and opinion, cause/effect, inferences, evidence, and conclusions.
CLE 3003.5.3: Evaluate an argument, considering false premises, logical fallacies, and quality of evidence presented.
CLE 3003.5.4: Analyze the logical features of an argument.
CLE 3003.6.1: Comprehend and summarize the main ideas of complex informational texts and determine the essential elements that elaborate them.
CLE 3003.6.2: Analyze the organizational structures of complex informational and technical texts.
CLE 3003.6.3: Read, interpret, and analyze graphics that support complex informational and technical texts.
CLE 3003.8.1: Demonstrate knowledge of significant works of American literature from the colonial period to the present and make relevant comparisons.
CLE 3003.8.4: Analyze works of American literature for what is suggested about the historical period in which they were written.
CLE 3003.8.5: Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning and comprehension from various literary genres.
CLE 3005.1.1: Demonstrate control of Standard English through grammar usage and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, and spelling).
CLE 3005.1.2: Employ a variety of strategies and resources to determine the definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, and usage of words and phrases.
CLE 3005.3.3: Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, well-constructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
CLE 3005.5.1: Use logic to make inferences and draw conclusions in a variety of complex oral and written contexts.
CLE 3005.5.2: Analyze text for fact and opinion, cause/effect, inferences, evidence, and conclusions.
CLE 3005.5.3: Evaluate an argument, considering false premises, logical fallacies, and quality of evidence presented.
CLE 3005.5.4: Analyze the logical features of an argument.
CLE 3005.6.1: Comprehend and summarize the main ideas of complex informational texts and determine the essential elements that elaborate them.
CLE 3005.6.3: Read, interpret, and analyze graphics that support complex informational and technical texts.
CLE 3005.8.1: Demonstrate knowledge of significant works of British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present and make relevant comparisons.
CLE 3005.8.4: Analyze works of British literature for what is suggested about the historical period in which they were written.
CLE 3005.8.5: Know and use appropriate literary terms to derive meaning and comprehension from various literary genres.
SPI 3001.1.12: Use context clues and/or knowledge of roots, affixes, and cognates to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
SPI 3001.1.13: Select the appropriate word among frequently confused words (i.e., to/too/two, their/there/theyre, it/its, you/youre, whose/whos, which/that/who, accept/except,...
SPI 3001.2.7: Select the most appropriate strategies for participating productively in a team (e.g., gaining the floor in orderly, respectful ways and listening with civility...
SPI 3001.5.1: Make inferences and draw conclusions based on evidence in text.
SPI 3001.6.1: Discern the stated or implied main idea and supporting details of informational and technical passages.
SPI 3001.8.15: Identify and analyze basic elements of plot (i.e., exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution/denouement).
SPI 3002.1.13: Select the appropriate word from among frequently confused words (i.e., to/too/two, their/there/theyre, it/its, you/youre, whose/whos, which/that/who,...
SPI 3002.1.14: Use context clues and/or knowledge of roots, affixes, and cognates to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
SPI 3002.1.9: Recognize a shift in either verb tense or point of view within a writing sample.
SPI 3002.2.7: Select the most appropriate strategies for participating productively in a team (e.g., gaining the floor in orderly, respectful ways and listen with civility to...
SPI 3002.5.1: Make inferences and draw conclusions based on evidence in text.
SPI 3002.6.1: Discern the stated or implied main idea and supporting details of informational and technical passages
SPI 3002.8.15: Identify and analyze basic elements of plot (i.e., exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution/denouement).
SPI 3003.1.1: Demonstrate the correct use of commas and lesser-used punctuation marks (e.g., hyphens, dashes, colons) in complex and sophisticated constructions.
SPI 3003.1.11: Correctly choose verb forms in terms of tense, voice (i.e., active and passive), and mood for continuity.
SPI 3003.1.5: Use previously learned techniques such as recognizing cognates, root words, affixes, foreign phrases, and textual context to identify unfamiliar words, including...
SPI 3003.1.8: Choose correctly or incorrectly spelled words.
SPI 3003.2.5: Identify the rhetorical devices used in a complex speech (i.e., rhetorical questions, parallelism and repetition, analogies, hyperbole, metaphors, simile,...
SPI 3003.3.13: Identify the targeted audience for a selected passage.
SPI 3003.3.8: Choose the transitional device that appropriately connects sentences or paragraphs within a writing sample.
SPI 3003.4.3: Evaluate the reliability and credibility of sources for use in research.
SPI 3003.5.1: Make inferences and draw conclusions based on evidence in text.
SPI 3003.5.11: Identify the main claim, premise(s), evidence, or conclusion of a given argument.
SPI 3003.5.8: Determine whether a given argument employs deductive or inductive reasoning. (NOTE: NO Check for Understanding)
SPI 3003.6.1: Discern the stated or implied main idea and supporting details of a complex informational or technical passage.
SPI 3003.6.3: Analyze the ways in which the organizational structure of a complex informational or technical text supports or confounds its meaning or purpose.
TSS.ELA.10.RI.RRTC.10: (For 10th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and...
TSS.ELA.10.RL.RRTC.10: (For 10th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literature at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
TSS.ELA.11-12.L.CSE.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; consider complex and contested matters of usage...
TSS.ELA.11-12.L.CSE.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; when reading and writing, use...
TSS.ELA.11-12.L.VAU.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on 11th -12th grade-level text by choosing flexibly from a...
TSS.ELA.11-12.L.VAU.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings in grades 11-12 reading and content; interpret...
TSS.ELA.11-12.L.VAU.6: Acquire and accurately use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.CS.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.CS.5: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her own exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.CS.6: Determine an author's point of view and/or purpose in a text, analyzing how style and content contribute to its effectiveness.
TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.IKI.9: Analyze and evaluate a variety of thematically-related texts of historical and literary significance for their topics, facts, purposes, and rhetorical...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.KID.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; support an interpretation of a text by citing and synthesizing relevant textual evidence from...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.KID.3: Analyze how an author's choices regarding the ordering of ideas and events, the introduction and development of ideas, and connections among ideas...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.CS.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.CS.5: Analyze how an author's choices concerning the structure of specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure, meaning, and aesthetic impact.
TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.CS.6: Analyze how point of view and/or author purpose requires distinguishing what is directly stated in texts and what is implied.
TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.IKI.9: Demonstrate knowledge of and analyze thematically-related, significant literary texts, considering how two or more texts treat similar themes or topics.
TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.KID.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; support an interpretation of a text by citing and synthesizing relevant textual evidence from...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.KID.3: Analyze how an author's choices regarding the development and interaction of characters, events, and ideas over the course of a text impact meaning.
TSS.ELA.11-12.W.RBPK.9: Support and defend interpretations, analyses, reflections, or research with evidence found in literature or informational texts, applying grade band...
TSS.ELA.11-12.W.TTP.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning supported by relevant and sufficient evidence.
TSS.ELA.11-12.W.TTP.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to analyze, synthesize, and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the...
TSS.ELA.11.RI.RRTC.10: (For 11th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction throughout the grades 11-12 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual...
TSS.ELA.11.RL.RRTC.10: (For 11th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literature throughout the grades 11-12 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of...
TSS.ELA.12.RI.RRTC.10: (For 12th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and...
TSS.ELA.12.RL.RRTC.10: (For 12th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literature at the high end of the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
TSS.ELA.9-10.L.CSE.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; use effective parallel structure and various types...
TSS.ELA.9-10.L.KL.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend ...
TSS.ELA.9-10.L.VAU.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings in grades 9-10 reading and content; interpret figures...
TSS.ELA.9-10.RI.CS.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative...
TSS.ELA.9-10.RI.CS.5: Analyze how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text.
TSS.ELA.9-10.RI.KID.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; cite the strongest, most compelling textual evidence to support conclusions.
TSS.ELA.9-10.RL.CS.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of...
TSS.ELA.9-10.RL.CS.5: Analyze how an author's choices concerning text structure, plot structure, and/or time manipulation create effects such as mystery, tension, or surprise.
TSS.ELA.9-10.RL.KID.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; cite the strongest, most compelling textual evidence to support conclusions.
TSS.ELA.9-10.SL.CC.1: Initiate and participate effectively with varied partners in a range of collaborative discussions on appropriate 9th- 10th grade topics, texts, and...
TSS.ELA.9-10.SL.PKI.6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
TSS.ELA.9-10.W.RBPK.9: Support and defend interpretations, analyses, reflections, or research with evidence found in literature or informational texts, applying grade band...
TSS.ELA.9.RI.RRTC.10: (For 9th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction throughout the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release...
TSS.ELA.9.RL.RRTC.10: (For 9th Grade) Read and comprehend a variety of literature throughout the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of...

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References

Contributors:

Julie Lewis

Originator:

Ayers Institute for Teacher Learning & Innovation