More Reading Strategies for Secondary Classrooms

So, I'm continuing my research on reading strategies in the secondary classroom.  As part of my research, I interviewed Heather Cornelius - an 11th grade Language Arts teacher at a Jefferson County high school.  She told me that reading comprehension is the area her students seem to struggle with the most, and that it is also the lowest scoring area on all Alabama standardized tests - including math.

I asked her how she feels about independent reading and the programs associated with it (such as DEAR and USS).  She said that the programs are definitely better than those that simply instruct the reader to look for the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, and WHEN of a novel (like Accelerated Reader).  However, Mrs. Cornelius offered another suggestion that she finds helpful with her students.

"Struggling readers - even if they can decode the words on the page - often can't tell how the dialogue is supposed to be delivered.  In other words, they can read the words a protagonist is saying, but they don't know if the protagonist is angry, joking, being sarcastic, etc."

Mrs. Cornelius goes on to say, "Many novels are now available on audio CD - even the classics.  So, I usually have my students read along in their book as they listen to the CD.  This way, they're able to pick up on the tone of the novel.  They're hearing and reading it, so it gets more of their senses involved."

Mrs. Cornelius also assigns reading for homework, in which case the students have to establish tone (and other aspects) on their own.  She says she usually only plays one (or, at the most, two) chapters on CD at a time.

In a frank admission, Mrs. Cornelius also stresses that, though reading programs can certainly help struggling readers, it may never convert them into a superb reader.

"As cynical as it sounds," says Mrs. Cornelius, "reading comprehension is similar to mathematics in that you either get it or you don't.  Can someone who struggles with math become better with lots of practice?  Sure.  But they're probably never going to be great at math.  In the same way, a struggling reader may improve with lots of practice and independent reading time, but their probably never going to be an amazing reader."

Notwithstanding, Mrs. Cornelius emphasizes the importance of never giving up on struggling students.  "Even if they never end up enjoying reading, and even if they never read another book once they graduate high school, you still can get them through the 11th grade.  Just be willing to work with them."

Mrs. Cornelius says she stays after school most days to work with students who are struggling with a text.  "If they're willing to stick around after school in order to get help, then I'm willing to stick around in order to help them.  If they'll put forth the effort, I'll get them through my class - even if they never learn to enjoy reading."

Reading Strategies for Secondary Classrooms

So, I've been doing some research for my EHS 401 class concerning effective reading strategies for Secondary students (i.e. students in grades 6-12).  For elementary students, it seems like there's an endless number of programs that attempt to facilitate reading fluidity and comprehension (e.g. Reading Mastery, Accelerated Reader, Fast ForWord, Breakthrough To Literacy, etc.).  However, there are relatively few that cater to middle and high school students.  However, I found one peer-reviewed article entitle "Recreational Reading: Useful Tips for Successful Implementation."  It asserts that reading is an accrued skill and that, the more independent reading a child does, the better reader he/she is likely to be.  The article supports independent reading programs such as DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) and SSR (Sustained Silent Reading), and mentions that dozens of studies have shown a positive correlation between time spent reading and reading achievement. 

The study performed by the authors of the article was conducted on 98 teachers from western New York and central Virginia.  Of the 98 teachers included in the study, 33 of them said they were currently implementing recreational reading programs that incorporated the basic elements of seeking, self selection, and self-pacing in their classrooms. The researchers found that there are four main aspects that must be considered when trying to conduct an effective reading program: 1) the program, 2) the physical, 3) the teacher, and 4) the student.

The Program - 91% of the teachers surveyed said that recreational reading is not a stand-alone activity, but that it should be done in conjunction with guided reading, word building, vocabulary, and writing activities.  Also, survey participants said that, ideally, independent reading should be about 20 minutes.  They also stressed the fact that it is better for students to have a relatively short amount of reading time (i.e. 20 minutes) everyday than to have longer amounts of reading time only a few days per week.  The reason for this is because students are better able to comprehend and maintain what they have read if they only read for brief periods of time.

The Physical - All of the teachers who participated in the survey said that it is imperative for teachers to establish classroom libraries that house a wide variety of reading material including books, magazines, and newspapers.

The Teacher - most of the participating teachers (82%) in the study said that it is important for teachers to know the independent reading level of each student.  This helps teachers assist students in making appropriate book selections.  One method for helping students choose a book they will enjoy is called The Goldilocks Strategy.  In this strategy, teachers help students choose a book based on criteria such as text length, font size, familiarity, illustrations, the readers background, and the readers interests.

The Student - In this portion of the study, 61% of participating teachers stressed the importance of buddy modeling, which pairs an older student with a child from a younger grade-level.  This strategy works in two way: First, younger students naturally want to do what they see older students doing.  So, when they see older students reading silently to themselves, the younger students want to do the same.  Secondly, although the older student is reading a book that is slightly below his grade-level, it gives him extra independent reading time which, ultimately, increases his reading ability.

Ultimately, the goal of independent reading is to allow students to read for pleasure which, hopefully, will cause them to enjoy reading in general.  Students will have plenty of opportunities to read more difficult texts from the literary cannon once they reach high school.  Therefore, it is important to attempt to instill in students a love for reading (along with good reading habits) before they reach an age where they will be required to read especially challenging texts.