Reading and Writing Strategies for Struggling Students

Reading and Writing Help for Struggling Students

Most of the students I have worked with seem to struggle the most with reading and writing skills. The struggle seems to overlap both areas. Students who have a difficult time reading don’t have the confidence to write proficiently. They often will refuse to use words in their writing that they have trouble reading.

My strategy to improve this skill is derived from a method called “Language Experience.” I have used this extensively over the years. It allows students to feel confident and can be easily adapted by parents and teachers of any population.

Steps to This Strategy Are as Follows:

1. Ask the student to tell you something about themselves. What are some of their interests? Once the subject is chosen, start writing down what the student dictates to you. Start with one paragraph.

2. After the paragraph is written, read it back to the student. Use a pointer or strip of colored paper to follow along with the student.

3. Have the student read what has been written. Make sure they follow along visually as they read the selection.

4. Have the student copy what has been written. This can be done by hand writing, or it can be typed into a word processor. Control the font size and legibility.

5. Have the student read the writing he has completed and follow along visually.

6. Each successive session begins by reading the writings from the previous sessions. You and the student will be compiling a collection of their work.

7. With each session, the student’s writing vocabulary expands, the student feels pride in his collection and his reading vocabulary improves as well.

You can direct the ideas written about using the student’s interests. Art and music can be launched into writing activities. The best thing about this method is that it creates lasting pieces of writing as it builds a collection self-inspired work.

Jill Garofallou, retired school teacher (B.S. Special Ed, SUNY/Genesco certified in Special and Elementary Ed). I have taught in Florida and Colorado and have tutored in the private sector. My skill set includes quickly evaluating student’s strengths, talents, modalities and needs as well as developing programs to meet those needs; often times from scratch.

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This post originally appeared on our September/October 2015 Magazine