When Kids Can't Read

About two years ago, teachers at North Asheboro Middle School and South Asheboro Middle School used When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teacher 6-12 as a book study.  Now, Asheboro High School teachers have copies to read and use for independent study.  Carla Shinn, media specialist at Asheboro High School has outlined Chapter 2 from Beers' text.  Here is a great review for the NAMS and SAMS crew and a warm up for AHS teachers.

When Kids Can’t Read

What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers 6-12

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003.  Print.

Chapter 2: Creating Independent Readers………………………….………….………..8

In order to determine why struggling readers cannot read, multiple aspects of reading must be addressed, beginning with defining the term struggling reader.  Beers describes various types of readers struggling with text and notes that anyone can struggle, given the right text.  The issue is what the reader does when the text becomes difficult for him.  She puts readers into two categories: independent and dependent. She describes strategies an independent reader can rely on when dealing with difficult text such as figuring out what is confusing them and setting goals for getting through the reading.

By contrast, dependent readers stop and may appeal to the teacher or an outside source for help.

1.    Lack of cognitive abilities to read. They might struggle with comprehension, vocabulary, word recognition, or fluency and automaticity.

2.    Negative attitudes toward reading. Students may have become so disengaged from the reading process that whether or not they have the cognitive abilities does not matter. She says that these readers lack social and emotional reading confidence.

3.    Readers who do not know what types of books they might enjoy or what range of genres exists for them to read.  Additionally they may lack the ability to stick with a difficult text or the stamina to find or complete a text.

When text is difficult:

Independent Readers	Dependent or Struggling Readers
Identify what is confusing them        Set goals to get through the reading          Use strategies for getting through the text	Stop reading          Ask for help       Read through without understanding

Over time, Beers came to realize that dependent readers’ problems could be grouped into three areas:

She goes into more detail of the three areas and emphasizes that as one area improves, others do, too. She also notes that the areas commingle and create a ricochet effect.  Dealing with one area creates a momentum that positively affects other areas.

Beers suggests that there are three types of confidences that readers need to be successful: cognitive, social and emotional, and text confidence.

·         Cognitive confidence allows readers to comprehend texts, monitor their understanding, determine meaning of words, and to read with fluency. 

·         Social and emotional confidence allows students to be willing and active participants in a community of readers, to read for enjoyment and information, and to have a positive attitude toward reading.

·         With text confidence students develop the stamina to continue reading difficult texts and to find authors and genres that interest them.

Three Types of Confidences Successful Readers Need

Cognitive Confidences ·         Comprehend texts ·         Monitor understanding ·         Determine meaning of words ·         Read with fluency

Social & Emotional Confidence ·         Be willing and active readers ·         Read for enjoyment and information ·         Have a positive attitude toward reading

Stamina and Enjoyment ·         Develop the stamina to continue reading difficult texts ·         Find authors and genres that interest them

~Carla Shinn