What is one strategy that can be implemented to help middle and high school students with reading problems?

Social Psychology (10th Edition)
10th Edition
ISBN:9780134641287
Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Publisher:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Chapter1: Introducing Social Psychology
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Question: What is one strategy that can be implemented to help middle and high school students with reading problems?

unique challenges. The poorest readers, for example, often struggle because they are unable
to identify single speech sounds in spoken whole words, so they must have their phonological
skills strengthened. If phonological skills improve, students are better equipped to match written
symbols to sounds, to spell, and to develop and expand their vocabulary.
For those students whose reading skills are less severely impaired, prioritizing multisyllable word
reading and reading fluency better matches their needs. And, if students can decipher printed
words with sufficient accuracy and speed, then educators must aggressively address vocabulary
deficiencies, background information required for comprehension, interpretation of academic
language, and text reading strategies. Incentives to read challenging material independently, both
in and out of school, will be critical.
It is not a student's chronological age or grade level that should determine the design of remedial
instruction. Rather, it is the student's level of reading skill and profile of strengths and weaknesses
across the language spectrum that determines the content of lessons.
Intensive Intervention
If remedial reading instruction occurs as a supplemental, noncredit-bearing class, a student may
receive two or three brief sessions in a resource room per week. Intensive instruction, however, can
mean more than one period daily and, often, more than one year if the goal is to move the student
closer to grade level. Teaching all essential components of language, reading, and writing takes
time. There are no shortcuts for overcoming huge and chronic gaps in skill development and
reading experience.
Direct Teaching of Language Structure
The Building Blocks of Spoken and Written Words
10-
The majority of adolescent poor readers who read below the 30th percentile need some level of
direct instruction in two foundational skills: the ability to map speech sounds to letters and letter
patterns in print, and the ability to recognize printed words accurately and automatically-out of
context as well as in context. ¹0 The poorest readers may still be confused about letters and sounds.
They need systematic practice decomposing words into their component phonemes, syllables,
and meaningful parts (morphemes), and recognizing how those linguistic units are represented in
print. The techniques for teaching older students, however, should differ from those used to teach
younger learners,¹1 or students are likely to rebel against "babyish" tasks.
The first rule is
to treat students
like young adults.
The first rule is to treat students like young adults. Talk about linguistics and language
study. Don't hesitate to use adult terminology, such as "phoneme deletion,"
"consonant digraph," "schwa," and "morpheme." Explain phonics and spelling
within the framework of the history of English. Spice up the story with videos about
Old English and Middle English pronunciation. Explain and demonstrate how the
speech-to-print correspondence system works with skits, cartoons, animation,
games, and illustrations.
Multisensory engagement will hold students' attention, with simultaneous listening, speaking,
moving, looking, and writing or typing of symbols. Speech sounds (phonemes) should be learned
with reference to their articulation. ¹2 Thus, students should look in mirrors as they practice phoneme
discrimination and production. They should be able to imitate a good model and then listen to
themselves produce, segment, or blend speech sounds.
4
Transcribed Image Text:unique challenges. The poorest readers, for example, often struggle because they are unable to identify single speech sounds in spoken whole words, so they must have their phonological skills strengthened. If phonological skills improve, students are better equipped to match written symbols to sounds, to spell, and to develop and expand their vocabulary. For those students whose reading skills are less severely impaired, prioritizing multisyllable word reading and reading fluency better matches their needs. And, if students can decipher printed words with sufficient accuracy and speed, then educators must aggressively address vocabulary deficiencies, background information required for comprehension, interpretation of academic language, and text reading strategies. Incentives to read challenging material independently, both in and out of school, will be critical. It is not a student's chronological age or grade level that should determine the design of remedial instruction. Rather, it is the student's level of reading skill and profile of strengths and weaknesses across the language spectrum that determines the content of lessons. Intensive Intervention If remedial reading instruction occurs as a supplemental, noncredit-bearing class, a student may receive two or three brief sessions in a resource room per week. Intensive instruction, however, can mean more than one period daily and, often, more than one year if the goal is to move the student closer to grade level. Teaching all essential components of language, reading, and writing takes time. There are no shortcuts for overcoming huge and chronic gaps in skill development and reading experience. Direct Teaching of Language Structure The Building Blocks of Spoken and Written Words 10- The majority of adolescent poor readers who read below the 30th percentile need some level of direct instruction in two foundational skills: the ability to map speech sounds to letters and letter patterns in print, and the ability to recognize printed words accurately and automatically-out of context as well as in context. ¹0 The poorest readers may still be confused about letters and sounds. They need systematic practice decomposing words into their component phonemes, syllables, and meaningful parts (morphemes), and recognizing how those linguistic units are represented in print. The techniques for teaching older students, however, should differ from those used to teach younger learners,¹1 or students are likely to rebel against "babyish" tasks. The first rule is to treat students like young adults. The first rule is to treat students like young adults. Talk about linguistics and language study. Don't hesitate to use adult terminology, such as "phoneme deletion," "consonant digraph," "schwa," and "morpheme." Explain phonics and spelling within the framework of the history of English. Spice up the story with videos about Old English and Middle English pronunciation. Explain and demonstrate how the speech-to-print correspondence system works with skits, cartoons, animation, games, and illustrations. Multisensory engagement will hold students' attention, with simultaneous listening, speaking, moving, looking, and writing or typing of symbols. Speech sounds (phonemes) should be learned with reference to their articulation. ¹2 Thus, students should look in mirrors as they practice phoneme discrimination and production. They should be able to imitate a good model and then listen to themselves produce, segment, or blend speech sounds. 4
reached. Initially, the teacher may read the text aloud while students follow, but by the end of the
unit, students can read the text themselves. The scaffolding process includes rereading the text
several times: one to get the main ideas, or gist; one to analyze closely the language in the text;
and one to take notes in preparation for a written response to the reading.
Third, students' language proficiencies are developed directly in every lesson and every unit.
Comprehension in these students can break down at the most basic levels of language processing.
For example, students who are poor readers may fail to identify the significance of a logical
connective (but, moreover, although), the tone of a phrase, or the importance of a comma in
determining the meaning of a written passage. 20 Aspects of book language such as figures of
speech, sentence structure, cohesive devices, paragraph organization, and the distinctive features
of various genres are directly and systematically taught.
WRITING IN RESPONSE TO READING
W
response to reading can greatly enhance comprehension21, but poor readers must have
their writing skills developed sequentially and cumulatively. Writing improves when students
practice asking and answering specific questions, elaborating subjects and predicates, combining
simple sentences, constructing clauses, and linking sentences into organized paragraphs. These
are the building blocks of clear, expository writing.
While developing the building blocks for writing, students also need to have their teachers show
them how the writing process works, from start to finish. A high degree of structure helps students
transcend the daunting challenges of generating and organizing their own thoughts. Rather than
turning students loose to face a blank piece of paper, which can petrify even capable writers,
the instructor models and demystifies the composition process by first helping students identify
the purpose for their writing, the format, and the genre's characteristics. Then, students are
helped to generate and sort ideas through questioning and discussion. Next, the teacher talks
students through each step of the composition, modeling decisions about what and how to write.
Finally, the teacher models the task of editing, pointing out sentences that need elaboration,
combination, or reordering, and replacing words as necessary. Students are thus prepared to
compose independently.
SUMMARY: HOPE FOR THE STRUGGLING ADOLESCENT
Older poor readers, who include at least a third of the student population in middle school, can
learn to read if three conditions are met:
1. They are taught the foundational language skills they missed
2. They have ample opportunity to apply the skills in reading meaningful texts
3. They work in a respectful, supportive, age-appropriate social context
All of this takes time. Intensive interventions can accelerate student learning and narrow the
achievement gap, but "intensive" may require more than one class period daily over more than one
year. Providing remediation to groups of students in an alternative, credit-bearing English course is
the best vehicle for ensuring that daily, concentrated instruction occurs.
Twenty-first century workplace demands for literacy are only getting higher. Thus, the societal costs
of leaving so many students "below basic" in reading are only increasing. We know that older
struggling readers can be taught and that the lives of many can be salvaged with well-designed,
intensive, faithfully implemented, language-based instruction. Let's get on with its implementation.
7
Transcribed Image Text:reached. Initially, the teacher may read the text aloud while students follow, but by the end of the unit, students can read the text themselves. The scaffolding process includes rereading the text several times: one to get the main ideas, or gist; one to analyze closely the language in the text; and one to take notes in preparation for a written response to the reading. Third, students' language proficiencies are developed directly in every lesson and every unit. Comprehension in these students can break down at the most basic levels of language processing. For example, students who are poor readers may fail to identify the significance of a logical connective (but, moreover, although), the tone of a phrase, or the importance of a comma in determining the meaning of a written passage. 20 Aspects of book language such as figures of speech, sentence structure, cohesive devices, paragraph organization, and the distinctive features of various genres are directly and systematically taught. WRITING IN RESPONSE TO READING W response to reading can greatly enhance comprehension21, but poor readers must have their writing skills developed sequentially and cumulatively. Writing improves when students practice asking and answering specific questions, elaborating subjects and predicates, combining simple sentences, constructing clauses, and linking sentences into organized paragraphs. These are the building blocks of clear, expository writing. While developing the building blocks for writing, students also need to have their teachers show them how the writing process works, from start to finish. A high degree of structure helps students transcend the daunting challenges of generating and organizing their own thoughts. Rather than turning students loose to face a blank piece of paper, which can petrify even capable writers, the instructor models and demystifies the composition process by first helping students identify the purpose for their writing, the format, and the genre's characteristics. Then, students are helped to generate and sort ideas through questioning and discussion. Next, the teacher talks students through each step of the composition, modeling decisions about what and how to write. Finally, the teacher models the task of editing, pointing out sentences that need elaboration, combination, or reordering, and replacing words as necessary. Students are thus prepared to compose independently. SUMMARY: HOPE FOR THE STRUGGLING ADOLESCENT Older poor readers, who include at least a third of the student population in middle school, can learn to read if three conditions are met: 1. They are taught the foundational language skills they missed 2. They have ample opportunity to apply the skills in reading meaningful texts 3. They work in a respectful, supportive, age-appropriate social context All of this takes time. Intensive interventions can accelerate student learning and narrow the achievement gap, but "intensive" may require more than one class period daily over more than one year. Providing remediation to groups of students in an alternative, credit-bearing English course is the best vehicle for ensuring that daily, concentrated instruction occurs. Twenty-first century workplace demands for literacy are only getting higher. Thus, the societal costs of leaving so many students "below basic" in reading are only increasing. We know that older struggling readers can be taught and that the lives of many can be salvaged with well-designed, intensive, faithfully implemented, language-based instruction. Let's get on with its implementation. 7
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  1. Explain one way that you can use this strategy in the classroom. What activity or task can you do that incorporates this strategy? 
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