Choice Lit Topic: Struggling and Striving Learners
It’s hard work, it matters . . . and nothing brings more joy than reaching a child who is struggling. The problem is each of these students presents a unique array of challenges and needs that don’t allow for a uniform approach. Here are the stories from our contributors of their breakthrough moments, one child at a time.
Results
What My Son’s Reading Difficulties Taught Me About Teaching Struggling Readers
My eight-year-old son struggled while learning to read. The process of understanding how to figure out unfamiliar words on the page was painful. I felt that I had done everything...
Staying True to Our Beliefs When Working With Struggling Readers and Writers in Grades 3-6
Recently I was reading an article called Four Ways to Work Against Yourself When Conferring with Struggling Writers (Language Arts, Volume 80, No. 4, March 2003). The quote that haunted...
Fitness Boot Camp Helps Me Understand Struggling Readers
I was an 80s aerobics junkie. In high school, I woke up at 6 a.m. to exercise with a TV program. In college, I was in the front and center...
Forming Teams to Help Struggling Readers:A Pilot Project (TEMPLATES)
Teachers are like rock climbers, pushing themselves to take risks and accepting new challenges. Daily life in a classroom is like the thrill of facing a new climb. Teachers approach...
Helping Struggling Writers
I've found there are two kinds of struggling writers in my classroom, even though any struggling writer has some unique personality traits. At the start of the year, some students...
5th Grade Strategy Group on Summarizing
In this strategy group, Karen Terlecky brings together three of her 5th graders to reread a nonfiction article shared with the whole class. They discuss main ideas, and do a...
Case Studies in Professional Learning Communities
In this brief video, Literacy Coach Pam Hahlen and Principal Karen Szymusiak meet with two teachers in a professional learning community group to discuss ongoing case studies. The meeting takes...
Puzzle Kids: Observing and Analyzing Challenging Students (E-GUIDE)
Puzzle kids. Students on the bubble. Children in danger of falling through the cracks. Every teacher can instantly think of students who fit these terms, and can just as quickly...
My Son Clark Kent
The day my son Alec was born I read him Jules Feiffer's Bark, George in the hospital. It was a gift from my cousin, who taught me the importance of daily reading...
A Strategy Lesson for “Drive-Thru” Readers
Early in the year, like many teachers across the country, I work diligently to teach and reteach my students how to choose a just-right book. We review the parts of...
Jose the Late Bloomer
Jose was a first grader, the youngest English language learner in my class. I can still remember his messy hair and quiet yawns. He seemed to like school, but it...
Instructional Routines That Promote Agency for Multilingual Learners
“I’d love to see him working more independently…” “Sometimes she is unsure what to do next and does not ask for help…” “One of the things we are working on...
Shake It Up: Active Learning Strategies That Engage Students
I once had a class that nearly broke my spirit. It seemed that no matter what lessons I planned or how enthusiastic I was about them, I was met with...
A Hand to Hold: Crying and Community in Preschool
It was January, the time when I look forward to being able to do more extensive, focused, and creative lessons with my preschoolers. By January, early fall’s focus on developing...
