Just like I urged my colleagues a few years ago to use the terms: NEW WORDS and FUTURE BOOKS, here is a blog post about working with students who take their time reading (being slow ≠ bad).
Quick Summary: We should be empowering students' love of reading. We need to help build their confidence, and help them realize they types of texts they love to read.
Using words with negative connotations works against these goals.
NEW WORDS - they aren't hard, you just haven't come across them before and need to work them out
FUTURE BOOKS - aren't hard books, you just need some more practice before you are ready to enjoy these type of books
DIFFERENT RATES OF READING - they are JUST different: not good or bad
Quick Summary: We should be empowering students' love of reading. We need to help build their confidence, and help them realize they types of texts they love to read.
Using words with negative connotations works against these goals.
NEW WORDS - they aren't hard, you just haven't come across them before and need to work them out
FUTURE BOOKS - aren't hard books, you just need some more practice before you are ready to enjoy these type of books
DIFFERENT RATES OF READING - they are JUST different: not good or bad
- Help students realize and understand:
- too fast and you might miss details, too slow and you might not understand everything
- find the speed that's right for you:
- can you hear a voice in your head?
- does it sound similar to how you talk?
- can you visualize you are inside of the book?
- do you understand everything that you are reading and feel like you are inside of the text?
- PRACTICE TOGETHER REGULARLY
- during: guided reading, conferring, book clubs
- once a week, or monthly, with whole class performances
