1. Melissa Ricciotti Edc448; Dr. Diane Kern December 9, 2010

2.  The article defines a struggling reader if he/she:  Has been documented on norm-referenced tests as reading one or more years below his/her current grade level  Has shown to need additional support in reading comprehension from his/her classroom teacher

3. o This case study lasted for one year examining how a struggling reader in a sixth-grade social studies class, a seventh-grade mathematics class, and an eighth – grade science class “transacted” with the reading task demands of her specific classroom. o Through regular classroom observations and interviews, the researcher documents how each student responded to and worked with text and reading instruction provided by her respective content area teacher.

4.  Problems:  Not providing enough background knowledge on the topic being discussed  Containing too much content specific vocabulary  Introducing new topics too quickly Struggling readers may have extreme difficulties gaining access to content, passing courses, and passing national/state examinations if they are expected to gain their knowledge from these poorly selected texts.

5.  Students may:  Behave in a helpless manner when encountering reading tasks  Fail to monitor their performance and/or apply strategies appropriately and effectively  Feel as though they are not in control of their learning and cannot succeed  Not be likely to engage with texts or seek help with texts, in ways that might help them develop their comprehension skills, particularly of content area texts

6.  What can we do as teachers to help struggling readers?  Help students set purposes for reading  Integrate text comprehension strategies into instruction Generate questions before, during, and after reading Answer questions aloud with class – Model how to construct various responses Monitor comprehension - Use “think alouds” or questioning, prediction and summarizing strategies Summarize text by identifying and/or formulating main ideas, connect main ideas, identify and delete redundancies, and restate the main ideas and connections using different words and phrasings. Teach students how to use graphic and semantic organizers to help them organize ideas and concepts during and after reading

7. Hough, David. "Struggling Readers and Content Area Text: Interactions with and Perceptions of Comprehension, Self, and Success." Research in Middle Level Education Online 4th ser. 29 (2005): 1-19. Wilson. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. Hyperlink to Article: Edc448 Article for Final Project.htm