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Use Shorter Texts

Tags

ELA: Reading ELA: ^Other All Ages Strategy

Skills

Verbal Reasoning Verbal Memory Processing Speed

Use Shorter Texts

If your student is reading with decreased efficiency and the focus is on content knowledge

Instruction And Practice

  1. Objective: For students reading with below grade-level efficiency, offer content-specific reading choices at their level and additional supports so that decreased efficiency does not interfere with comprehension of the material.
  2. Content-specific reading is necessary for all subject areas, but this does not mean all students need to be reading the same resources. Offer reading choices of various difficulty levels, length and media. Choices should include reading material that is at the student's individual reading level. While you will not have the option to replace or vary your class textbook, you will have more flexibility with supplemental reading material, including books, articles and web resources.
  3. Reading Options: a) A variety of websites offer material by grade or Lexile level. b) If you use an online curriculum, it will often offer content-specific texts at different reading levels.
  4. Further Supports: a) Offer options that vary in length, so a student with decreased efficiency can spend the time on a shorter text (i.e. journal or web articles) and digest the content rather than spending the time trying to get through a longer reading. b)Teach students when and how to skim to help them keep up and still get the necessary information. c) Offer choices in modality for students to decide what is comfortable. Some students read more efficiently on paper because they use their finger or pencil or tinted strips to track where they are. Some students benefit from online reading because they can adjust the font size and screen to optimize visual strain. d) Allow audio books or the audio version of a textbook for material that students need to cover.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Offering reading material at a student's level will not only ensure the reading is manageable so they can focus on understanding; it will also give students the important practice they need to continue to build their efficiency, instead of struggling with texts above their reading level. Students who struggle with reading efficiency, even with good comprehension skills, can have difficulty understanding what they read. Middle and high school students are required to read for every subject area, and if the material is above their capability, they will fall behind in understanding.