Purpose-Driven Reading
When assigning classroom reading, consider using techniques that target the reluctant and/or struggling readers in your classroom. Here are a couple of strategies:
Set a purpose for the reading. Besides “because the teacher told me to,” what is the reason you want them to read these assigned pages? What do you want them to read and look for? Help students focus their thoughts during reading by setting a purpose. Read and identify the different parts of an atom. Look for the change in the main character’s personality.
Chunk the text into smaller portions and offer students some guideposts. If you don’t know why the main character is hiding by the end of page 14, you might want to reread. By giving them milestones, you break down what could be an overwhelming amount of text. You make it more manageable. If you don’t know at least three things plants need to grow by the end of section 4.3, you will want to reread.