How to Get RELUCTANT READERS to Read!


Many of my students HATE reading.

Or so they claim.

I don’t believe it. 

I think many students lack the FOCUS to read because – well – they rarely read.

They have not built their stamina yet.

I also think many students lack the confidence to read.

When these students struggle to understand a word or sentence, they cheat–or they grab their phone for an easy escape.

They don’t engage in the “productive struggle” needed to improve as a reader. 

The mission for the following QUICK READ activities is to build the FOCUS and CONFIDENCE needed to become a reader.

By reader–I don’t mean someone who devours Mark Twain novels in their free time (though that would be cool).

A “reader” is someone who has the CONFIDENCE to engage in a text, and the ability to FOCUS on what they are reading without giving up.

Students MUST engage in “productive struggle.”

With CONFIDENCE and FOCUS, students can become “self-directed learners.” 

That is my goal.

For students to be able to direct their learning and pursue their interests because they have the confidence, skills, and focus needed to be a reader and learner.

When dealing with reluctant readers, I use short texts on high interest topics. 

The mission is to put the baseball on a tee to give students the best chance to hit a homerun.

I give basic comprehension questions that are easily accessible in the text.

I also like to supplement each article with a video – which adds visuals to the text.

Overall, this process has worked amazingly for building the FOCUS and CONFIDENCE needed to become a reader.

Here are the EXACT activities I use. I hope they help!

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Super Smash Brothers

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