Painless Reading Comprehension - Darolyn “Lyn” Jones Ed.D. 2016

Why do teens struggle with reading anyway?
Further reading for teachers and parents

That is a difficult question with more answers than I have room for in this book. We assume students know some reading basics, like the alphabet and phonic sounds, before they enter school. We assume that they learn how to read by the end of first grade. We assume then that they are competent readers by the time they get to junior high school. Assumptions are dangerous.

For example, people assume that those of us who teach junior high and high school English know how to teach reading, and we don’t. We are trained to teach students how to analyze text but not how to read it. The assumption, again, is that elementary teachers know how to do that. Of course, elementary teachers are trained how to teach reading, but they may not be well trained to deal with the multiple reading problems students have. The assumption, again, is that children will enter school with some basic skills. But, if a student was not exposed to reading at home or surrounded by literate activities, then he or she may enter school at a disadvantage. Once behind, it is difficult to catch up. So, you see the vicious cycle that students with reading problems are caught up in.

Yes, there are programs in place for those students whose skills are poor. But for those students whose skills are not bad enough, they may not get the help they need. And, for some students, their problems don’t develop until they are in junior high or middle school.

Think about it. Elementary students stay with primarily one teacher a day. That teacher surrounds his or her elementary students with wonderful picture story books. Elementary students sit in circles on the floor and are read to. Teachers share stories and images and ask students what they think. And, then—BAM! We ask students to move from classroom to classroom, give them five or more subject-specific books that are several hundred pages long, assign them random and disconnected homework, ask them to join teams and clubs and go to social events, and tell them to write their thoughts instead of verbalizing them. Students go from short chapter-style textbooks to large, informative anthologies and from picture books to novels with no images and pages and pages of words. It’s overwhelming. If you think back to your personal experiences, I am sure you too will recall how overwhelming it was for you. For example, write down three positive memories you have about reading and writing in your grades K through 12 school experience. Now, write three negative memories.

Some students make the transition, but some do not. Students may have had no problem with reading until they were asked to manage their time and manage longer and more formal text. It is critical that we provide students at the middle level with a new repertoire of skills. We need to provide them with a toolbox and help them fill it with organizational tools that they can use to build a successful personal reading program for themselves.

In this book, I asked students to first analyze their personal reading strengths and weaknesses and then provided them with user friendly tools that they can use at any point in the reading process. This book is meant to be used either in isolation as a reference tool for an individual student or as a teaching tool in the classroom or at home with a parent. Modeling is key in the reading process, which is why I provided a number of student models. But, I encourage you, the parent and teacher, to model for the student as well. We should never ask students to do something we haven’t tried ourselves. Model the reading strategy, guide them through it, and reflect with them on how well that tool worked.