Montessori Blog - Skilled Reading Part 1: How do we help older students become better readers? Grumble Services Learning Resources blog

Skilled Reading Part 1

Skilled Reading: How do we help struggling readers? As readers advance, the development of comprehension skills work differently. Research shows older readers possess specific strategies to construct meaning before, during, and after reading a text. I now know this type of reading to be called “skilled reading.”

The key to skilled reading is being capable of recognizing words without relying on context at all. This is one of the most well replicated findings in all current reading research.

Montessori Blog - Grumble Services elementary learning resources

Expository Writing

Expository writing can be used for different purposes. It can be used to provide a reader with explanations, the steps in a process or evidence supporting an argument. The writing is defined by logical sequencing and transitions. An expository essay requires the writer to research and investigate an idea, gather supporting evidence, and present a point of view or argument on the topic. This can be done through multiple methods. It can be done through compare and contrast, cause and effect or examples. In my classroom, we simply refer to it as “research writing.”

Montessori Blog - Grumble Services elementary learning resources

LISTENING ACTIVELY

Listening actively is becoming more and more of a lost art. Why? Today’s world has sped up dramatically. It sometimes even feels as if time is moving faster. Consequently, it is difficult for many of us to slow down, pause and reflect on our days.

As a result, it feels as if some very important life skills have become more and more difficult for many students to understand and master. These include: Slowing down, sitting silently for a prolonged period of time and actively listening when others are speaking.

Montessori Blog - Grumble Services elementary learning resources

Reading Daily

Reading Daily: Focused, challenging reading is so important for everyone (big and small) to do each and every day. Current research supports reading from a printed book format helps even further.

The printed format seems to offer higher levels of comprehension and retention than reading text from a computerized screen: “When reading long, linear, continuous texts over multiple pages that require a certain amount of concentration, referred to as “Deep Reading.”