Motivating Struggling Readers

Struggling readers typically avoid reading because they find it to be a difficult task. Infrequent practice can cause them to fall further behind in reading. What can teachers do to motivate students who struggle in reading?

This study explores the following three areas for motivating struggling readers to want to read: If students are given a choice of what topic to read, will they be more motivated to read? If students have a hands-on activity that directly correlates with the topic, will they be more excited to read about the subject? If students are given a chance to share what they have learned about a topic with their peers, how will they feel about their efforts in reading?

If students are given a chance to choose what they want to read, will they be more motivated to read?

The Reading Begins…

Activating Prior Knowledge

KWL Graphic Organizer

KWL Graphic Organizer

Will including a hands-on activity increase motivation to read?

Observations

Summarizing

If students are given a chance to share what they have learned about a topic with their peers, how will they feel about their efforts in reading?

Survey Results The data revealed that 11 out 13 students in this study preferred the hands-on activity most of all. 12 out of 13 students chose sharing what they learned with peers as their 2nd choice. Informal observations reveal students are still reading the mummy texts independently even though we are now reading a fictional chapter book as a group.