Do you have a student or child who is a struggling reader and you’re feeling unsure how to help them truly succeed? I know that feeling! It can be frustrating when you feel like you’re doing everything right, but the progress just isn’t there.
That’s why I’m sharing my 5 top, research-based tips for K-2 teachers and parents. We’ll cover diagnostic tools, effective, trusted interventions, and crucial multisensory strategies to give your young reader the breakthrough they deserve.
Free Phonics Poem Activity
Grab this FREE “-at” phonics poem and worksheet!
Prefer to watch? You can get all of this information in video format! Just click play below. If you want to read the information instead, just keep scrolling!
Tip 1: Diagnostic Assessment: Find Out Exactly Where Students Are Struggling
If you notice your student is struggling to read, it can be nearly impossible to identify exactly where the breakdown is happening. You cannot build a successful reading foundation without knowing the exact point of need!
This is why a phonics screener is your first and most important step.
The goal of a screener is to find out precisely where your student is getting tripped up—is it CVC words, consonant blends, digraphs, or something else entirely? Once you have this diagnostic data, you can begin your instruction at their sweet spot, not at their frustration level.
My two favorite free phonics screeners are the QPS (Quick Phonics Screener) and the CORE Phonics Survey.
Once you’ve given and scored your screener, you will be able to identify the specific phonics skills that are tricky for your students. Next, you’ll look at a research-based scope and sequence to identify what lessons your student needs. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend two research-based favorites:
You can find both of those here >> LETRS Scope and Sequence and >>> UFLI Scope and Sequence
The Takeaway: Using literacy screeners and a research-based scope and sequence, you can take a diagnostic approach to help your struggling reader!
Tip 2: Remember that it may take longer than you think!
This isn’t meant to be discouraging—it’s meant to be an honest mindset shift!
The fact is, students who struggle to read often need MORE exposures to a new concept as well as LONGER durations of intervention at a higher intensity than their peers. We need to be prepared to give our students multiple research-based lessons on a skill before they achieve true, durable mastery.
If your student isn’t learning and applying the skills you are teaching as quickly as you’d like, just remember they may need more time and higher-intensity intervention, and that is absolutely A-OK!
The important caveat here is to ensure the lessons you are giving are research-based—if the instruction isn’t effective, doing more of it won’t help. This leads us right into Tip 3!
Tip 3: Use Research-Based Interventions
When looking for an effective intervention to help students learn to read, it must have a scope and sequence that progressively gets more difficult as students master skills (as recommended in Tip 1).
But that’s not all. A truly research-based intervention must explicitly teach the Five Essential Components of Reading Instruction:
- Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
There are many different programs out there that include all 5 of these components. Here are my top recommendations:
Recommendation 1: UFLI Foundations Program
This explicit phonics program is an incredible value. The manual includes all the lessons you need for K-2, and the huge online portal provides everything to accompany them: teaching slides, decodable texts, hands-on activities, and more.
The spiral-bound program is affordable, and the online parts are completely free! You can find out how to order this here >> UFLI Foundations
Recommendation 2: IMSE Orton Gillingham Comprehensive Plus
This program is more of an investment financially and time-wise, but I highly recommend it if you have the funding. I took the 30-hour training last year and received TONS of materials to implement the Orton Gillingham method, including teacher guides, a blending board, and sand for kinesthetic learning.
Reach out to your district! Many are offering funding for this top-tier program >>> IMSE Orton Gillingham Trainings
Recommendation 3: The Reading.com App (For At-Home Use)
This is different from the above programs, but it’s research-based and a GREAT start for parents at home! This app is designed to be done WITH parents and includes scripted lessons that follow the effective steps of teaching phonics.
📢 Special Offer for Susan Jones Teaching Readers!
You can actually get 70% OFF your first three months when you use my exclusive link: [https://bit.ly/SJTreadingdotcom]
Don’t Forget About Your Resources!
I also create resources that follow these same research-based guidelines. For example, my Short Vowel Decodable Phonics Poems & Worksheets are specifically designed to align with the Science of Reading. This popular resource has proven success in teachers’ classrooms, and are a perfect way to reinforce the skills your students need to practice.
Grab it on TPT!Want to try before you buy? Get a free sample below!
Free Phonics Poem Activity
Grab this FREE “-at” phonics poem and worksheet!Tip 4: Incorporate Multi-sensory Learning:
Multi-sensory learning engages the whole brain and is essential for cementing foundational reading skills. The four main components are:
- Visual: Learning through watching and seeing (e.g., using letter cards).
- Auditory: Learning through listening and hearing sounds (e.g., phonemic awareness drills).
- Kinesthetic: Learning through physical activity or body movement (e.g., skywriting).
- Tactile: Learning through the sense of touch (e.g., using sand, paint, or play dough).
When teaching reading, we want to include as many of these senses as possible! Think about using sand and paintbrushes to form letters, using pop-its, or even painting letters with water outside!
See it in Action: I made a whole video sharing fun and effective multi-sensory activities here: 10 Multisensory Activities to use in a K-2 Classroom!
Tip 5: Don’t Skip the Read Aloud!
This might not happen during your small group or 1-on-1 phonics lesson, but we must make sure we are still giving students opportunities to enjoy reading!
The benefits of reading aloud are huge:
- It builds listening comprehension.
- It introduces students to new vocabulary words.
- It allows you to discuss important social themes (honesty, kindness, friendship).
- Students can see fluent modeled reading in action.
So, if you are spending 20-30 minutes a day using focused, research-based lessons with your struggling reader… keep it up! Just remember to add in a quick read-aloud. Talk about what happens in the story, laugh together, and remind your child or students that reading is a joy!
Free Interactive Read Aloud Lesson
Join my newsletter and get this free Interactive Read Aloud Lesson!
Ready to Help Your Struggling Reader?
You now have a clear path forward: diagnose the problem, commit to effective, research-based instruction, and make learning multi-sensory and enjoyable!
- Start with the Data: [Download the Free Phonics Screener Guide] to accurately assess your student’s needs
- Explore Resources: Check out my [Decodable Phonics Poems] for engaging, ready-to-use practice aligned with the Science of Reading. Check out a free version below!
Free Phonics Poem Activity
Grab this FREE “-at” phonics poem and worksheet!I would love to know if any of these tips stood out to you or if you have any other tips you’d like to share—just let me know down in the comments!
Pin this post to remember:
Leave a Comment