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Struggling with the Struggle

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In this last post, I want to expand on my previous blog. Struggling readers, struggling writers, struggling mathematicians, struggling scientists, struggling students … we have read and discussed it frequently throughout this program, in each of our classes, about the struggles students have in school, in subject/content areas, with skills, and so on.  And yet, if you are like me, you are struggling with the potential struggle you might struggle with when working with a struggler ….. (Ha sounds like the start of a Lil Wayne verse... he does what I was trying to do there a little better than me: Carter 5 – Let it Fly [1:47] https://youtu.be/Gn2oCc3bPZc?t=107 you’re welcome). How do we reach the struggling student?  Why are they struggling?  What does it mean to struggle? Bomer and Bomer describes struggling readers as, “People who, for one reason or another, misapprehended the reading process and have not put a reading system together that adds up to meaning;
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Reforming Reluctant Readers This week I am revisiting the Week 3/16 blog post about Removing barriers to voluntary reading for reluctant readers: The role of school and classroom libraries by Jo Worthy. “These areas can be addressed in the context of a well-rounded reading program that includes teachers read-aloud, guided reading instruction, and free choice, independent reading: choice in instructional reading, opportunities to read for enjoyment and access to high-interest materials.” (Worthy, p. 489) As a reluctant reader myself, I have added a short article by Wayne Brinda   A "Ladder to Literacy" Engages Reluctant Readers who can be located at this link:   https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ961646.pdf Besides, I believe we will all have a reluctant student in our future classrooms.   Wayne Brinda follows two classrooms of eight students who are reluctant readers through a book club.   These students identify that they lost interest in reading around
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Multiple Paths to Learning Literacy

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"My mother never read to me, and yet I am an avid reader and writer." -Zulmara Cline "My mother never read to me. She never read me books or bedtime stories. My family did not have a print-rich environment. -Juan Necochea  "My mother always read to me (and my brothers). She read to us every night before bed. She built up an extensive library of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry in our house and she encouraged us to read inside and outside of school. I believe I am a relatively strong reader and writer, but I do not enjoy it in the slightest" -Me  I'm sure you all understand I was not mocking those authors, but trying to show the varying degrees of parent involvement, in particular parents reading to their children. It is often believed that if parents read to their children, they will grow up to become strong readers and writers, as well as love to read. I can assure you this is not always the case. We all know everyone has a different experie
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