Improving Readers NOT "Low" Readers

Improving Readers NOT “Low” Readers

By: Cameron Carter

I genuinely hope I am not the only educator whose blood begins to boil when I hear teachers refer to their students as “my LOW readers” (NOTE: Yes, I purposely put “LOW” in uppercase letters because we all know that teacher who emphasizes the “LOW” part).

I was inspired to write this short post after hearing Dr. Alfred Tatum speak at our annual Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (OCTELA) conference. Dr. Tatum stated, “there is no research that shows giving children easy texts will improve their reading skills and abilities.” The quote rang in my ears because I instantly connected to what he was saying.

For years in my guided reading book clubs, I’ve always asked higher order critical thinking questions to all my groups. I don’t care what “level” they are reading, all children can make an inference and make a prediction about the text. Children are fantastic at letting their imagination and curiosities take over to make connections to not only the text, but also their own exciting world.

I decided to publish this blog post to spread the message, especially to new educators, that we must continually challenge all of our readers, regardless of what their “level” may indicate. I’ve compiled just a few question stems that I ask all readers in my first grade class when reading a text in our guided reading groups:

•          Based on the title of this text, what do you predict this book will be about?
•          After taking a brief picture walk, what confirms your prediction? Did anything challenge your prediction? What makes you say that?
•          Have you met a character like the one in the story in your life? If so, what similarities or differences do you see?
•           Did the author end the book/story the way you thought and/or predicted? If so, what makes you say that? If not, in your opinion, what could have been an alternate way to end to the story?
•          After reading, do you think the author chose a good title for this book? What makes you say that?
•           Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Above are just a few question stems… there are thousands more educators could ask, especially with specific details from the particular book.

My goal is to spread this message, far and wide, that educators NEED to promote critical thinking skills with all of their readers. Also, lets ditch the stigma of using the phrase, my “low” readers, and call them improving readers. As educators, we are always improving; therefore our children should be treated the same way.

Cameron Carter is a first-grade teacher at Evening Street Elementary in Worthington, OH. He is the Elementary Lead Ambassador for the National Council of Teachers of English and the Elementary Liaison for the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts. To continue learning with Cameron, follow him on Twitter @CRCarter313