How do you support a struggling reader in your classroom?

You can support struggling readers in any subject without slowing the whole class by using evidence-based moves that lower the barrier without lowering the standard.

1. Pre-teach key vocabulary before they hit it in the text. Identify the 3–5 most essential terms, teach them with a student-friendly definition and an image or example, so vocabulary isn't the wall between the reader and the content. Prior knowledge is the single best predictor of new learning; frontloading this builds access.
2. Chunk the text into smaller sections. One long passage overwhelms; break it into two or three chunks with a quick task or question after each, so the reader processes and checks understanding in steps rather than drowning in volume.
3. Give a purpose for reading. "Find the two causes of the Industrial Revolution" directs active reading; "read pages 45–47" invites passivity. A clear goal keeps attention on the important parts.
4. Model annotation and provide marked-up copies. Show students how to circle unknown words, underline main ideas, and bracket evidence. Let them keep a marked-up copy so they have external memory while reading.
5. Offer multiple paths to the same content. An audio version, a leveled text at the same difficulty as the original, or a structured partner-read arrangement. The skill is the same; access varies.

These moves are differentiation, not lowering expectations. A differentiation tool can generate the leveled versions and pre-teaching scaffolds so you're not rewriting texts by hand.