Reading Intervention Strategies That Work

Closing the Reading Gap

Reading intervention is targeted instruction for students who are reading below grade level. Effective intervention is systematic, explicit, and matched to the student's specific needs.

Identifying the Problem

Before intervening, identify what is causing the reading difficulty:

Phonological Awareness -- Can the student hear and manipulate sounds in words? If not, this is the starting point.

Phonics/Decoding -- Can the student connect sounds to letters and decode unfamiliar words? Many struggling readers have decoding gaps.

Fluency -- Can the student read accurately and at a reasonable rate? Slow, choppy reading impairs comprehension even when decoding is accurate.

Vocabulary -- Does the student have the word knowledge to understand what they read? Limited vocabulary limits comprehension.

Comprehension -- Can the student understand and think about what they read? Comprehension difficulties can exist even when decoding is strong.

Intervention Strategies by Area

Phonological Awareness

• Rhyming games and activities
• Sound segmenting and blending practice
• Elkonin boxes (sound boxes)
• Songs and chants that emphasize sounds

Phonics

• Systematic, explicit phonics instruction
• Decodable readers at the student's level
• Word sorts by spelling pattern
• Multi-sensory practice (writing in sand, tapping sounds)

Fluency

• Repeated reading of the same passage
• Partner reading
• Reader's theater
• Listening to fluent reading models
• Phrase-cued reading (marking natural pauses in text)

Vocabulary

• Pre-teach key words before reading
• Teach word-learning strategies (context clues, morphology)
• Multiple exposures in different contexts
• Visual vocabulary (pictures with words)

Comprehension

• Graphic organizers for text structure
• Think-alouds (model your thinking process)
• Questioning strategies (before, during, after reading)
• Summarization practice

Keys to Success

• Intervene early -- do not wait
• Keep groups small (3-5 students)
• Monitor progress frequently
• Match instruction to the specific deficit
• Be consistent and persistent

Use the differentiation tool to create leveled reading materials and the IEP goal generator for reading goals.