How often have we heard teachers attribute student failure to poor reading habits? It is no secret that pupils read less and less and this means that it becomes an effort for them each time they need to read. With resulting serious effects on their comprehension of other subjects. What may not be so widely accepted, however, is the idea that subject teachers can help struggling readers. This does not mean that subject teachers should become reading teachers but they can organise their lessons to help deficient readers become proficient when reading content-based material.

Subject teachers should understand that the difference between successful and unsuccessful readers is the ability to apply strategies to understand difficult texts, which is very relative. A reader who holds a degree in geography may find a manual on engineering a «tough text.» However, it can be assumed that he is a viable reader who will apply learnt reading strategies repetitively to attain comprehension. Such a reader will reread, paraphrase, take the context into account, question, reflect, and consult other materials. The application of reading skills to a difficult text is automatic when someone is a proficient reader.

A struggling reader, on the other hand, has no or little knowledge of reading strategies or applies such strategies only to texts with which he is comfortable. Thus, simple reading strategies built into a subject lesson can provide a struggling reader with the help he needs to achieve success.

If your students are expected to read in your class, then it is your responsibility to help them.

While an English teacher spends a lot of time teaching reading skills, it is difficult to cover every type of text a student will encounter outside the classroom. This is why the responsibility for teaching reading should be shared by all teachers, regardless of level or content. Educators who accept this idea are already a step ahead but the task can be very difficult for other teachers that have not been used to that idea.

You can help your students decode the types of text they encounter in your classes, whether they are from the hard sciences, social sciences, or mathematics. Any reading assignment can be broken down into three comprehension-building steps:

■ Step One: Before reading

This step activates a knowledge base upon which students can build and establishes a purpose for reading.

■ Step Two: During reading

This step allows students to measure comprehension, clarify, visualize, and build connections.

■ Step Three: After reading

This step expands prior knowledge, builds connections, and deepens understanding.

Educators owe struggling readers subject-reading instruction. Confident, proficient readers will not magically emerge from the door of an English classroom; rather, skilled readers emerge from classrooms where effective reading strategies are taught and practised regularly.

<B>MCL</B>