Reading intervention is a program or curriculum that involves explicit instruction and scaffolding in a more targeted and direct approach to reading skills. These interventions typically break down the essential components of reading: phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Teachers use programs such as Wilson Language Training, Fundations, HELPS, and other research-based foundational skills to teach the underlying principles of reading. They build fluency through guided oral reading, repeated readings, and clear feedback.
Phonics
Phonics is a critical component of reading intervention for students who are struggling. Research-based phonics instruction teaches students the sounds of letters and how they combine to form words, which helps them decode unfamiliar or unknown words.
To assess phonics instruction, researchers ask teachers to fill out logbooks where they record general information about the lesson (date, number of students, name of student) and its specific content. These data were used to measure the fidelity of implementing the phonics-based program.
Research suggests that phonics instruction improves word and non-word reading skills for students with ID. It also teaches them to spell, which is an important aspect of being literate. It’s important to focus on reading CVC words, which are words that start with a consonant, have a vowel in the middle, and end with a consonant. Once students have solidified reading these, they can move on to more complex phonics patterns. Learning phonics takes time and practice, which is why it’s important to start early.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the body of words and their meanings students need to understand to comprehend texts. It’s one of the most important predictors of reading comprehension.
While all children learn some word meanings indirectly, research shows that explicit vocabulary instruction is essential for developing reading competence. Unfortunately, many teachers do not devote sufficient time to promoting vocabulary development in their classrooms.
When teaching vocabulary, it is important to use explicit instructional routines to teach high utility words and academic language (including morphology—roots, combining forms, prefixes, and suffixes). It’s also helpful to offer multiple practice opportunities using a variety of activities to maximize exposure to the new word.
To engage students in vocabulary learning, try this hands on activity from 5CCL: Have students label vocabulary words with sticky notes that they can move around the room and stick to objects that apply. They can then discuss the relevance of each word in a text. Encourage students to jot down when they use these words outside of school, like at recess or during afterschool activities.
Comprehension
Comprehension is a child’s ability to think and make sense of what they read. Kids with strong comprehension can visualize stories, anticipate what will happen next, and make inferences. They understand what the text is telling them and can respond to it in many ways (writing, dramatic play, music, readers’ theatre, debate, videos, etc).
Decades of research across several disciplines (developmental psychology, cognitive science, education, linguistics) have revealed a lot about how children learn to comprehend oral and written texts. One such finding is that retell instruction – prompting students to orally reconstruct what they read – helps children develop their understanding of narrative texts and the ability to identify main ideas.
To implement effective reading comprehension interventions, teachers must plan and provide layered instruction that builds students’ skills in multiple ways. They must also monitor student progress closely and consistently to ensure success. To do so, they need to have the right tools in place – including pre- and mid-year assessment, ongoing monitoring, and explicit, well-developed instructional strategies.
Fluency
Students who struggle with fluency often read at a much slower rate than their peers. They also have difficulty reading quickly and accurately or with appropriate intonation. They may even skip words or move their mouth when they read, a behavior known as subvocalizing.
Research has shown that fluency is related to both comprehension and vocabulary. It is important to assess students and understand where they break down in reading fluency. Is it at the sound, word, sentence, or paragraph/passage level?
Strategies for building reading fluency include modeling fluent reading, repeated timed readings, and goal setting with feedback. Other factors that improve fluency include providing a model of correct pronunciation, using easier-level text, and practicing with peers. For some learners, a repeated reading approach called Readers’ Theater can be particularly effective for increasing fluency. This involves whole-class rereading of short passages in the form of plays, which is fun and motivating for children. Then, teachers give students positive feedback on their performance.