Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9

Vaughn, S., Gersten, R., et al. (2022).

Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, (WWC 2022007), Retrieved from https://whatworks.ed.gov/.

This evidence-based guideline provides recommendations to help educators and specialists provide reading intervention to children in grades 4-9.

What Works Clearinghouse

Educators and instructors should target decoding skills so students can read complex multisyllabic words (Strong Level of Evidence).<br /><br />To facilitate this recommendation:<br /> <ul> <li>Teach vowel and consonant letter-sounds and combinations. Explicitly teach segmentation of words into syllables through a simple routine to sound out and blend each part of a word.</li> <li>Target spelling to reinforce vowel-consonant letter-sounds and combinations being taught.</li> <li>Provide a variety of activities to build automaticity of reading multisyllabic words (e.g., reading word lists and reading words in sentences or paragraphs). Discuss word meanings if unknown.</li> </ul>

It is recommended to provide purposeful fluency-building activities to promote effortless reading (Strong Level of Evidence).<br /><br />To carry out this recommendation: <br /> <ul> <li>Ensure repeated readings have purpose (e.g., reading for pace and expression, reading for unfamiliar vocabulary words, reading to answer questions).</li> <li>Incorporate reading with prosody (e.g., appropriate pitch and tempo, expression, and pausing).</li> <li>Provide opportunities for students to read texts with different sentence structures, styles, and topics.</li> </ul>

Teachers should regularly use comprehension building practices to help students understand text (Strong Level of Evidence).<br /><br />To facilitate this recommendation:<br /> <ul> <li>Build both world knowledge and word knowledge so students can make sense of the text: <ul> <li>Provide background knowledge prior to reading in order to develop world knowledge for students to understand what they are reading.</li> <li>Identify and teach unfamiliar words that are essential for understanding the passage.</li> <li>Teach concepts related to identifying context clues. Teach affixes and Greek/Latin roots.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Routinely provide students with opportunities to ask and answer questions to increase understanding of the text they read: <ul> <li>Teach students common question types and have them justify their answers.</li> <li>Provide opportunities to work with peers and to sort through relevant/irrelevant information.</li> <li>Have students develop questions about text to increase independence, understand text, and engage in discussion with peers.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Teach students a routine for determining the gist statement (i.e., main idea) of a section of text: <ul> <li>Model a routine to develop gist statements.</li> <li>Teach text types to aid students in developing gist statements.</li> <li>Allow opportunities for students to generate gist statements as a group and while working collaboratively with a partner.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Teach students to self-monitor their comprehension while reading: <ul> <li>Have students practice identifying when text does not make sense.</li> <li>Teach them to check in on their understanding.</li> <li>Provide opportunities for reflection so students can integrate learning as well as increase self-awareness of what they do not understand.</li> </ul> </li> </ul>

Educators and specialists should provide students with practice opportunities to understand stretch text (i.e., challenging text) that will expose them to complex ideas and information (Moderate Level of Evidence).<br /><br />To promote this recommendation:<br /> <ul> <li>Choose texts above students' reading level or on topics in other disciplines. Plan when to stop for discussion. Create a list of difficult multisyllabic words for discussion.</li> <li>Work through stretch texts as a group with instructor support. Use a variety of approaches to read aloud as a group.</li> <li>Once students are comfortable reading challenging text as a group, progress to independent reading of stretch text with electronic support. Incorporate comprehension activities.</li> </ul>