Enrichment for
High-Level Readers
by Chelsea Lea
Teaching reading can be a difficult task. When confronted with struggling readers, as well as those reading high above their grade level, many teachers find that trying to meet the needs of students with such a wide range of abilities leaves them feeling inadequate and unprepared. As students advance to higher grades, teachers are able to document those students who are struggling readers and pin-point areas that need improvement; however, how to enrich the learning of those students reading above grade level can be a challenge. By researching new ideas and implementing the following strategies, I have become more aware of the needs of these high-level readers in my class, and I feel more equipped to enrich
them.
According to Meynell (n.d.), Professor
at the Neag School of Education
at the University of Connecticut
and author of SEM-R and
Talented Readers, the follow-
ing list composes the char-
acteristics of talented read-
ers: (a) reading before their
peers; (b) more time spent
reading; (c) reading a greater
variety of literature, even into
adulthood; (d) reading at least
two levels above their grade-level
placement; (e) showing a complex and advanced understanding of language; (f) exhibiting an extensive vocab-ulary; (g) iden-tifying relationships between characters with-in texts; (h) the ability to grasp complex ideas; (i) displaying advanced skills when compared to their peers; and lastly, (j) high-level readers might not show a benefit from the usual read-ing instruction, which is where the strategies discussed in this article might be beneficial to classroom teachers.
Guided Reading
When first introduced to the guided reading model, I was overwhelmed. According to Iaquinta (2006), "Guided reading is a teaching approach used with all readers, struggling or independent, that has this fundamental pur-pose: to meet the varying instructional needs of all the students in the classroom, enabling them to greatly expand their reading pow-ers" (p. 414). When implementing the guided reading model, there are so many different components to consider. As I became more comfortable with flexibly grouping students, planning for and following the two-day lesson plan, conducting running records, and activat-ing and validating students' reading behaviors and abilities, I realized I was not providing the
enrichment my high-level readers
needed. With instructional prac-
tices being geared toward aver-
age readers and below, I be-
came aware of my insuffi-
cient understanding of how to provide adequate enrich-ment for my above-grade- level readers. I found that
incorporating literature cir-
cles, partner reading, and inde-
pendent practice through tech-
nology and inquiry helped me better
supplement students who were reading
at levels above their current grade in school.
Classroom Close-Up
Chelsea Lea teaches seventh-grade Communication Arts at Carver Middle School in Springfield. She earned her master’s degree in Literacy with special reading certification from Missouri State University. Chelsea is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum at MU.
"With instructional practices being geared toward average readers and below, I became aware of my insufficient understanding of how to provide adequate enrichment for my above-grade-level readers."
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