The Teaching the Struggling Reader course equips learners with practical, instructional strategies to help developing readers gain confidence, comprehension, and a love of reading. Grounded in proven literacy practices, the course focuses on showing learners how skilled readers think, by explicitly teaching reading strategies that proficient readers use automatically. Through structured, hands‑on techniques, educators and parents learn how to make reading approachable, meaningful, and successful for struggling readers.
Module 1: Balancing Language to Support Meaning
Introduces foundational reading strategies that help replace fear and frustration with confidence and joy. Educators explore tools for tackling text, including the Cloze Reading Strategy, and learn when and how to apply oral and written supports to strengthen comprehension.
Module 2: Nicknaming, Scattered Clues & Paraphrasing
Focuses on strategic approaches that help learners actively engage with text. Educators learn how to teach the Nicknaming and Scattered Clues strategies, why direct telling is ineffective, and how paraphrasing differs as a deeper comprehension skill.
Module 3: Nonsense & Pronoun Referent Strategies
Explores strategies that build meaning through language awareness. Educators examine when to teach the Nonsense Reading Strategy, how adverbs and connective language support understanding, and how Pronoun Referent strategies strengthen comprehension during guided reading.
Module 4: Unraveling & Kerneling Text
Covers advanced strategies for breaking down complex text. Educators learn how and when to teach Unraveling and Kerneling strategies, including different types of kerneling, to help learners unpack sentence structure and extract core meaning.
Upon successful completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
Explain how reading strategies support comprehension and confidence
Apply targeted reading strategies to help learners make meaning from text
Teach Cloze reading, paraphrasing, and contextual clue strategies effectively
Identify when and how to introduce advanced strategies such as unraveling and kerneling
Support oral and written language development to strengthen reading comprehension
Help struggling readers transition from deliberate strategy use to automatic reading skills
Foster a positive reading environment that promotes engagement and enjoyment
Certificate of completion
This class is an independent-study course. Students will have all the resources needed to successfully complete the course within the online material. A student helpdesk is available for technical support during the course enrollment.