Toolkit for Struggling Readers - A Guide for Educators 6-12 - Revised June 2017

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Rizky

Toolkit for Struggling Readers provides educators with practical, classroom-ready guidance for supporting reading development for students in grades 6–12. It organizes key processes into assessment, an instructional framework, curriculum resource guidance for phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and strategies for strengthening student motivation through goals, autonomy, engaging texts, and collaboration. Includes charts, instructional plan templates, and appendices with references, hyperlinks, rubrics, and active reading strategy descriptions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages60

Reading Time2 h 31 min

AccessFree to download

Table of Contents

Contributors

Introduction

Section 1: Assessment

Section 2: Instructional Framework

Section 3: Curriculum Resources

Section 4: Student Motivation

Section 5: Appendices

Revised June 2017 Image: Thinkstock© TOOLKIT FOR STRUGGLING READERS A Guide for Educators 6-12 Utah State Board of Education 250 East 500 South PO Box 144200 Salt Lake City, Ut 84114-4200 Sydnee Dickson, Ed.D., State Superintendent of Public Instruction Toolkit2017.indd 1 6/16/2017 7:57:17 AM TOOLKIT FOR STRUGGLING READERS A Guide for Educators 6-12 Utah State Board of Education 250 East 500 South P. O. Box 144200 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200 Sydnee Dickson, Ed. D. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Revised June 2017 [http://schools.utah.gov](http://schools.utah.gov) UTAH STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 250 East 500 South P.O. Box 144200 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200 [http://schoolboard.utah.gov](http://schoolboard.utah.gov) | District
District 1
District 2 | Name
Terryl Warner
Spencer F. Stokes | City
Hyrum, UT 84319 Ogden, UT 84403 | | --- | --- | --- | | District 3 | Linda B. Hansen | West Valley City, UT 84120 | | District 4 | Jennifer Graviet | South Ogden, UT 84403 | | District 5 | Laura Belnap | Bountiful, UT 84010 | | District 6 | Brittney Cummins | West Valley City, UT 84120 | | District 7 | Carol Barlow-Lear | Salt Lake City, UT 84108 | | District 8 | Janet A. Cannon | Holladay, UT 84117 | | District 9 | Joel Wright | Cedar Hills, UT 84062 | | District 10 | Kathleen Riebe | Cottonwood Heights, UT 84093 | | District 11 | Lisa D. Cummins | Herriman, UT 84096 | | District 12 | Alisa Ellis | Heber City, UT 84032 | | District 13 | Scott B. Neilson | Spanish Fork, UT 84660 | | District 14 | Mark Huntsman | Fillmore, UT 84631 | | District 15 | Michelle Boulter | St. George, UT 84790 | | | Sydnee Dickson | State Superintendent of Public Instruction | | | Lorraine Austin | Secretary to the Board | 1/2017 Table of Contents Utah State Board of Education 5 Contributors 9 Introduction 11 Section 1: Assessment 13 Chart 1: Steps for Using Assessment 15 Chart 2: Universal Screening 16 Chart 3: Diagnostic Assessments 17 Chart 4: Progress Monitoring 19 Section 2: Instructional Framework 21 Class Structure 21 Chart 5: Suggested Reading Class Size 21 Time Allocation 22 Chart 6: Time Allocation 22 Independent Practice Group Configurations 23 Section 3: Curriculum Resources 25 Phonics 25 Chart 7: Phonics Scope and Sequence 26 Chart 8: Recommended Phonics Lesson Plan Template 27 Chart 9: Basic Phonics 29 Chart 10: Advanced Phonics 29 Fluency 29 Chart 11: Reading Fluency 30 Vocabulary 31 Chart 12: Vocabulary Strategies 32–33 Chart 13: Vocabulary 33 Comprehension 34 Chart 14: Comprehension 34 Chart 15: Reading Comprehension Strategies 35 Building Schema or Background Knowledge 37 Building Background Knowledge Unit 37 Chart 16: Instructional Plan 38–40 Section 4: Student Motivation 41 Consideration \#1: Provide Goals for Reading 41 Consideration \#2: Support Student Autonomy 42 Consideration \#3: Use Interesting Texts 44 Consideration \#4: Increase Collaboration Opportunities 47 Additional Resources for Teachers 48 How Parents Can Motivate Adolescent Readers 49 Section 5: Appendices Appendix A: References 51 Appendix B: Hyperlinks for Student Motivation 53 Appendix C: Fluency Rubric 55 Appendix D: Active Reading Strategies Description 57 Contributors The following educators assisted with the creation of this guide: DAWAN COOMBS Assistant Professor—English Brigham Young University STATIA DAVEY K–6 Math/ELA Teacher Specialist Ogden School District JAN DOLE Professor and Director of the Reading and Literacy Program University of Utah LOGAN FROERER Secondary Teacher Davinci Academy JANICE JOHNSON Secondary ELA Specialist Granite School District SARAH JONES Secondary English Teacher Davis School District ANNA LYNN Instructional Coach and Middle School Teacher Early Light Academy SUZANNE PARKER Secondary Language Arts Specialist Provo School Dis

FAQs

What grade range is covered by the toolkit?

The toolkit is designed for educators working with students in grades 6–12.

What assessment steps are included for struggling readers?

It provides charted steps for using assessment, including universal screening, diagnostic assessments, and progress monitoring.

How does the toolkit support student motivation?

It outlines considerations such as providing goals for reading, supporting autonomy, using interesting texts, and increasing collaboration opportunities, along with resources for teachers and parents.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Rizky