Guiding Developmental
Readers: Bridging Past
Habits to New Practices
through Reading Guides
Sharon Green Ed.M.
Niagara University
NADE 2015
Greenville, SC
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Niagara University
◦ Private, four-year liberal arts institution
◦ Most first-year students are traditional age
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CRL 101, “Critical Literacy”
◦ 3-credit humanities elective
◦ Combined reading/writing course; limited time
for direct reading instruction
◦ Students are recommended for CRL 101 based
on SAT/ACT scores, NYS English Language
Assessment, & high school English grades.
Why do developmental students have a
limited reading background?
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They have a limited reading history.
They dislike reading.
They read cursorily “just to get it done.”
They haven’t developed a repertoire of reading
strategies.
They haven’t been held accountable for assigned
reading.
They seldom read for pleasure.
They may have a reading disability.
Jobs, sports, and extracurricular activities may limit
their time to read.
They may lack motivation.
They may be lazy.
CRL 101: Student Learning Goals for
Reading
◦ Students will increase literal and analytical
comprehension.
◦ Students will increase their college-level
vocabulary.
◦ Students will recognize the importance of
reading as learning.
Structure of CRL 101
◦ 1-2 short articles per class
◦ Some articles are challenging (Paulo Freire;
David Brooks; Paul Krugman; James Loewen;
Leonard Pitts)
◦ Book Project (15%): Students read one fulllength book (six choices; five nonfiction)
◦ Three argument papers (10%, 15%, & 20%),
using course articles
◦ Weekly small-group Recitation, focusing on
vocabulary and literal comprehension
In Fall 2014, I introduced Reading Guides
◦ Based on a model in John C. Bean’s Engaging
Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating
Writing, Critical Thinking and Active Learning in
the Classroom (2011).
◦ The Reading Guides accompany the first ten
articles of the semester.
Strategies embedded in the Reading Guides
◦ Previewing
◦ Predicting
◦ Noticing structure and organization of text
◦ Locating main ideas
◦ Annotating text
◦ Asking questions
◦ Increasing vocabulary
◦ Allocating adequate time for reading
◦ Eliminating distractions
◦ Expanding background information
Integrating Reading Guides in CRL 101
◦ Students receive them in the previous class.
◦ Students can use them as much or as little as
they like.
◦ I don’t collect them but in class I scan while
circulating the room.
SAMPLE READING GUIDES
(will be distributed during the presentation)
Assessing the Effectiveness of Reading
Guides (Fall 2014)
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First Assessment (end of Week 2)
◦ “Are you following the suggestions on the
Reading Guides?”
Yes: 88%
No: 12%
◦ “Did the Reading Guide for the first article (by
John Chaffee) help you feel more prepared for
Quiz #1?”
Yes: 74%
No: 26%
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Second assessment (Week 5)
◦ Have you been using the Reading Guides?
◦ Yes, all of them: 12
Yes: but just a few: 12
◦ Yes, most of them: 14
No: 2
◦ If you answered “Yes,” have the Reading
Guides been helpful?
 Yes: 23
 Somewhat: 11
Not really: 1
◦ If you answered “Yes,” do you answer the
questions and fill in the definitions on the
Reading Guides?
 Yes, most of them: 16
 Yes, some of them: 11
Yes, but just a few: 6
◦ Have you used any suggestions from the
Reading Guide for readings in your other
courses?
Yes: 31
No: 9
◦ Should we continue to use Reading Guides in
this class?
Yes: 32/40 (80%)
Adapting Reading Guides to other texts
◦ Textbooks chapters
◦ Journal articles
◦ Literature
Future plans
◦ Prepare more Reading Guides
◦ Indicate on syllabus which articles have an
accompanying Reading Guide
◦ Collect occasionally
Sharon Green
Niagara University
716-286-8071
sgreen@niagara.edu