Supporting struggling readers to access the secondary curriculum
Why is reading so important?
In secondary schools, students are increasingly expected to access their learning through reading - whether it’s a slide presentation, printed document, or webpage. Reading is a fundamental skill that allows students to engage with the curriculum. For struggling readers, this creates a significant challenge.
In mixed-ability classrooms, some students may ask for a slide to stay on the screen longer while others are ready to move on. In schools that use ability-based groupings (sets), teachers may find it even harder to support struggling readers effectively, particularly when no additional classroom support is available.
Since reading is the gateway to learning across most subjects, it’s vital that students can confidently and independently engage with lesson resources. For students who are behind with reading, targeted support can significantly enhance their ability to learn and succeed across the curriculum.
Identifying students who need reading support – ‘Thousands of year 7s struggle with reading’
The government’s Reading Framework (July 2023) and an Ofsted blog from 2022 highlight the importance of reading across all subjects in secondary school. These documents stress that reading skills are essential for students to succeed in every lesson, not just in English. All teachers are expected to support students’ reading, helping them understand and use subject-specific language in their work.
However, for many year 7 students, especially those who struggle with reading, the transition to secondary school can be difficult. They are expected to read a range of texts with complex vocabulary and different structures. If students have trouble understanding these texts, it can make school feel frustrating and overwhelming.
Why identifying struggling readers is important
The transition from primary to secondary school is a tough time for struggling readers. They face new challenges, such as reading complex words and learning new vocabulary that is specific to each subject. If students don’t have strong reading skills, they may struggle to keep up with lessons and lose confidence in their abilities.
How teachers can identify struggling readers
Teachers can identify struggling readers by looking out for the following signs:
Difficulty understanding subject texts: If students have trouble understanding the words and concepts in their subjects, they may be struggling with reading.
Limited vocabulary: Students who use simple words instead of more academic ones may not have the vocabulary needed to explain their ideas fully.
Trouble with unfamiliar words: Struggling readers may find it hard to sound out or understand new words, especially the complex terms used in different subjects.
Avoiding reading tasks: Students who avoid reading or seem reluctant to engage with reading tasks may be struggling with comprehension.
Reading slowly: If students are reading at a slower pace than others, it could be a sign that they’re having difficulty understanding the material.
Negative feelings about reading and school: Students who express frustration or dislike for reading may be feeling discouraged because they struggle with it.
By identifying these signs early, teachers can offer the support struggling readers need to improve their skills and feel more confident in their learning.
How does reading ability impact struggling readers’ learning?
Struggling readers often fall behind their peers because their comprehension - and overall understanding—is limited. Without the ability to read fluently and accurately, their working memory becomes overloaded. This puts them at an immediate disadvantage in subjects where reading is necessary to access information. Struggling readers may:
- Have difficulty understanding what they read
- Struggle to recall prior knowledge or relevant information
- Find it hard to connect new ideas to existing knowledge
Improving reading skills is crucial but takes time. In the meantime, teachers must provide scaffolding and accessible resources to ensure students can still participate meaningfully in lessons.
Accessible resources don’t solve reading difficulties but can reduce the impact on broader learning, helping students stay engaged and make progress while they work towards age-appropriate reading levels.
How can DocReader support struggling readers?
The DocReader in DocsPlus is a game-changer for struggling readers, giving them the tools to access written content independently and confidently.
By reading text aloud and highlighting each word as it’s spoken, the DocReader makes worksheets, exam papers, and other resources instantly accessible. This means students don’t have to rely on constant teacher support and can complete their working with growing independence.
For students who find reading a challenge, the DocReader provides that extra bit of support to help them understand and process information at their own pace. For example, students can:
- Listen to questions or instructions as often as needed
- Break down large pieces of text into manageable chunks
- Work through lesson materials independently
How can using DocReader prepare struggling readers for exams?
When students use the DocReader regularly, it becomes their ‘normal way of working.’ This familiarity is especially useful for exams. Instead of requiring a human reader, students can use DocsPlus to access exam materials independently. This approach not only builds their confidence but also reduces pressure on schools by saving resources.
How can students use DocReader to access the curriculum?
The DocReader is a flexible tool with many features to support struggling readers. Here’s how it can help:
- Explore different ways to listen – Students can listen to text read aloud in chunks, by word, or from a specific point in the document.
- Use Dual View – Students can display a PDF side-by-side with their writing, making it easier to reference source material while working.
- Convert a range of files – Teachers can save PowerPoints, web pages, or even scanned textbook pages as PDFs for use in the DocReader.
- Write responses directly in interactive PDFs – Students can complete tasks and answer questions within the same document.
- Use OCR tools – Optical Character Recognition can convert image-based PDFs into readable formats, expanding the range of accessible materials.
Explore different ways to listen
There are so many ways to make text accessible to students using DocReader - which is especially useful for struggling readers who require a lot of support.
You can highlight a chunk of text and then use the ‘Play’ button in the top toolbar to hear it read out with our realistic speech feedback.
You can also use the red carat marker to indicate where you want the DocReader to start reading. Place the carat anywhere on the page by clicking. When you go to Play, DocReader will read the text from that carat onwards. You can then pause the speech at any point, perhaps to answer a question or check the task.
There are also ‘Speak next word’ and ‘Speak previous word’ arrows either side of ‘Play’ in the top toolbar. These allow you to listen to specific words easily or progress through the text word by word.
Use Dual View
Dual View is a fantastic tool that enables students to access their source material, questions to answer, glossaries, or other text files while working on their writing in the Document.
Open up the Page View settings with the icon in the top-right of the screen and toggle on ‘Dual View’ to turn it on. This will then display your DocReader document alongside the Document the student is writing in.
Students can move seamlessly between the text they’re working with and their piece of writing as needed – a game changer for students who struggle with poor working memory!
Convert a range of files
DocReader allows you to open any PDF for speech support, but did you know that many other files can be saved in PDF format, making them accessible in DocReader?
This promotes so much flexibility in the classroom. You can:
- Take a MS PowerPoint file you’ve produced for your class and make it accessible in DocsPlus for struggling readers to refer back to.
- Save a webpage with key information for students to access as a PDF using the Print to PDF function built into most operating systems.
- Scan a page from a physical textbook using your phone and upload it in PDF format to use in DocsPlus.
There are so many ways for students to access the material they need with the speech support through the DocReader.
Write responses directly into interactive PDFs
Dual View is a fantastic tool for supporting struggling readers with longer pieces of writing but, sometimes, you might prefer to keep shorter answers in the same document as the questions.
The DocReader is compatible with interactive PDFs which would allow students to type their responses directly into the PDF.
There are many tools available that allow you to convert standard PDFs to interactive versions. This is a fantastic option for worksheets with a series of shorter questions or tables to complete or even for homework tasks.
Use OCR tools
Not every PDF file is made equal! Some PDFs are closer to an image of a document, rather than a text file, which means the DocReader is unable to identify the text for speech support.
Fortunately, you can use online OCR tools (Optical Character Recognition) to resolve this. These will take your PDF file and convert it into a format that DocsPlus can use.
This means that virtually any PDF can then be used alongside the DocReader to support students in developing and enhancing their literacy skills.
Want to know more?
- Learn more about how to use the DocReader to support your struggling readers with our tutorials for Windows/Mac PCs or iPads and Chromebooks.
- Support students learning to use the DocReader with our DocsPlus for Students videos.
- Discover the benefits of using the DocReader and other DocsPlus tools as part of your access arrangement provision for struggling readers.
- Stay up to date with DocsPlus updates and resources in our DocsPlus Community Facebook group.
- Learn how you can use WorkSpaces in DocsPlus to support students in planning non-fiction writing tasks.
- Book a free subscriber support meeting with one of our consultants to discuss maximising your use of DocsPlus.
