Intervention activities for reading – what you need to know

What are intervention activities for reading - what you need to know about these techniques and how they can help children in your class?

Children have different skills, reading levels, and strengths. And at the same time, they have their own weaknesses. This is why it is essential to focus on individual learning (and small group instructions) and finding ways to assist struggling readers. 

Here is all you need to know about phonemic awareness, various reading comprehension strategies, the science of reading, and ways to increase reading fluency. 

The goal of a reading intervention

If you are wondering what the goal of reading intervention activities is, the answer is quite simple. The goal is to help people read with ease by changing the primary approach. Adjusting the reading program can make a lot of difference for struggling readers, and it is effective. 

Naturally, there are many different versions of interventions, and you should pick one that works for you. In some cases, children will require explicit instructions, and the organizers will need to focus on understanding what each student needs. 

Examples of reading interventions

Saying that you will just change the approach will not be enough. You will need to know what works, and how different methods can improve the whole class. And the reason why this is so important is that there are many dyslexic children. 

They will need all the help they can get, and special education can make a world of difference. It is worth mentioning that you will need to find an appropriate intervention. What might be helpful for the first-grade level won’t be as effective with older students. 

Color coding

Color coding is an effective way to make a distinction between certain letters. And there are several ways to use the method. One of the most popular examples is to use one color for specific phonic patterns. 

You and your students should assign a color to various parts of a word. This could be vowels, phonics, or just regular letters. 

Color coding can also be great for learning syllables, prefixes, suffixes, rhymes, word recognition, new words, spelling patterns, and so much more. And it will make the class more interesting for younger children. 

Videos

Videos can be an excellent addition to your classes. Especially today when you can find a video on almost every single subject. The reason why video materials are great is that many children are auditory and visual learners. 

It will be easier for them to process the information if they see or hear how it should sound. And this gives you plenty of options to explore different lessons and options. Additionally, you can let children draw words and what they represent. 

If they are able to see the representation (especially if they draw it), they will have an easier time remembering it.

Word stretching

Word stretching is another popular method that can be effective. And it is quite useful for children with dyslexia. Letters can often be too close together even if you type everything on your keyboard. And with that, it is easy to mix up letters and make mistakes. 

With proper spacing, children will have an easier time remembering the letters and focusing on the content. Unfortunately, solving the problem of dyslexia is not as simple, but it is a huge step in the right direction. 

You can also use props to make the stretching more obvious, and slinkies and rubber bands are a perfect option. Furthermore, word segmenting will have a similar approach as well. 

Most effective reading interventions

Now that you are starting to understand what reading intervention strategies are and how they can help your students, it is time to look at some of the most effective options. Keep in mind that all of these methods will be effective to a degree. 

And some will be easier to implement than others. After all, children love using coloring pencils, and color coding is one of the simplest ways to make a difference in words. But there are more effective ways. 

Individualized Reading Instruction

Individualized Reading Instruction or IRI is one of the best methods to improve productivity and affect the reading skills of children in the classroom. But instead of using a universal teaching method, you will focus on the needs of each individual child. 

Needless to say, the method is not easy. But it is crucial to understand that each child has different types of needs. For some, oral reading will be a breeze, but others might require more time and attention. 

This also means that the teacher will need to adapt the material for each kid, create a lesson plan, give direct instructions, and focus on their strengths. 

Phonics

Phonics is an approach to reading and is another great way to give literacy instructions. It focuses on how each letter sounds, and it will allow children to learn about phonemes. It will also improve phonological awareness, decoding, and help children progress. 

This is also one of the best methods for struggling readers that will allow them to start at the beginning. Naturally, there are numerous training courses and lessons you can check out that can be more than helpful in this situation. 

Reading aloud

Reading aloud is a great method that will allow children to read better. The only issue with this is that some students might be too shy. Yes, it is a good idea to help them get out of their shell, but pushing them too hard can be counterproductive. 

This is why you should only use this method if there are no issues with it. Don’t try to force it. Especially for kids with dyslexia. Reading disabilities can cause problems with self-esteem, which will make it nearly impossible to read aloud in front of the entire class. 

One thing that can help with anxiety is having a warm-up or reading practice. This will also help with student progress monitoring, RTI (or response to intervention), and the teacher will be able to make a reading assessment. 

Using text to speech to improve reading skills and fluency

If you want to take everything to a whole new level, you can always check out text-to-speech tools. One of the most popular options is Speechify, and it is a highly versatile TTS tool. Using it will allow children to hear any type of content, including physical documents. 

There are plenty of customization settings, and you can choose between a number of high-quality voices. Additionally, Speechify will work on any device you can imagine, making it easier for classes that don’t have standardized equipment. 

FAQs

What are the 5 intervention strategies?

Intervention strategies are various techniques that will allow children to improve specific skills or achieve goals. When it comes to comprehension skills, these strategies can be color coding, board games, rhyming, drawing, visual cues, and many others.

What is the difference between a reading intervention and a way to teach someone to read?

In the majority of cases, teaching someone to read refers to standard techniques while reading intervention focuses on alternative methods that can help struggling students. So, the main difference is in the approach. 

What are the 5 interventions that are effective with struggling readers?

Interventions that can be effective for struggling readers are word stretching, IRI, phonics skills, text-to-speech apps like Speechify, sight words, and many others. Some of these methods might require background knowledge, but there are plenty of great courses you can find.