Advanced Methods for Specific Learning Needs: Supporting Advanced Readers

Smiling boy reading a book intently

Advanced readers present a unique and often overlooked group within the educational landscape. These students, identified by their exceptional reading abilities, require tailored approaches that go beyond standard classroom instruction. Recognizing and addressing their specific learning needs is crucial for fostering their continued growth and passion for reading. This article delves into effective strategies and Advanced Methods For Specific Learning Needs of advanced readers, ensuring they are challenged, engaged, and reach their full potential.

Understanding Advanced Readers: Defining Exceptional Reading Prowess

Defining an advanced reader involves more than just grade level proficiency. While various definitions exist, a common thread emphasizes their exceptional reading capabilities compared to their peers. Building on the insights of education expert Wood (2008), advanced readers are characterized by their effortless and enthusiastic reading habits, marked by remarkable speed and deep comprehension. For them, reading transcends decoding words; it becomes an immersive journey of exploration, investigation, imagination, and connection-making with complex ideas. Paradoxically, the very ease with which these students read sometimes leads educators to underestimate their need for specialized instruction.

For the purpose of this discussion, we define advanced readers as students whose reading comprehension surpasses their age or grade level by two or more years, or those exhibiting high potential for exceptional reading performance (Reis et al., 2004). In the classroom, these students often find themselves ahead of the curve, waiting for instruction that truly challenges them. Conventional, grade-level reading instruction simply doesn’t provide the necessary stimulation or growth opportunities. Research by Brighton et al. (2015) highlights that advanced readers thrive with less repetition, possess greater focus, retain information more readily, and employ more sophisticated reading strategies than their average peers. This raises a vital question for educators and parents alike: What kind of instruction is genuinely effective for advanced readers? What are their specific learning needs to ensure continuous progress? And how can we sustain their intrinsic motivation for reading? Exploring these questions through relevant research is key to providing enriching learning experiences both at school and at home.

Setting Ambitious Goals for Advanced Reading Development

To effectively cater to the specific learning needs of advanced readers, it’s essential to establish clear and ambitious goals that extend beyond typical reading benchmarks. These goals should focus on deepening their engagement with complex texts and nurturing higher-level reading skills. Key objectives include:

• Exposure to Rich and Complex Texts: Advanced readers need consistent access to reading materials that push their intellectual boundaries. This means providing texts with “advanced vocabulary, sophisticated themes, and abstract or metaphorical concepts” (Wood, 2008). However, simply providing challenging material isn’t enough. Effective enrichment involves guiding students in how to navigate and interpret such complex literature.
• Cultivating Critical Reading Skills: Moving beyond basic comprehension, advanced readers should develop sophisticated critical reading skills. This includes the ability to interpret texts deeply, analyze authorial intent, and evaluate information critically. These skills are fundamental for academic success and lifelong learning.
• Fostering Creative Reading Behaviors: Encouraging creative responses to literature is vital. This can involve creative writing inspired by reading, exploring diverse genres, and developing a lifelong appreciation for the breadth and depth of literature.
• Developing Independent and Analytical Readers: The ultimate goal is to cultivate independent readers equipped with strong critical thinking skills. As Wood (2008) emphasizes, this includes skills like “analyzing text to detect author bias, inferring hidden meanings; locating, organizing, and synthesizing information related to a given topic; and understanding elements in literature including figures of speech, connotations, idioms, plot, characterization, setting, and voice” (p. 23).

Effective Instructional Practices: Advanced Methods for Advanced Readers

Research consistently points to three core instructional practices that address the specific learning needs of advanced readers in grades K-8, promoting reading comprehension and continuous growth. These strategies are adaptable for teachers, homeschool educators, and tutors seeking to provide enriching learning experiences. The core advanced methods are:

Providing Access to Challenging, High-Quality Texts

Access to appropriately challenging literature is paramount for advanced readers. Materials should align with their instructional level and interests to fuel continuous reading progress and maintain motivation (Reis et al., 2004). Challenging texts are defined as those that are one to two levels above a student’s current independent reading level (Reis et al., 2004). These texts naturally incorporate “advanced vocabulary, sophisticated themes, and abstract or metaphorical concepts” (Wood, 2008, p. 20). For middle school readers, independent, self-selected reading, combined with personalized instructional support, is particularly effective for growth.

Practical Strategies:

• Interest-Driven Challenging Texts: Offer a wide selection of challenging books that align with students’ individual interests. This personal connection enhances engagement and makes tackling complex texts more appealing.
• Supported Independent Reading: Encourage independent reading choices but provide individualized support. Brief check-ins to discuss understanding, explore vocabulary, and answer questions are crucial for navigating challenging material effectively.
• Exposure to Diverse and Quality Literature: Extend reading experiences beyond standard classroom materials. Introduce students to a rich variety of themes, characters, and genres often absent in typical curricula (Wood, 2008). Classroom read-alouds serve this purpose effectively, modeling thinking skills and exposing students to diverse narratives. At home, family read-aloud time can achieve the same enriching outcome. Resources like Read Aloud Revival offer excellent family reading suggestions.
• Curated Resources for Home Educators: For homeschooling families, resources like Brave Writer provide structured programs. For advanced readers, these programs can be adapted by accelerating the pace or selecting books intended for older students, ensuring continued challenge and engagement with high-quality, diverse literature.
• Genre and Level Guidance: Barbara Halsted’s book, Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers (affiliate link), is an invaluable resource for both teachers and home educators. It offers age-appropriate book recommendations across genres, complete with summaries, simplifying the process of selecting suitable challenging texts.
• Lexile Framework for Text Selection: The Lexile Framework for Reading is a useful tool for assessing book difficulty. By entering a book title, educators and parents can access vocabulary information and determine if a text is appropriately challenging for an advanced reader.

Utilizing Higher-Order Questioning Techniques

Given that advanced readers often require less foundational skill-based reading instruction, the focus should shift towards developing inferential and interpretive reading skills. Enrichment activities should center on higher-order questioning techniques that actively involve students in analyzing and discussing texts. Higher-order questions prompt students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate written material, fostering deeper exploration of themes and topics within the text (Vosslamber, 2002). This is a key advanced method to stimulate critical thinking.

Implementing Higher-Order Questions:

A helpful guideline for formulating effective higher-order questions is to consider the nature of the answer. If the answer is explicitly stated in the text, the question is likely too simplistic. Questions should be intriguing and thought-provoking for both the student and the educator, sparking genuine intellectual curiosity. Encourage students to maintain reading journals to record their responses to questions during and after reading. Julie Bogart from Brave Writer advocates for “juicy conversations,” which perfectly encapsulates the type of discussions that foster critical thinking skills in advanced readers at home.

Examples of Higher-Order Questions:

• “Why do you believe [character/event] happened?” (Analysis)
• “What emotions might have motivated the characters’ actions?” (Empathy, Inference)
• “How would you react if you were in [character’s] situation?” (Perspective-taking, Application)
• “Which character is portrayed most comprehensively? Least comprehensively? Why?” (Analysis, Evaluation)
• “What was the most compelling part of the story? Why? The least engaging part? Why?” (Evaluation, Justification)
• For younger children, reading two picture books with related themes can lead to comparative discussions: “How are these stories similar and different? How do the characters compare?” (Comparison, Analysis).

Differentiated Reading Instruction: Tailoring Learning Experiences

Differentiated instruction is foundational to meeting the specific learning needs of all students, especially advanced learners. The National Association for Gifted Children (2014) defines differentiation as “the design and/or selection of curriculum, the selection and use of instructional practices, including grouping strategies, varied resources, and variations to the pacing of instruction, and the assessment of learning, all of which rely on assessment evidence demonstrating learner differences” (NAGC, 2014, p.1). This advanced method recognizes the uniqueness of each learner.

Applying Differentiation for Advanced Readers:

Differentiated learning acknowledges that instruction should be learner-centered. A one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective for any student, and especially limiting for advanced readers. Student interests and needs are diverse, necessitating varied books, resources, questioning strategies, learning pace, and assessment methods. When using a standardized reading program, be prepared to adjust the pace and content, potentially skipping ahead to more challenging material. Recognize that advanced readers may resist tedious assignments like repetitive reading response sheets for every book. Instead, encourage more engaging methods of tracking reading, such as book logs that categorize genres (fiction, animals, poetry, biography, etc.), and offer creative response options, potentially incorporating technology. Resources like Pinterest, Scholastic, and the NCTE’s “50 Alternatives to the book report” provide numerous creative alternatives to traditional book reports, enhancing engagement and catering to diverse learning styles.

Conclusion: Personalized and Enriching Reading Journeys

In conclusion, effectively supporting advanced readers requires a shift from standardized approaches to advanced methods for specific learning needs. Key strategies include:

• Providing access to challenging, interest-based texts that expand their reading horizons.
• Exposing them to high-quality literature across diverse themes and genres, broadening their literary experiences beyond typical classroom offerings (Wood, 2008).
• Implementing enrichment activities centered on higher-order questions that promote critical thinking and deeper text engagement. Encourage challenging and stimulating discussions.
• Creating a reading environment that fosters personalized instruction and encourages a love of reading.

“Follow the children, not plans”

-Loris Malaguzzi

References

Brighton, C.M., Moon, T.R., & Huang F.H.L. (2015). Advanced Readers in Reading First Classrooms: Who Was Really “Left Behind”? Considerations for the Field of Gifted Education. Journal for the Education of the Gifted 38(3), 257-293.

NAGC (2014). Position Statement: Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted and Talented Students. Retrieved from: https://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Position %20Statement/Differentiating%20Curriculum%20and%20Instruction.pdf

Reis, S. M., Gubbins, E. J., Briggs C.J., Schriber F. J., Richards, S., Jacobs, J.K., Eckert, R.D., &

Renzulli, J.S. (2004). Reading Instruction for Talented Readers: Case Studies Documenting Few Opportunities for Continuous Progress Gifted Child Quarterly 48(4), 315- 338.

Vosslamber, A. (2002) Gifted Readers: Who are they and how can they be served in the classroom?. Gifted Child Today. 25(2), 14-21.

Wood, P. F. (2008). Reading instruction with gifted and talented readers: A series of unfortunate events or a sequence of auspicious results?. Gifted Child Today, 31(3), 16.