NHA Experts Provide Tips for Struggling Readers

One NHA school helping students increase fluency with decodable book library

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- March is Reading Month, and while students celebrate with their favorite books, some children are still improving their reading skills. National Heritage Academies'® (NHA) Curriculum Specialist Jamie Garner explained why students might be behind and how to help increase their literacy.

The foundation for a good reader starts with mastering phonics and phonemic awareness. Phonics is the relationship between letters and the sounds they make, and phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate letters and their sounds. When students can match letters to sounds and then use that knowledge to identify words, that's when they gain momentum.

Garner said that children might have trouble reading due to a lack of explicit instruction and practice. NHA schools use skills assessments to help identify students facing challenges, and teachers use this information to build a tailored intervention plan.

"We have the tools at NHA to nail down what gaps each child has," Garner said. "It's easy for teachers to nail down what our students are understanding so that they can reteach the skill or present it in a different way. We can bridge those gaps for students so they can be successful in life."

While transformational work is happening at NHA schools, improving reading skills doesn't stop in the classroom. Garner offered multiple strategies to use at home, helping children of all ages.

For the youngest readers still learning their letters, recognizing each shape and matching it with the proper sound is an easy exercise for students and their parents. For a more hands-on activity, Garner said writing letters in shaving cream or sand helps build a bond between letters and their sounds.

Garner also recommended a "sound hunt," where students go around the house searching for items that start with the same sounds. Another way to build up your child's vocabulary is to try and think of words that fit specific categories, like naming things associated with restaurants while you're on your way to a dinner out.

"When we do these activities, we're categorizing these things in our brain," Garner said. "When we put things into categories like that, it might seem simple, but it actually has long-term effects."

One tool emerging readers can use is a decodable book. These books focus on the relationship between letters and the sounds they make, providing students the opportunity to practice sounding out words and build their reading foundation.

Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy At Risk Teacher Lindsay Cliff introduced a decodable book library in her school. She said these resources use explicit instruction of sound-letter correspondence to help readers grow.

"Students are able to break down words by sounding them out and not by guessing," Cliff said. "I have older students that struggle with reading longer words because they see the first three or four letters and guess the rest of the word. It's important to approach literacy by breaking it down step-by-step so that students can build up their skills."

Decodable books have a minimalistic design, one without many colors or pictures. When the page focuses on the words, students can't rely on the book's visuals to comprehend the story.

These books serve struggling readers of all ages. Cliff included chapter books in the school's decodable library as a tool for older students during independent reading time. She said she wanted them to feel comfortable around their peers who might be reading advanced chapter books.

Whether students are using decodable books or writing letters in shaving cream, both Cliff and Garner emphasized the importance of practice. Reading independently or with a parent exposes kids to letters, words, and books, which goes a long way toward improved fluency.

"The more they see words, the more automatic they become," Garner said. "The more automatic it is, the easier it is to read that word in context."

About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 68,000 students in kindergarten through 12^th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com. To find the nearest charter school near you, use the NHA school finder.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies