Developmental reading is a branch of reading instruction that is designed to

support literacy in a variety of contexts to improve comprehension and decoding

skills. This instructional approach helps bridge gaps in reading skills so that
students are better equipped to engage with more advanced content. Whether a
student needs to increase their comprehension, speed, accuracy, or something
else, developmental reading will help them reach their goals.

Developmental reading is designed to supplement existing literacy skills and does

not address basic skills such as phonemic awareness, decoding, and
vocabulary. These are usually taught upon first learning to read.

What Developmental Reading Teaches

Developmental reading teaches strategies that can be used in any subject area,
especially language arts courses and interdisciplinary classes such as social
studies, science, and higher-level math courses. These tend to require students to
read and understand large amounts of complex text and can be daunting if a
student doesn't feel like they have strong reading strategies at their disposal.

By teaching readers that a text is the sum of its parts and showing them how to
use these parts to their advantage, they will feel ready to tackle any type of
reading that they may encounter. Many community colleges and even some high
schools offer developmental reading courses to help students prepare for rigorous
college-level courses and technical textbooks.

Goals of Developmental Reading

It is not the case that all readers experience reading in the same ways. There are
some who take to reading quickly, some who never do, and some who are in
between, but it is important that all students are given equal opportunities. The
goal of developmental reading is to lift up the students who need more support
and level the playing field so that reading feels possible to everyone.

Strong Readers

Some students master reading quickly. These students may be so fluent in their
use of text features that they can locate information in a text without doing much
reading at all. These readers are equipped with skills and strategies that make it
possible for them to take shortcuts without sacrificing the quality of their reading,
accuracy, or comprehension. Highly-literate students often possess a confidence
that enables them to take on difficult texts without panicking and they are more
likely to enjoy reading because of this. The same cannot be said for those that
struggle to read.
Struggling Readers

There are many types of students who might feel overwhelmed by the content
they are expected to read, whether because of the length of the text, complexity,
or both. Students who have never felt excited about reading or have never had
reading role models in their life are unlikely to want to improve their abilities.
Those with disabilities or disorders such as dyslexia or attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder are at an unfair disadvantage in many of their
classes. Struggling readers may shut down when presented with a text without
searching for information that will make the reading easier. Low confidence
makes these readers feel hopeless.

Teaching students how to use text features will give them a sense of control over
reading. With practice, a student can eventually feel comfortable reading and feel
much more positively toward it. Whether a student is reading to prepare for a
test, studying, completing an assignment, or just for fun, students who know how
to use text features to navigate a text are much better off than those that don't.
Strong readers experience school and life very differently, and developmental
reading is designed to turn all readers into strong readers.

Teaching Text Features

Helping students recognize and learn to use text features is the primary goal of
developmental reading. Through these classes, students learn to scan a text for
features that will give them clues about its meaning and purpose. Students who
understand a text are much more likely to learn from it and retain that
knowledge. The following list gives the most common text features:

Illustrations or photographs

The illustrations or photographs are the pictures, either drawn or photographed,

that relate to the text and add to its meaning.

Titles

A title is designed to summarize the meaning of a text. This is what the author
intends for you to learn from the book or article.

Subtitles

Subtitles organize the information in a text to make it easier to follow. They are
the author's way of keeping you tuned in to the meaning.
Index

An index is located in the back of a book. It is a list of terms that are used in the
text, organized alphabetically, and shows where you can find them again.

Glossary

A glossary is like an index but provides definitions instead of locations. The terms
defined are important to the meaning of the text, so glossaries help a lot with
understanding what you are reading.

Captions

Captions are found mostly beneath illustrations or photographs and maps. They
label what is shown and offer important supplemental information and
clarification.

Maps

Maps are most often found in social studies texts and they provide visuals for
geographical descriptions.

Using these text features properly not only increases comprehension and
accuracy but also improves one's ability to make predictions and inferences.

Predictions and Inferences

Successful reading must begin with preparation and students can prepare by
making predictions about what they are about to read. Just as good teachers
should consider what their students already know before teaching, good readers
should consider what they already know before reading. Before diving in, a
student should ask themselves: What do I already know? What do I want to
know? What do I think I'll learn? As they read, they can check their predictions
against the information presented and decide whether they were correct.

After making predictions and reading, students should make inferences about
meaning and purpose. This is the part where readers get to check their own
understanding and use evidence to make conclusions about the information. This
step is crucial for the continued development of reading skills and keeps reading
purposeful.