Which strategy is effective for teaching reading to struggling readers?

Phonemic awareness activities are critical for teaching reading to struggling readers because they help students understand the sounds that make up words. This foundational skill is essential for decoding words, which is the ability to sound out words and connect letters to sounds. Such activities include segmenting sounds, blending sounds, and manipulating phonemes, which enable students to develop their reading skills more effectively.

In contrast, solely reading aloud to students may expose them to fluent reading and vocabulary but does not actively engage them in learning how to read themselves. Providing no assistance to students leaves them without the support they need to develop their literacy skills, and focusing only on comprehension without phonics ignores the crucial decoding skills necessary for reading. Therefore, phonemic awareness activities stand out as an essential strategy for helping struggling readers build the skills they need to progress in their reading abilities.