7 Ways to Help Middle School Students Who Struggle with Reading Comprehension

We’ve all had students who can read the words on the page but struggle to tell us what they just read. Other students understand parts of a text but have trouble figuring out what is important, making connections between ideas, or recognizing when something stops making sense.

When students struggle with reading comprehension, simply asking them to read more isn’t enough. Sometimes we need to slow things down and explicitly show students what readers do to make sense of a text. That might mean building background knowledge before reading, stopping to summarize, asking questions, or modeling what to do when something doesn’t make sense.

Build Background Knowledge

Sometimes students struggle with a text because they simply don’t have enough background knowledge to make sense of what they’re reading. Before we assume a student is struggling with comprehension, it can be helpful to think about what the text expects them to already know.

That doesn’t mean we need to spend an entire class period teaching background information before students read. A short video clip, image, map, quick discussion, or brief explanation can sometimes provide enough context to help students get started. If a text includes vocabulary that is essential to understanding the content, introducing a few key words ahead of time can also help.

I also like to give students a chance to think about what they already know before reading. A quick write or conversation can activate prior knowledge and help students begin making connections between what they know and the new information they encounter in the text.

The goal is to give students enough context to make sense of what they’re reading, without doing all of the thinking for them.

Provide Text Structure Support

Understanding how a text is organized can make it easier for students to figure out which information matters and how ideas connect. When students recognize structures like cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, description, or sequence, they have a framework for making sense of what they’re reading.

I don’t think students need to stop and label the text structure every time they read. Instead, we can model how recognizing the structure helps us understand the information. If I notice that an author is explaining several causes of an event, for example, I can show students how that structure helps me organize the details and think about how those causes are connected.

Graphic organizers can be helpful here too, especially while students are learning to recognize these patterns. A simple cause-and-effect chart or compare-and-contrast organizer gives students a place to organize information as they read rather than trying to hold everything in their heads.

The goal is for students to begin recognizing these patterns and using them to support their own understanding of a text.

Practice Summarizing

Summarizing can help students check whether they actually understand what they’re reading. When students have to explain the most important ideas in their own words, it becomes easier for us, and for them, to notice when comprehension has started to break down.

One simple way to practice this is with a Stop ’n Jot. After a few paragraphs, a page, or a section of text, students pause and briefly record their thinking. Depending on the text and the purpose for reading, they might write a short summary, record an important idea, ask a question, or even sketch something that helps them remember what they read.

The important part is keeping the pause purposeful. We don’t want students stopping so often that they lose the flow of the text. Instead, choose places where it makes sense to pause and give students a chance to process what they’ve read before continuing.

Follow up questions can also help us see how students are making sense of the text. Questions like “Why did you choose that as the most important idea?” or “What would someone need to know to understand this section?” move students beyond simply copying information from the page.

Model Comprehension Strategies

Students don’t always recognize when they’ve stopped understanding what they’re reading. Sometimes they just keep going, even when the text stopped making sense several paragraphs ago. This is where modeling can be helpful.

While reading a text together, I might stop and point out that I’m confused about something and go back to reread. I might pause to summarize what has happened so far, ask a question about something I don’t understand, or make a connection that helps me better understand the text.

These quick moments give students a chance to see what readers actually do when they get confused. We aren’t just telling students to “reread” or “ask questions.” We’re showing them when we might use those strategies and why they can help.

Encourage Questioning

Encouraging students to ask questions while they read can help them slow down and pay attention to what they understand and where they might be getting confused. The questions don’t need to be complicated. What just happened? What am I wondering? Why did the character do that? What information seems important here? What do I think will happen next? can all give students a reason to stop and think about the text.

I like to give students opportunities to talk through some of these questions with a partner. Sometimes hearing another student’s thinking gives them a reason to go back to the text, reconsider an idea, or clarify their own response.

Questions can also help students recognize when it’s time to reread. If a student can’t explain what happened in a section, realizes they missed an important detail, or notices that something doesn’t make sense, that’s a good reason to go back and take another look.

We want students to see questioning as more than something a teacher does after they finish reading. Asking questions while they read can help students stay connected to the text and notice when their understanding starts to break down.

Give Students Reading Strategies They Can Use Independently

We can model reading strategies during class, but students also need to know what they can try when they’re reading on their own. When a student realizes they’ve lost focus or something doesn’t make sense, I want them to have a few options beyond simply continuing to read or giving up.

That might mean slowing down, rereading a section, stopping to summarize what they understand so far, asking a question, or looking back for information they may have missed. Students don’t need a huge list of strategies. They need a few that they understand and have practiced enough that they know when to use them.

I also like giving students something they can reference when they get stuck. A bookmark, poster, or other visual reminder of reading strategies can take some of the pressure off students having to remember what to do in the moment. It gives them a place to start before immediately asking for help.

The goal is for students to gradually become more aware of when comprehension is breaking down and have something they can try next. They may still need support, but we’re giving them tools they can begin using more independently.

Promote Academic Discussion

Talking about a text gives students another opportunity to work through what they understand. Sometimes a student can answer a basic comprehension question but has a harder time explaining why something happened, what a character’s actions reveal, or which details are most important. Discussion gives students time to work through those ideas before moving on.

I like using open-ended questions that send students back to the text rather than questions with one obvious answer. Why do you think the author included this detail? What changed in this section? What evidence supports your thinking? What surprised you and why? Questions like these give students something specific to discuss while still leaving room for different ideas.

Students don’t always need a whole-class discussion either. A quick partner conversation or small-group discussion can give more students an opportunity to participate. The important part is that students are talking about the text and using what they read to explain their thinking.

This is also a natural place to use reader response questions that can work for discussion or written responses, especially when you want students to move beyond recalling what happened and explain their thinking. 

Supporting Students Who Struggle With Reading Comprehension

Helping students strengthen reading comprehension isn’t about finding one strategy that suddenly makes everything click. Different students get stuck in different places, and the support that helps one student may not be what another student needs.

What we can do is give students more tools to work with. We can build background knowledge when a text assumes knowledge they don’t have, model what we do when something doesn’t make sense, give students opportunities to stop and summarize or ask questions, and provide ways for them to talk through their thinking with others.

The more important piece is helping students recognize when they aren’t understanding what they read and what they can try next. That’s where these strategies become more than activities we ask students to complete. They become tools students can begin using when reading gets difficult.

And for students who have experienced repeated frustration with reading, comprehension is often only part of the challenge. I share more ideas for helping struggling readers feel more successful when reading itself has become frustrating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help middle school students who struggle with reading comprehension?

Start by figuring out where comprehension is breaking down. Students may need more background knowledge, help recognizing how a text is organized, opportunities to stop and summarize, or strategies for what to do when something doesn’t make sense.

What reading comprehension strategies should middle school students use?

Useful reading comprehension strategies include summarizing, asking questions, rereading confusing sections, making connections, and stopping periodically to check for understanding. Students benefit from seeing these strategies modeled and having opportunities to practice when and how to use them.

What should students do when they don’t understand what they are reading?

Students can slow down, reread the confusing section, summarize what they understand so far, ask a question, or look back for information they may have missed. Giving students a few familiar strategies to try can help them know what to do instead of simply continuing through a text they don’t understand.

How can discussion improve reading comprehension?

Talking about a text gives students an opportunity to explain their thinking, hear another perspective, and return to the text to clarify or support an idea. Partner and small-group discussions can be especially useful because they give more students an opportunity to participate.