Intro
Once students start to believe they can read, the next challenge begins—helping them keep going. Part 2 is all about building stamina, skill, and emotional resilience.
Our dyslexic readers work harder than most, and that daily effort can be downright draining. That’s why it’s so important to create a safe space, celebrate every inch of progress, and remind them that success is personal—not a race against anyone else’s scoreboard.
Here are five more ways (see earlier post for tips 1-6) to keep that momentum rolling, strengthen skills, and turn fragile confidence into genuine pride.
7. Build Emotional Safety Into Every Lesson
Let’s be honest—tears in reading group usually come from one thing: fear of failure. So let’s take the sting out of mistakes. I say things like, “That’s a tricky one—I used to mix that up too!” and share my own bloopers, like way back in junior high history class when I read the word “col-un-ell” instead of “kernel” and people laughed at me. (It’s okay, we’ve all been there.🤦♀️)
When students see adults owning their slip-ups, they loosen up, laugh, and take more risks. One sweet student once gasped, “Wait—grown-ups make mistakes?!” Oh yes, kiddo. We just get better at laughing about them.
8. Diagnose, Analyze, and Tackle the Real Issue
When something’s not clicking, don’t just throw more practice at it—figure out why. Maybe your student decodes accurately but moves slower than a sloth on a rainy Monday. Or maybe there’s a visual tracking issue or hearing hiccup that’s quietly messing things up.
That’s where error analysis becomes your secret superpower. By digging into the why behind each mistake, you can target the real issue instead of guessing.
For example:
- A student misreads a lot of small words or jumps around in the text→ could indicate visual tracking difficulties → referral for an eye exam OR send home a batch of high frequency words on flashcards → extra practice leads to success
- A student struggles to hear subtle differences in words → might suggest a hearing concern → nurse-administered hearing check OR write tons of words on flashcards containing the confused sounds → repaired sight recognition/visual cueing (set, sit, bet, bit, let, lit, and so on)
Error analysis isn’t just for fixing problems—it’s like GPS for instruction. It tells you where the breakdowns are so you can steer students right back onto the road to success.
9. PBR: No, Not the Beer, Silly 🍺
Personal Best Records are my favorite way to reframe progress. I tell students, “You’re only competing with yesterday’s you.” Because honestly, comparing ourselves to others is the fastest way to feel like we’re running a race we can’t win.
I model this all the time. My first classroom setup? Not exactly Pinterest-worthy. My first games? Let’s just say… prototype chic. My repeated reading fluency routines? Didn’t exist until a few years ago! We’re all a work in progress.
10. The Magic of Choice
Here’s the secret sauce that keeps motivation alive—let them choose.
Choice = power. Whether it’s picking which passage to read, which color pen to graph progress, or which ridiculous “silly voice” card to use, small choices create big buy-in.
And when students feel that sense of ownership, something amazing happens: the same kids who once groaned, “Do we have to read?” start asking, “Can we read more today?” Cue teacher heart explosion. 💥
Final Thoughts
Building skill and stamina only happens when students feel safe, supported, and capable. With strategies like these, you can transform hesitant readers into confident ones who actually like reading (and maybe even brag about it).
Progress doesn’t happen overnight, so celebrate every tiny victory—the correct tricky word, the fluent finish, the brave new attempt. Those little wins stack up faster than you think.
It’s not magic—it’s strategy, patience, and heart. And with a dash of humor (and maybe caffeine), you can make reading time the best part of the day.