ABSTRACT
In this chapter we look at the ways we can help low-age secondary pupils cope with the reading and writing demands of the curriculum. Given that the average secondary school textbook has a reading age of twelve plus, such pupils are likely to be way out of their reading comfort zone most of the time. The main text will be too difficult and dense for them and they will not be able to read the ‘activities sections’, let alone look back in the text for the answers. This overriding problem gives learning support teachers two important tasks to perform regularly:
finding ways of making an original text readable, at least in part, for the low-aged reader. This means creating shorter reading activities around the longer text that pick out the essence of that original text.
changing the work activities so that the pupil can respond orally and in writing to the original text from the abridged reading experience they have had.
