If a student can read the printed material out loud well and fairly fluently but draws a blank when you ask them what they read, they may not have a comprehension problem. It may be a more fundamental problem—they may not understand the vocabulary that carries the text’s meaning.
Think about a time when you read something filled with jargon or complicated words, such as a medical report or legal document. While you could decode the words just fine, you may have understood nothing you read. When this happens, most people just “check out” and process nothing.
That’s what happens to many students. When teachers see them lose focus, many assume they’re distracted. But often, they don’t understand the words, so they just check out. If you give them a passage, say, on microspheres, but they don’t know what microspheres are, and the supporting text doesn’t define them, they become lost.
Addressing the root problem
Strong vocabulary instruction goes beyond simple word memorization. Students need to develop word awareness—an active curiosity about language that encourages them to focus on unfamiliar and interesting words rather than skip them.
They also need depth, not simply breadth. A word may have more than one definition; students need opportunities to explore those differences, make associations between them and other similar words, and see how words and word usage change across different books and contexts.
Morphological awareness is important as well. When students understand roots, prefixes, and suffixes, they have the tools to approach unfamiliar words instead of simply giving up when they come across them.
Most importantly, students need repeated, meaningful encounters with words. Words need to be introduced multiple times and across disciplines, such as reading, discussion, and writing. Repetition breeds familiarity, and students learn how to use these new words in different contexts to express thought and meaning.
Potential solutions
Don’t allow a student’s independent reading level to become the ceiling for the language they experience. Activities like read-alouds and listening to audiobooks can give them access to higher-level vocabulary, complex ideas, and rich language while you work with them on decoding more fluently. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Engage students in conversation. Let them talk, explain, describe, ask questions, and actively use the vocabulary they’re learning.
And understand that vocabulary instruction isn’t separate from comprehension instruction; it’s an integral part of it. Teach students to summarize, to infer, to identify the main idea. And teach them the words that give them access to those critical thinking skills.
Source:
Robinson, Aquilah S. (October 6, 2026). “Turning Reluctant Readers into Confident Readers.” Maryland Educators. Retrieved from https://marylandeducators.org/turning-reluctant-readers-into-confident-readers/
