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Writer's pictureCathy Guth

Middle Schoolers Need a Do-Over



Let’s face it. Covid has been hard on EVERYONE – on students, on teachers, on parents – and especially on Middle Schoolers. They need a break. YOU need a break. Now is the perfect time for a do-over.


Years ago, a wise woman introduced me to the concept of do-overs. They’re great because you can apply them to any situation. The best part? There’s no blame, no judging, and no need to defend your decision. She taught me that if I didn’t like how something turned out or how a situation was unfolding, I could just call a do-over.


For example: When you realize you said something you shouldn’t have, call a do-over: “Let’s start this conversation again.” When you realize the project you designed has serious flaws, call a do-over: “This isn’t working. Let’s shift to plan B.” Calling a do-over does not suggest failure or incompetence. It actually suggests growth: A do-over is simply recognizing it’s time for a shift and having the confidence to make it.


Why do middle school students need a do-over?


In the best of times, students in K-2 learn to read and students in 3-5 read to learn. In other words, the focus in early elementary is learning how to read and the focus in upper elementary is learning how to comprehend.


In the best of times, the ELA (English Language Arts) curriculum can be overwhelming. To teach students how to read fluently, write proficiently, and speak effectively, teachers must cover handwriting (manuscript and cursive), spelling, grammar, phonics, punctuation, vocabulary, comprehension, character and story development, genres, thematic writing, and oral presentations (individual and group). If you’re a K-5 teacher and reading this, you’re probably adding a few other topics I missed.


But we all know that the past few years have not been “the best of times.” Regardless of all the heroic efforts made by teachers everywhere, covid related school closures, virtual learning, and mask mandates negatively impacted learning. Students found it difficult to stay on task and complete assignments. Students missed the social interaction with classmates and high-fives from their teachers. They missed going to the library and hanging out on the playground. Teachers had to prioritize and create new curriculums that met the academic and social/emotional needs of their students. How many of the topics listed above were necessarily cut from the curriculum?


Understandably, reading tests scores, especially for elementary students, dropped. Now those students are in middle school and they aren’t quite ready for middle school material. They haven’t mastered the skills to read and comprehend their textbooks. We all know teachers are chameleon-like in their ability to adjust to any situation: If students can’t comprehend their texts on their own, teachers simply put in the extra time and create power points and study guides. That’s great – it allows students to learn the concepts they need to pass their classes. Well, most of their classes. Students are still struggling to read fluently, write proficiently, and speak effectively. That’s the problem that must be addressed. They need to be taught the ELA pieces they missed; they need to “do over” some of the elementary curriculum so they can succeed in middle school and beyond.


Is there a solution – an academic intervention that is suitable for ALL students?


Yes. This do-over I keep mentioning? It’s my reading comprehension series for middle school. You can learn more about it here: www.guthlearning.com. But keep reading to learn why this series is the antidote to the academic challenges Covid created.


  1. Most students who struggle with comprehension are passive readers. They read without thinking. They get to the end of a paragraph or the end of a page and say, “I have no idea what I just read.”

  2. It’s never too late to develop a new habit and everyone, regardless of where they’re at right now, can improve their reading comprehension skills. It’s simply a matter of developing a new habit – instead of reading passively, students can be taught to read actively. Learning how to comprehend really is easier than you think!

  3. In Reading Comprehension: Book One, students are taught a new way to read. They learn how to think as they read. Book One focuses on sentence comprehension. Students learn/review grammar and punctuation concepts that are typically taught in grades 3-5. They learn that the subject and its verb are the main idea of every sentence. They practice locating the subject and verb in individual sentences until doing so becomes automatic. Students are directly taught how to shift from reading passively to reading actively.

  4. In Reading Comprehension: Book Two, the focus shifts from sentence to paragraph comprehension. Students improve their ability to understand different types of passages. They are directly taught how to use grammar and punctuation to comprehend what they read and how to use those same skills to communicate effectively.

  5. In Reading Comprehension: Book Three, students continue to strengthen their reading comprehension skills, but the focus shifts to making sure students have mastered all the ELA skills they will need to handle the more challenging courses they’ll be offered in high school.

  6. Each book in the series can be taught in three different ways to meet the needs of all students: initial instruction, guided practice, or independent work.

  7. The lessons in each book provide spaced repetition to maximize student retention.

  8. Each book provides explicit instruction that is easy to teach and easy for students to understand. A clearly written Teacher Guide and a thumb drive that includes each student page and each answer key page ensures that teachers can effectively teach this series with minimal prep.

Many students in middle school do not read fluently, write proficiently, and speak effectively. Covid forced many school-related changes. Now that students and teachers are back in the classroom full time, it’s time to give the middle school curriculum a little do-over. Because Reading Comprehension: Books One, Two, and Three uses a unique approach to teaching comprehension, students and teachers can complete this series without feeling like they’re repeating elementary concepts. It’s a win-win for students and teachers.

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