Chapter 3: “Assessing Dependent Reader’s Needs”

In Chapter 3: “Assessing Dependent Reader’s Needs,” Beers writes a lot about what exactly what “This kid can’t read” means. She gives about a page and a half of bulleted points of characteristics that can describe kids that can’t read. Each individual case will not include all of the bulleted points but it is a comprehensive list of detailed descriptions. I personally loved the chart on page 28. It starts with “If a student…” and lists a bunch of the characteristics, it offers a “then this student needs help with…” paired with a list of possible areas to focus on in order to fix the characteristics in the first part. The “If – Then Chart” also lists the specific chapters where you can go to for reference.

I also really liked Beers’ use of personal experiences with the “Step Inside a Classroom” section. It is really nice to be able to put a picture with some of the different characteristics. For me, this is a great aid to use so that way if I ever come across a kid like Mike, Amy, or Sharamee, I have some sort of reference point to work from and base my instruction off of. It also helps to put real people behind the characteristics listed in the book.