One of the key elements of the Linguistic Phonics approach I use at Word Lab is that students move into authentic, engaging literature—and they do so almost immediately.

A middle school student I recently met with put it perfectly:

“The books I like best are the ones I choose.”

Exactly.

My students will quickly become familiar with my book talks. I introduce several carefully selected options, giving a brief synopsis and sharing a few of my favorite parts—without spoilers, of course. The goal is for the student to have a genuine voice in choosing what we read.

Once we begin a book, reading becomes part instruction and part shared experience. Sometimes we take turns reading paragraphs. At other times, I use a Read, Read Back, Read Again routine to build accuracy, fluency, and confidence.

Read: The student reads the passage first. I provide support as needed, prompting the student to work through unfamiliar words by attending to the sounds and spellings and correcting errors immediately.

Read Back: I then read the same passage aloud while the student follows along with their finger gliding along the text. I read naturally and expressively—sometimes at a fairly quick pace—modeling phrasing, rhythm, expression, and careful attention to punctuation.

Read Again: The student rereads the passage.

The difference between that first and third reading can be remarkable.

For a struggling reader, intervention shouldn’t mean spending all of one’s reading time in controlled passages or isolated exercises. Students need explicit instruction in how the written code works, but they also need opportunities to experience what all of that work is for: reading real books, understanding them, and discovering that reading can actually be enjoyable.