Motivating Struggling Readers by Tapping the Potential of Information Books

Because struggling readers typically avoid reading, they get little practice in it and fall further behind their peers. In this article, I argue that by improving students' access to information books and opportunity to interact with such books, teachers can do a better job of helping struggling readers become skillful, motivated readers. I document the overwhelming use of stories in what students are expected to read and write, discuss the importance of balancing reading instruction with information text, and provide suggestions for taking advantage of the rich opportunities information books provide for struggling students.