What is a developing reader?

A developing reader is one who cannot yet read and understand quickly and easily what he or she is reading.

Here are some characteristics of a developing reader:

• Does not always understand what he or she reads
• Does not pay attention to meaning
• Finds reading difficult
• Has difficulty reading long words with several syllables
• Often self-corrects and repeats
• Reads slowly
• Reads without expression or proper intonation
• Reads word-by-word and does not usually make natural phrase and clause breaks
• Sounds out new words syllable-by-syllable

• Developing fluent readers
• What is a fluent reader?

Matthews 1989

• Concept module: developing reader
• In overview module: Glossary (Literacy): D
• In modular book: Glossary of literacy terms
• In document collection: Reference materials
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 2 July 1998

© 1999 SIL International