Are Mysteries too Hard for Struggling Readers?

Let’s face it, reading mysteries requires many of the strategies struggling readers lack:  ability to hold a number of details in the reader’s head, to discern the relevant from the red herring, to draw inferences about the solution to the mystery, and more. But that’s why they make ideal teaching tools for struggling readers. We can model our own thinking as we make sense of a mystery passage, then provide students with the opportunity to practice with an accessible text. That’s where HIP books can help. Our BATS Mystery books for junior (Grades 4-7) readers are carefully structured to provide supports just when readers need them, so that struggling readers can build the strategies they need in order to move on to more complex reading. (And they’re on sale, just for the month of March!)