Reading out loud helps students become better readers because they have a chance to hear reading at various skill levels. This activity should be varied, with the teacher reading out loud to the students, teacher and students reading out loud together, and individual students reading out loud.
Putting students into groups of two to read to each other helps develop their reading skills. If a more advanced student is paired with a less advanced one, the less advanced student can emulate the skills of her peer to become a better reader. Students who are at the same level of literacy can help each other by correcting mistakes.
Literacy is not just about reading. Writing is a valuable component of literacy as well. Writing helps students with both their reading skills and reading comprehension. Have students write before reading to express what they hope to learn, then have them write after reading to express what they did learn. This helps students block out distractions and retain information better.
Vocabulary skills grow alongside reading and are necessary to increase reading ability. By including vocabulary lessons with reading, students can be introduced to new words that will help them expand their reading to more complicated texts.