Reading Strategies: At Risk and High Performing Immersion Learners

readers in immersion programs, second language reading and writing development, and inclusion in second language contexts. Along with her responsibilities teaching French Second Language methodology and literacy courses, Renée is a member of the Institute’s research team on best teaching practices. Language immersion classrooms are increasingly attracting a more diverse student population. This diversity includes students of various cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic backgrounds, and academic abilities (Genesee & Fortune, 2014). Consequently, immersion educators are called to reflect on ways to best support the wide range of students in their classes. Researchers are also committed to better addressing the needs of all students, particularly those at risk for reading difficulties. Why focus on reading? Skilled reading of increasingly complex text is a key contributor to academic success. While extant research shows that at risk students are at no greater disadvantage when enrolled in immersion, both with respect to their first language development and overall academic achievement (for review see Genesee & Fortune, 2014), many young students exit the program because of academic difficulty related to language arts. This brief reports on a study that examined what “typically developing students ” and “students at risk for reading difficulties ” do differently when reading in their secon