The Impact of Daily 5 and CAFE Literacy Framework on Reading Comprehension in Struggling Fourth Grade Readers: A Case Study

For decades, struggling readers have been a central focus of American public schools. In the United States, many students who struggle with reading comprehension are not receiving high-quality instruction that ensures comprehension of text. Elementary teachers are faced with the challenge of how to structure and organize literacy instruction that ensures growth in reading comprehension for struggling students.;The purpose of this case study is to explore the impact of a reading framework on fourth grade struggling students' reading comprehension, attitudes and engagement. This case study looks specifically at the impact of the Daily 5 and CAFE literacy framework that seems to respond to the needs of struggling students and includes Oregon state standards in literacy.;The fundamental research questions that guided this study are: (a) How do struggling students perceive their experience in Daily 5 and CAFE reading framework, (b) How do struggling students respond to the comprehension strategies taught in the Daily 5 and CAFE reading framework, (c) What are struggling students' attitudes toward reading, and (d) What kind of growth in reading comprehension did the struggling students have over one year? This case study used a constructivist and transactional theoretical lens.;Data collected include: interviews, surveys, questionnaires, Draw-a-Reader, journals, and achievement tests. The main finding indicates that fourth grade struggling students made progress in reading comprehension when they engaged in Daily 5 and CAFE framework. In addition, findings indicate that their progress was facilitated by certain conditions: (a) letting students choose their reading and writing materials, (b) helping student select explicit reading goals, (c) setting up a positive and supportive classroom environment, and (d) offering opportunities for students to collaborate with each other while reading.;The results of this study suggest that the Daily 5 and CAFE combined literacy framework benefits struggling readers by producing positive results in reading comprehension as well as contributing to better student attitudes and increased student engagement. With the ever-increasing importance placed on United States National Common Core Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessments as well as the need to address the reading challenges for struggling readers, the Daily 5 and CAFE combined literacy framework offers hope for students and teachers alike.