Do low level adapted text help comprehension?

Now that my daughter is in highschool and in SPED English. They use adapted books such as, " The Adventures of Huck Finn" and "Romeo and Juliet". Will my daughter get any benefit from these books? I would think using the original and then breaking it down with the student would be better than already having it broken down. Any comments?

I have to respectfully disagree with Mandi.

It would depend on the severity of your daughters comprehension issues. Will she be able to comprehend with the lower level text and be able to build better comprehension skills by slowly increasing the difficulty of the text as the year goes on? Or, does she already comprehend at a high level but has a lower reading level? If she comprehends at a high level but has a low reading level, then this system won't work for her because she will be bored.

It is typical when working with kids who have low comp skills to start with an easier text and work on the comp skills while not straining their reading ability. Shakespeare can be very difficult to comprehend and read in its original text because the word usage is so different from what we speak. By puting the text into easier form and building up the comprehension skills, it will be easier for the student to build better skills. The goal is to build skills, not overwhelm the student with archaic language.

However, there are some students who have a very high comprehension level but not the reading skills to be able to show it. These students need higher level text given in a way that they can use such as Text to Speech, book on tape/CD or teacher reading aloud. This allows them access to the higher level thinking that they are capable of.
[Modified by: scifinut on September 19, 2008 05:39 PM]

scifinut mom to: ms 16, bp/adhd/anxiety/complex ld mr. 20, add/dyslexic I hear and I forget I see and I remember I do and I understand. -Anonymous