A sixth-grade student has become inconsistent in comprehending grade-level texts. What should the teacher focus on to help the student most effectively?

Focusing on improving reading smoothness and comprehension of complex sentences is essential for the sixth-grade student who is struggling with comprehension. At this grade level, students are often exposed to more complex sentence structures and nuanced ideas in texts. By working on reading fluency, the student can develop a more automatic ability to decode words, which allows for better focus on meaning rather than on the process of reading itself.

Additionally, enhancing comprehension of complex sentences is crucial because such sentences frequently appear in grade-level texts. As students become more adept at understanding these structures, they can grasp the subtleties of the material, make inferences, and engage with the text more deeply. This focus directly targets the core of reading comprehension, which is the understanding of both the individual words and the ideas that those words convey in varied contexts, ultimately supporting the student in becoming a more proficient reader.