How to Teach Reading in the Middle Grades
These seven formative reading assessments are a menu for you to choose from. Assess students’ work, observe them, and invite them to self-evaluate their comprehension, application of reading strategies, discussions, and writing about reading in their notebooks. Under each assessment, you’ll find questions in italics that can guide your intervention and teaching decisions.
Author: Laura Robb
Publication Date: August 2023
Publisher: National Council of English Teachers

Implementing the Text Structure Strategy in Your Classroom
This article explains how to implement a research-based text structure strategy that infuses text structures at every step of reading comprehension instruction, beginning with the introduction of the lesson, previewing of text, selecting important ideas, writing a main idea, generating inferences, and monitoring comprehension. It includes examples, videos, and a sample lesson.
Authors: Kausalai Wijekumar and Andrea Beerwinkle
Publisher: Reading Rockets

Knowledge-building in Middle School Literacy
Knowledge-building is crucial when middle school students are learning to read—and even more crucial when students are reading to learn. This webinar explores the value of knowledge-building in literacy growth and development in middle school.
Authors: Jade Wexler and Alexandra Shelton
Publication Date: October 2023
Publisher: Amplify --- -------------------- -->

Morphological Awareness: One Piece of the Literacy Pie
Identifying morphemes is a skill that helps students problem-solve words they do not know how to read and spell. This is especially important when students are reading textbooks with academic language so that they can gain the knowledge they need in the subject areas they study.
Publication Date: 2020
Publisher: International Dyslexia Association

Multimedia Text Sets: A How-To Guide
This article describes a multimedia text set as a collection of books, articles, videos, and images related to a topic of study and provides the basics on how to create classroom text sets that support content-area literacy and building background knowledge. A text set template and resources are included.
Author: Susan Thacker-Gwaltney
Publisher: Reading Rockets

Policy Recommendations for Addressing the Middle School Reading Crisis
This policy brief outlines four components that state policy and district leaders can utilize to better support the literacy needs of students across the K–12 spectrum, particularly at the middle school level.
Authors: Miah Daughtery and Chad Aldeman
Publication Date: July 2025
Publisher: NWEA

Position Statement on the Role of Nonfiction Literature (K–12)
Contemporary nonfiction for young people plays a crucial role in the reading and writing lives of K–12 students. It is a rich and compelling genre that supports students’ development as critically, visually, and informationally literate 21st century thinkers and creators. This position statement proposes a paradigm shift for teaching and learning with nonfiction literature in K–12 education.
Authors: Xenia Hadjioannou, Mary Ann Cappiello, Patricia Bandré, Matthew Burgess, Patricia Crawford, Denise Dávila, Roberta Price Gardner, Kari Johnston, Ruth Lowery, and Melissa Stewart
Publication Date: January 2023
Publisher: National Council of Teachers of English

Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9
Recent research identified strategies that have the potential to improve reading among students in grades 4–9 with reading difficulties. This research was distilled into practical recommendations educators can use when providing reading interventions. This guide details four evidence-based practices designed to be used by special educators, general education teachers, reading specialists and coaches, administrators, and parents.
Authors: Sharon Vaughn, Russell Gersten, Joseph Dimino, Mary Jo Taylor, Rebecca Newman- Gonchar, Sarah Krowka, Michael Kieffer, Margaret McKeown, Deborah Reed, Michele Sanchez, Kimberly St. Martin, Jade Wexler, Seth Morgan, Armando Yañez, and Madhavi Jayanthi
Publication Date: March 2022
Publisher: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences

Reading Intervention for Older Students
This webinar presents an overview of the instructional needs of students in grades 4–12 who struggle with reading. Includes a summary of reading components, causes of reading difficulty, and instructional suggestions.
Author: Joan Sedita
Publication Date: April 2021
Publisher: Keys to Literacy

Reading Science Considerations for Middle and High School Literacy Intervention
This article aims to provide instructional leaders with background on the existing research on late-emerging reading difficulties as well as assessment and instructional considerations grounded in the science of reading that are necessary to strengthen intervention frameworks at the middle and high school levels.
Author: Stephanie Petricone-Turchetta
Publication Date: September/October 2021
Publisher: The Reading League Journal

Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal teaching is a strategy that asks students and teachers to share the role of teacher by allowing both to lead the discussion about a given reading. This webpage explains reciprocal teaching and provides examples of the four strategies that guide the discussion: predicting, question generating, clarifying, and summarizing.
Publication Date: 2023
Publisher: AdLit, WETA Washington, D.C.

Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension
This article discusses how reading comprehension is not a skill someone learns and can then apply in different reading contexts. It is one of the most complex activities that we engage in on a regular basis, and our ability to comprehend is dependent upon a wide range of knowledge and skills. It explores the idea that comprehension cannot be reduced to a single notion because it is not a single ability.
Author: Hugh Catts
Publication Date: Winter 2021-22
Publisher: American Federation of Teachers

Scaffolding Comprehension Strategies Using Graphic Organizers
In this lesson collaborative strategic reading is initially presented to students through modeling and whole-class instruction. To facilitate comprehension during and after reading, students apply four reading strategies: preview, click and clunk, get the gist, and wrap-up. Graphic organizers are used for scaffolding of these strategies while students work together in cooperative groups.
Author: Susan Ruckdeschel
Publisher: International Literacy Association

Science Literacy in the Digital Age: Navigating Informational Texts and Online Resources
Science literacy is crucial for students as it equips them with the skills to critically evaluate information, understand scientific concepts, and make informed decisions in a rapidly evolving world. This webinar discusses using strategies and resources with students that will allow them to become thoughtful consumers of information and active participants in discussions about scientific and technological issues.
Publication Date: July 2024
Publisher: Van Andel Institute for Education

Science of Reading and Middle School: The Other End of the Reading Rope
This video explores how the strands of the Reading Rope—a framework for understanding the elements of fluent reading—remain critical for supporting secondary readers. It explores how teachers can strategically strengthen these elements within their classrooms, enabling students to succeed with grade-level content.
Author: Deb Sabin
Publication Date: November 2023
Publisher: Amplify

Secondary Reading Instruction (Part 1): Teaching Vocabulary and Comprehension in the Content Areas
This module describes how teachers can incorporate vocabulary and reading comprehension skills instruction into content-area lessons and introduces a variety of effective practices—including the use of graphic organizers—to help students better understand what they read.
Publication Date: 2022
Publisher: IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University

Secondary Reading Instruction (Part 2): Deepening Middle School Content-Area Learning with Vocabulary and Comprehension Strategies
This module examines some of the reasons that adolescents struggle with content-area text and overviews effective strategies teachers can use to improve the vocabulary and comprehension skills of students with a wide range of abilities and across a variety of subjects.
Publication Date: 2022
Publisher: IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University

Semantic Mapping to Grow Vocabulary
This post provides details for how to use semantic mapping which is a well-researched activity that helps students draw on background knowledge of a topic and see connections between ideas and words related to that topic. It visually organizes words and their relationships, helping students make meaningful connections. It is highly interactive and offers opportunities for rich, collaborative discussion among students.
Author: Joan Sedita
Publication Date: December 2020
Publisher: Keys to Literacy

Strategies for the Classroom
These instructional strategies can be helpful to science teachers when the lesson requires some student engagement with text. Some are especially effective when used before reading, others during reading, and still others are used frequently after students complete a reading assignment.
Publisher: Strategic Education Research Partnership

Teacher Read-Aloud That Models Reading for Deep Understanding
This strategy guide offers the research basis, procedures, example lesson plans, and related resources for teachers to demonstrate to their students how to search for meaning and use strategies for understanding.
Author: Jan Miller Burkins
Publisher: International Literacy Association

Teaching Reading Across the Day
This video explores the reciprocity between reading skills and knowledge building and the benefits of introducing content into reading and teaching reading into the content area. Uncover the research-based elements of effective, efficient, engaging instruction and how nine lesson structures streamline planning and help you maximize student time spent reading.
Author: Jennifer Serravallo
Publication Date: April 2024
Publisher: Corwin

Teaching Text Features
This webpage describes the most common text features, the purpose of each, and how explicit instruction in identifying and using text features can support comprehension and strengthen student writing. Examples of visual text features; captioned photographs, diagrams, illustrations, and insets; cutaways, cross-sections, and exploded views; timelines; maps; and charts and graphs are included.
Publisher: Reading Rockets

Teaching Text Structure
Understanding text structure is key to reading comprehension and also helps strengthen writing skills. This webpage explains the 5 most common text structures and provides examples with signal words, phrases, and questions. A video for teaching nonfiction text structures is included.
Publisher: Reading Rockets

Teaching Text Structure to Support Writing and Comprehension
This post explores the different types of text structure that can be taught explicitly to support writing and reading and recommends combining reading and writing instruction when teaching about text structure.
Author: Joan Sedita
Publication Date: February 2023
Publisher: Keys to Literacy

Teaching Tuesday: Literacy in Content Area Instruction
This article discusses building foundational literacy skills to help students with formation of their self-efficacy in learning in all content areas. Topics include academic language and technology to assist with literacy across content areas.
Publication Date: October 2021
Publisher: Grand Canyon University

Teaching Vocabulary
Intentional vocabulary instruction is critical in every grade and in every content area. This webinar covers the latest research and best practices for effective vocabulary instruction in K–12 classrooms.
Authors: Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
Publication Date: April 2023
Publisher: Corwin

The Science of Reading Comprehension Instruction
Drawing on research, this article identifies some key understandings about reading comprehension processes and instruction including word-reading and bridging skills, text structures and features, vocabulary and knowledge building, engagement with text, and instructional practices that kindle reading motivation.
Authors: Nell Duke, Alessandra Ward, and P. David Pearson
Publication Date: May 2021
Publisher: Wiley Publications on behalf of International Reading Association

The Transformative Ten: Instructional Strategies Learned from High Growth Schools
This report documents ten concrete classroom strategies designed to meet two competing needs: meeting learners where they are and providing all learners access to the grade-level content they need to succeed. While this balance is tricky, it does not require teachers to choose one approach over another. These ten strategies show how small changes in instruction can support big growth for students.
Author: Chase Nordengren
Publication Date: June 2023
Publisher: NWEA

The UDL Guidelines
This new iteration, UDL Guidelines 3.0, addresses critical barriers rooted in biases and systems of exclusion for learners with and without disabilities. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.
Publication Date: July 2024
Publisher: CAST

Traveling Terrain: Comprehending Nonfiction Text on the Web
Strategic instruction and explicit teaching of targeted comprehension strategies can allow students to merge skills into their current competencies, thus improving their overall reading ability. This lesson identifies three skills of identifying text features of nonfiction text in a Web format, locating specific information, and generalizing information to be taught in strategic lessons that build upon each other and allow for scaffolding of skills when necessary.
Author: Sheila Seitz
Publisher: International Literacy Association

Two-Column Notes: A Powerful Tool for Comprehension and Writing
Note taking is a strategy that supports comprehension and planning before writing. The two-column note format is a versatile tool that can be used in any subject and any grade to help students capture information from anything that is read, said, or done in the classroom. This webinar explains the format, offers suggestions for teaching students how to use two-column notes, and shares multiple examples of how students have used them across different grades and subjects.
Author: Joan Sedita
Publication Date: April 2021
Publisher: Keys to Literacy

Understanding and Responding to Writing Prompts Guide
This guide is intended to assist with better understanding of four kinds of writing prompts for creative, historical essay, argumentative essay, and literary analysis and what they require students to do. It can be used by instructors as they plan lessons to teach these skills. The information is appropriate for Grades 3–12, but some of the more complex aspects of understanding and responding to writing prompts are only appropriate for students in higher grade levels or those with better developed skills.
Authors: Deborah Reed and Shalini Jasti
Publication Date: May 2023
Publisher: Iowa Reading Research Center

Unlocking Social Studies Text How High School Teachers Can Support Students with Reading Difficulties
This article discusses embedding discipline-specific literacy instruction within social studies content can assist a variety of students, including those with reading difficulties, to build higher-level reading abilities, increase knowledge acquisition, and improve their overall content learning. Five instructional practices are outlined that can be embedded into existing instruction to further engage students in the subject matter and provide support for discipline-specific reading.
Author: Jeanne Wanzek
Publication Date: Spring 2021
Publisher: American Federation of Teachers

Using Strategies in Combination: The Jigsaw Method
In this video, the teacher uses a jigsaw method to practice comprehension strategies interactively through reading a nonfiction text connected to their current thematic unit. The students are supported with step-by-step instructions and graphic organizers and are guided in thinking, speaking, and writing in response to their reading.
Publisher: Learning Ally and Dollar General Literacy Foundation

Video Examples of the Prioritized Educator Competencies
These video resources show educator competencies in action. These competencies have the most leverage in transforming classroom practices to be personalized and student-centered. Footage includes teachers demonstrating key techniques and strategies, experts and peers discussing practice, and students reflecting on their experiences.
Publication Date: April 2021
Publisher: KnowledgeWorks Foundation

What Does it Take to Meet the Needs of Struggling Readers? Essential Practices Literacy Instruction
This webinar highlights key essential practices presented in Intensifying Literacy Instruction: Essential Practices Considerations and reflects on considerations for implementation. It focuses on ways to increase capacity to develop skilled readers and writers, identify critical dimensions for designing intervention platforms as the foundation for effective instruction, and adapt interventions to increase the instructional intensity.
Authors: Kim St. Martin and Sharon Vaughn
Publication Date: April 2020
Publisher: National Center on Intensive Intervention

What is Digital Literacy, Its Importance, and Challenges?
Digital literacy is essentially the discovery, evaluation, creation and communication of information, but there is more to it. Many experts prefer to focus on specific technology and literacy skills and do not define the term. In today’s constantly evolving technological society, digital literacy is critical for navigating and thriving. This article explores what digital literacy is, its importance, and challenges.
Publication Date: June 2023
Publisher: EDTechReview

What Is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Is It Important?
Teaching students to navigate literacy skills that differ by discipline is essential. This article explores disciplinary literacy, the research-proven benefits of teaching it, and how you can bring this to your classroom.
Author: Corey Humphrey
Publication Date: June 2024
Publisher: Carnegie Learning

What Is Scaffolding in Education and How Is It Applied?
This article explains scaffolding in education as a technique that establishes a firm framework of foundational knowledge before gradually building upon that framework. It describes the instructional scaffolding process and provides six specific strategies.
Publication Date: September 2023
Publisher: Grand Canyon University