Adolescent Literacy
Explore resources designed to improve literacy instruction in middle and high school.
- View a visual diagram of all four practices
- Watch a topic overview and download planning templates
- Listen to an expert
Explore the subtopics below to learn more about the recommended practices:
To learn more about the research underlying these practices, view the IES Practice Guide, Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices.
Mark It Up! Scaffolding Text Discussion
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
Kelly O'Brien scaffolds text discussion by modeling strategies for thinking about text, helps students make connections, and provides guidelines for organizing reading for meaning. View the related...
Resource Type
School Example
Literature Circles in High School
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
Ninth-grade Humanities teacher Rebecca Wieder describes how she facilitates literature circle discussions. Wieder's students discuss a novel in groups where each plays a role: summarizer,...
Resource Type
School Example
Building Vocabulary in Middle School Math Class
Adolescent Literacy > Vocabulary Instruction > See How It Works
In this video, math teacher Maureen Ferry talks about how she uses vocabulary games and journals to help students develop an understanding of new words. View the related sample material, Middle...
Resource Type
School Example
Greek Myths: Understanding Word Roots and Meanings
Adolescent Literacy > Vocabulary Instruction > See How It Works
See how a seventh-grade teacher, Carlton Cartwright, uses daily unit lessons, informal methods, and multiple exposures to teach word meaning. View the related sample material, Greek Myths:...
Resource Type
School Example
Explicit Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners
Adolescent Literacy > Vocabulary Instruction > See How It Works
Jill MacKay describes the explicit vocabulary strategies she uses in an intensive, supplemental reading class for English learners. Watch how she uses modeling, visual aids, and multiple exposures...
Resource Type
School Example
A Schoolwide Vocabulary Approach
Adolescent Literacy > Vocabulary Instruction > See How It Works
Listen to principal Caroline Bloxom describe a schoolwide vocabulary program used across content areas and the importance of teaming to its success. Download the sample material, Content Area...
Resource Type
School Example
Assessments
Adolescent Literacy > Intensive Intervention > See How It Works
This table lists assessments used by Dr. Don Deshler and his colleagues to evaluate the progress of students in their programs for reading interventions for older adolescents. The assessments are...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Mark It Up! Questioning and Making Connections
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
The Mark It Up! strategy is used by eighth-grade language arts teacher Kelly O'Brian to scaffold small group text discussions. The teacher's lesson plan, text discussion, Mark It Up! guidelines,...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Reflective Science Reading Logs and Evaluation Rubric
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
Science teacher Heather Howlett uses reading logs to support student questioning and text discussion. The evaluation rubric is used to assist students with self-evaluation of their progress and...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Social Studies Pair-Sharing and Discussion Guidelines
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
This PowerPoint outlines a seventh-grade social studies lesson that scaffolds text discussion strategies to help students develop an understanding of the experiences of Chernobyl survivors. The...
Resource Type
Sample Material
"Four R" Note-Taking Template
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
English teacher Jim Burke created this template to help students take notes as they read a text. Related Media and Files: Building Academic Literacy Through Text Discussion (Audio) Burlingame...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Analyzing Speeches: Homework Assignments and Note-Taking Templates
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
These materials assignments from teacher Jim Burke's high school English class include assignments using Obama's keynote address assignment, a speech assignment on Cesar Chavez's speech,...
Resource Type
Sample Material
