Professional Development Padlets

• HumanitiesEnglish Language Arts, Social Studies and English Language Development (opens in a new tab)
• STEMScience, Mathematics and Project Lead the Way (opens in a new tab)
• All Other DisciplinesBusiness, Art, Family and Consumer Science, Music/Theatre, Physical Education and Health, World Language, Professional Studies, Special Education, Library Media, Technology Education and AVID (opens in a new tab)

Feedback and Questions (opens in a new tab)

Department Padlets

• Art

  • Art (opens in a new tab)

• AVID

  • AVID

• Business

  • Personal Finance (opens in a new tab)
  • Marketing Concepts (opens in a new tab)

• English Language Arts

  • English Language Arts (opens in a new tab)

• English Language Development

  • English Language Development (opens in a new tab)

• Family and Consumer Science

  • Nutrition and Foods (opens in a new tab)
  • Fashion and Apparel (opens in a new tab)

• Library Media

  • Library Media (opens in a new tab)

• Mathematics

  • Algebra (opens in a new tab)
  • Geometry (opens in a new tab)

• Music/Theatre

  • Music (opens in a new tab)
  • Theatre (opens in a new tab)

• Physical Education and Health

  • PE (opens in a new tab)
  • Health (opens in a new tab)

• Professional Studies

  • Aspiring Professionals (opens in a new tab)

• Project Lead the Way

  • Engineering (opens in a new tab)

• Science

  • Biology (opens in a new tab)
  • Chemistry (opens in a new tab)
  • Physics (opens in a new tab)

• Social Studies

  • World History (opens in a new tab)
  • Government and Economics (opens in a new tab)

• Special Education

  • Employment Skills (opens in a new tab)

• Technology Education

  • Home Maintenance (opens in a new tab)

• World Language

  • Spanish I (opens in a new tab)
  • French I (opens in a new tab)

The Read the Disciplines Framework

1. Schema & ScaffoldBuild the background the text assumes.Write: a quick-write on what I already knowBefore Reading Strategies and Templates
2. Read, Write, Discuss & CreateRead the whole text like an expert.Write: sum it up in one sentenceDuring Reading Strategies and Templates
3. Apprentice, Develop & SupportStudents learn how your field reads, talks and writes beside you.Write: a sourced claim, an analysisThe Think-Aloud
4. Connect & ExtendRead toward real goals: the job, the permit test, the ACT.Write: the application, the scholarship essayAfter Reading Strategies and Templates

“Most students need explicit teaching of sophisticated genres, specialized language conventions, disciplinary norms of precision and accuracy, and higher-level interpretive processes.”

The Think-Aloud

Read a whole text from your field out loud and say what you’re thinking.

Exit Ticket

Yes or not yet. Fix one “not yet” before you leave. Print the exit ticket (four per page) (opens in a new tab) · Exit slips (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

• Did I do what the prompt and the rubric asked? Check the verbs. 25. Unpacking the Prompt and Rubric (opens in a new tab)
• Did I answer every part?
• Can I point to the spot in the text that supports my answer? 24. It Says, I Say, And So (opens in a new tab)
• Did I use the right tool for the job? Strategies

The Padlets for each department were built with AI assistance, using publicly available high school curriculum. Actual content and assessments may vary from current classroom assignments and practices. If you would like new or additional ideas for the reading process or literacy practices in your classroom, feel free to reach out: rochella@readthedisciplines.com

Before Reading

• Anticipation Guide (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 5. Anticipation Guide (opens in a new tab)
• KWL Chart (opens in a new tab) LD@schoolTemplate: 7. K-W-L-Q (opens in a new tab)
• Knowledge Rating (opens in a new tab) ReadWriteThinkTemplate: 6. Knowledge Rating (opens in a new tab)
• Text Feature Walk (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 4. Text Preview (opens in a new tab)·3. Reading the Visuals (opens in a new tab)
• List-Group-Label (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 8. a to Z Wordstorm (opens in a new tab)
• Possible Sentences (opens in a new tab) Reading Rockets
• Frayer Model (opens in a new tab) AdLitTemplate: 17. Words in Context (opens in a new tab)
• Concept Maps (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 27. Concept Circle (opens in a new tab)·20. Compare and Contrast Chart (opens in a new tab)
• Quick Writes (opens in a new tab) University of VirginiaTemplate: 2. Picture 3-2-1 (opens in a new tab)
• Notice and Wonder (Photo First) (opens in a new tab)Template: 1. Photo First (opens in a new tab)

During Reading

• Annotation (opens in a new tab) ReadWriteThinkTemplate: 11. Annotation Key (opens in a new tab)·33. Annotation and Strategy Bookmark (opens in a new tab)
• Chunking (opens in a new tab) Facing History & OurselvesTemplate: 13. 3-2-1 Section Notes (opens in a new tab)
• Question-Answer Relationships (QAR) (opens in a new tab) Reading Rockets
• Questioning the Author (opens in a new tab) Reading Rockets
• Reciprocal Teaching (opens in a new tab) Reading Rockets
• Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) (opens in a new tab) Reading Rockets
• Interactive Reading Guides (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 16. Textbook Activity Guide (TAG) (opens in a new tab)
• Collaborative Strategic Reading (opens in a new tab) AdLit
• Inquiry Charts (I-Charts) (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 21. Inquiry Chart (opens in a new tab)
• Jigsaw (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 9. Expert Card (opens in a new tab)
• Think-Pair-Share (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 22. Partner Questions (opens in a new tab)
• Double-Entry Journal (opens in a new tab) ReadWriteThinkTemplate: 14. Triple-Entry Journal (opens in a new tab)
• Text Structure (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 15. Text Structure and Signal Words (opens in a new tab)·39. Story Map (opens in a new tab)
• Contextual Redefinition (opens in a new tab)Template: 17. Words in Context (opens in a new tab)
• Morphology (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 19. Word Parts Map (opens in a new tab)
• Semantic Gradients (opens in a new tab) Reading Rockets
• Semantic Feature Analysis (opens in a new tab) Reading Rockets
• Word Walls (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 18. Multiple-Meaning Words (opens in a new tab)
• Reading Word Problems (opens in a new tab) IES Practice GuideTemplate: 37. Annotating a Word Problem (opens in a new tab)
• Fix-Up Strategies (opens in a new tab)Template: 34. Fix-Up Strategies (opens in a new tab)
• Sentence Deconstruction (opens in a new tab)Template: 35. Sentence Deconstruction (opens in a new tab)
• Sourcing a Document (opens in a new tab) Digital Inquiry GroupTemplate: 36. Sourcing a Document (opens in a new tab)

After Reading

• GIST Summarizing (opens in a new tab) AdLitTemplate: 23. Summary Frame: Main Idea and Supporting Details (opens in a new tab)
• Sum It Up (opens in a new tab) ReadingQuestTemplate: 41. Sum It Up (opens in a new tab)
• Lesson Closure Frame (opens in a new tab) ReadingQuestTemplate: 42. Lesson Closure Frame (opens in a new tab)
• It Says, I Say, and So (opens in a new tab)Template: 24. It Says, I Say, and So (opens in a new tab)
• RAFT Writing (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 28. RAFT (opens in a new tab)
• Exit Slips (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 32. Exit Ticket (opens in a new tab)
• Writing to Learn (opens in a new tab) IES Practice GuideTemplate: 26. Writing-to-Learn Menu (opens in a new tab)·25. Unpacking the Prompt and Rubric (opens in a new tab)
• Point of View Guide (opens in a new tab)Template: 29. Point of View Guide (opens in a new tab)
• Performance Reflection (opens in a new tab)Template: 31. Performance Reflection (opens in a new tab)

Fluency

• Fluency (opens in a new tab) Reading RocketsTemplate: 38. Paired Repeated Reading (opens in a new tab)
• Audio Support and Read-Alouds (opens in a new tab) CommonLitTemplate: 40. Access Plan for Students Still Learning to Read the Words (opens in a new tab)

• ArtWho decides the color of the year, and why is it white?
• AVIDReading, writing and inquiry for college and career readiness.
• BusinessBuying a burrito in four payments. Is that a loan?
• English Language ArtsA school edition of Fahrenheit 451 had words cut from it, and students caught it.
• English Language DevelopmentThe siren went off. Most people waited.
• Family and Consumer ScienceThe cook who never felt sick and made dozens of people ill.
• Library MediaBat-people on the Moon: the 1835 hoax a newspaper printed as news.
• MathematicsA penny doubled every day for a month, or a million dollars today?
• Music/TheatreA band with a million listeners that turned out to be AI.
• Physical Education and HealthJapanese walking took over TikTok. Does three minutes fast, three minutes slow really work?
• Professional StudiesOne test email reached 840,000 inboxes.
• Project Lead the WayOne glued panel led to a recall of thousands of trucks.
• Science29 reindeer, one island, no predators. What happened next?
• Social StudiesCould one wrong turn start a world war?
• Special EducationA president wore socks from a father-and-son business.
• Technology EducationA Roman job site, frozen in time.
• World LanguageA Super Bowl halftime show almost entirely in Spanish.

Professional Development Resources

• A Student Reads About the Scopes Trial (opens in a new tab)A high school student thinks aloud through a New York Times article. Teachinghistory.org
• Think-Aloud 1: Matt Reads a Newspaper Without Sourcing It (opens in a new tab)A student reads a New York Times excerpt about the USS Maine (1898) and misses who wrote it and when. Commentary on sourcing. Historical Thinking Matters
• Think-Aloud 2: Chuck Decides the Cause Before Reading the Evidence (opens in a new tab)A student names the cause of the Spanish-American War from the timeline alone. Commentary on cause and evidence. Historical Thinking Matters
• Honors US History, Grade 11 (opens in a new tab)Students read primary sources the way historians do. WestEd
• Intro to Chemistry, Grade 10 (opens in a new tab)Inexperienced readers work through a chemistry text by asking questions and spotting the sticky parts. WestEd
• Biotechnology, Grade 12 (opens in a new tab)Seniors headed into careers interview each other about a technical paper. WestEd

• How Did That Go? (opens in a new tab)A teacher writes about trying Talking to the Text with her class. WestEd
• All Free WestEd Resources (opens in a new tab)Videos, articles and classroom tools. WestEd

English Language Arts

Transcripts for these videos (opens in a new tab)

• Identifying Theme Through Close Reading (opens in a new tab)8:46Ninth graders use close reading and annotation to find a novel’s theme.
• Reading and Writing in English (opens in a new tab)5:17Five experts on meaning-making, text structure and writing for a real audience.
• Teaching Argumentation Skills (opens in a new tab)8:32AP students build arguments in group work with a Toulmin organizer.
• Collaborating and Writing: Components of Close Reading (opens in a new tab)5:26Small groups and close reading build independent readers.
• English in the Real World: A Sports Journalist (opens in a new tab)7:44A sports writer on how reading, writing and speaking shape his radio scripts.
• One-on-One Conferences (opens in a new tab)7:57A student conference that ends with a goal.
• Guided Instruction for Independence (opens in a new tab)8:34Conferences help students take apart a text and write a comparative paragraph.
• Revising with Teacher and Peer Feedback (opens in a new tab)5:28A 12th-grade creative writing class revises with feedback.
• Engaging Students in Authentic Reading and Writing (opens in a new tab)4:58Students connect reading and reflective writing to their lives.
• Using Mentor Texts and Graphic Organizers (opens in a new tab)8:52Seventh graders use sequence frames to analyze plot and theme.
• Reading, Writing, and Responding to Poetry (opens in a new tab)9:07Seniors read name poems and write their own.

Mathematics

Transcripts for these videos (opens in a new tab)

• Thinking Like a Mathematician (opens in a new tab)4:36Group discussion and concise notes help students talk about math.
• Mathematics in the Real World: An Epidemiologist (opens in a new tab)7:00Reading and questioning data to interpret math in the world.
• Collaborative Talk About Mathematics (opens in a new tab)8:00Students discuss hard tasks and complex text.
• Annotating Word Problems (opens in a new tab)7:00The BUCK strategy for marking up word problems.
• Writing for Mathematics Understanding (opens in a new tab)6:12Students write and critique each other’s reasoning.
• Individualized Instruction as a Formative Assessment Tool (opens in a new tab)3:28Students explain their thinking on word problems.
• Real World Mathematics Collaboration (opens in a new tab)5:00Peers question each other while solving problems.
• Writing to Deepen Mathematical Understanding (opens in a new tab)8:00Precise language, written explanations and peer talk.
• Fostering Student Engagement (opens in a new tab)5:42Student choice in math learning.
• Using Math Vocabulary to Articulate Understanding (opens in a new tab)4:00Precise academic language helps students understand and remember.
• Collaborating to Extend Mathematical Understanding (opens in a new tab)7:00Collaboration and math discourse.
• Blended Learning: Using Technology to Learn Math Concepts (opens in a new tab)8:00Technology tools make math thinking visible.
• Creating Opportunities for Mathematical Discourse (opens in a new tab)7:00Problem-based lessons give students reasons to write and talk about math.
• Reading and Writing in Mathematics (opens in a new tab)8:00Experts on reading, explaining and writing math.

Pam Harris for MAC ALN

• Living into DL in Secondary Mathematics (opens in a new tab)
• Student-Centered Assessment Approaches (opens in a new tab)
• Research Support for DL in Secondary Mathematics (opens in a new tab)

Social Studies

Transcripts for these videos (opens in a new tab)

• Reading and Writing in History (opens in a new tab)7:00Students read multiple texts like historians and reach evidence-based conclusions.
• Developing Questions That Promote Discussion (opens in a new tab)6:00Students write interpretive and analytical questions the texts can answer.
• Identifying Evidence from Multiple Sources (opens in a new tab)8:26Students compare primary and secondary sources, including visuals.
• Using the Socratic Method in History (opens in a new tab)8:00Students prepare for a Socratic seminar with sources and cited evidence.
• Reading and Responding Like a Historian (opens in a new tab)5:00Students corroborate primary and secondary sources before discussing.
• Presenting Facts as Evidence (opens in a new tab)8:35Students use researched facts and counterarguments in a debate.

Booklets

• Read the Disciplines Literacy Template BookletAll 42 Templates and the Teacher Guide · 62 Pages (opens in a new tab)
• Humanities Literacy Template BookletEnglish Language Arts, Social Studies and English Language Development · 26 Pages (opens in a new tab)
• STEM Literacy Template BookletScience, Mathematics and Project Lead the Way · 26 Pages (opens in a new tab)
• All Other Disciplines Literacy Template BookletBusiness, Art, Family and Consumer Science, Music/Theatre, Physical Education and Health, World Language, Professional Studies, Special Education, Library Media, Technology Education and AVID · 42 Pages (opens in a new tab)

Templates by Department

All 42 Templates

• Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: Rethinking content-area literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40–59.The three levels of literacy: basic, intermediate and disciplinary.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Moje, E. B. (2015). Doing and teaching disciplinary literacy with adolescent learners: A social and cultural enterprise. Harvard Educational Review, 85(2), 254–278.The 4 Es: engaging, engineering, examining and evaluating.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Rainey, E. C., Maher, B. L., Coupland, D., Franchi, R., & Moje, E. B. (2017). But what does it look like? Illustrations of disciplinary literacy teaching in two content areas. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.Two classrooms, one history and one science.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Utah State Board of Education. Disciplinary Literacy in Utah Schools.What reading, writing and talk look like by subject.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy in the Secondary Classroom: Grades 6 to 12.General practices, plus sections for English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.Open (opens in a new tab)
• MAISA. Disciplinary Literacy Essentials: Beyond “the Core.”The ten essential practices in visual arts, dance and movement, choral and instrumental music, world and heritage languages, and drama and theater.Open (opens in a new tab)
• MAISA. Essential School-Wide Practices in Disciplinary Literacy: Grades 6 to 12.Eight school-wide practices for middle and high schools.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Michigan Disciplinary Literacy Resource Hubs (ELA, math, science and social studies)Spreadsheets of recommended resources for each of the ten essential practices.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Disciplinary Literacy Essentials WebinarContent-area literacy and disciplinary literacy, and the difference between them.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Michigan Disciplinary Literacy Resources HubClassroom videos, articles, protocols and slide decks by subject.Open (opens in a new tab)
• EduPaths Disciplinary Literacy CoursesFree, self-paced courses on the essential practices.Open (opens in a new tab)
• International Literacy Association. (2017). Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks (Literacy leadership brief).Content area literacy and disciplinary literacy side by side.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Annenberg Learner. Reading & Writing in the Disciplines.Course sessions and classroom video by subject.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education.Reading, writing, speaking and listening in physical education.Open (opens in a new tab)
• North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Disciplinary Literacy in North Dakota Content Standards: Financial Literacy.Reading, writing and thinking in financial literacy.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Institute of Education Sciences. (2008). Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (Practice guide).Five research-based recommendations for grades 4 to 12.Open (opens in a new tab)
• Fisher, D., & Frey, N. Don’t just think aloud—think along. Educational Leadership, ASCD.Making expert thinking visible to students.Open (opens in a new tab)

• Start Here
• Start with the Problem
• Quick Strategies for Any Classroom
• Missing Background Knowledge
• Vocabulary Blocking Comprehension
• Skimming, Skipping, or Shutting Down on Complex Text
• Struggling with Disciplinary Reasoning, Discussion, or Writing
• Not Sure Where the Breakdown Is
• Foundational Access or Decoding Barriers

Start Here

• Five Minutes Before Class?Three strategies you can run today, no prep beyond a slide.
• One Student You’re Worried About?A quick reading check to find the barrier before you refer.

Start with the Problem

Skip the browsing. Pick the thing you’re seeing in class.

• Missing Background Knowledge?Students can’t connect to or access the text before reading.
• Vocabulary Blocking Comprehension?Academic language is tripping them up mid-sentence.
• Skimming, Skipping, or Shutting Down?Struggling to navigate complex or dense course text.
• Struggling with Disciplinary Reasoning?Difficulty using evidence or reasoning in your subject area.
• Not Sure Where the Breakdown Is?Quick diagnostics to locate exactly where they are stuck.
• Foundational Access or Decoding Barriers?Fluency or processing needs that require scaffolding.
• Wondering About Tier 3 or Next Steps?Understand the MTSS tiers and where to get additional help.

Quick Strategies for Any Classroom

• Think-Pair-Share with Sentence StemsEvery student processes individually, talks with a partner using discipline-specific language, then shares. Stems give the academic vocabulary to express reasoning.
• Anticipation GuideSurface and challenge students' existing beliefs before reading. Students agree/disagree with statements, then revisit after reading — making misconceptions visible.
• Reading Word ProblemsTeach a structured approach to unpacking word problems: identify what is given, what is asked, eliminate irrelevant information, translate to mathematical notation, then solve. Most math 'reading problems' are actually language processing problems.

Diagnosing the breakdown matters more than collecting strategies.

Missing Background Knowledge

The signal: reading sounds fine, but answers come out vague and “wait, when was this?” surfaces mid-text. Do now: show a 4-minute video before the text, run a 2-minute quick write, or build the concept first — all below, with templates.

Show Them Something First

Four to six minutes of the right video or images before reading gives every student the same mental movie to hang the text on.

• Video Front-Loading for SchemaOne short clip + one anchor question, right before the text.Edpuzzle (opens in a new tab)
• Anticipation GuideFive agree/disagree statements that surface misconceptions before reading.
• Newsela Text SetsAn accessible article on the same topic as the on-ramp to the grade-level text.Newsela (opens in a new tab)

Surface What They Already Know

Two minutes of low-stakes writing or listing tells you exactly which schema is missing — and activates what is there.

• Quick Write Activation“Write everything you know about X for two minutes. Wrong answers welcome.”
• KWL+ (Know / Want / Learned / Still Wondering)Know / Want to know / Learned — the classic three-column activation chart.Guide & Template (LD@school) (opens in a new tab)
• List-Group-LabelBrainstorm words about the topic, group them, label the groups — schema made visible.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Build the Concept Before the Text

When the topic itself is brand new, build the concept deliberately — then let the text add precision.

• Concept LadderA ladder of questions from concrete (what is it?) to abstract (what would happen without it?).
• Possible SentencesStudents write predicted sentences with the key terms, then read to confirm or revise.Guide & Organizer (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Concept MappingMap the relationships between ideas before reading about them.Guide & Templates (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Tech That Helps

Edpuzzle embeds questions inside the video so front-loading stays active, not passive. Newsela adjusts article complexity while keeping the content. Wayground (formerly Quizizz) can turn a topic into an interactive warm-up with built-in reading supports.

Skip These

Re-explaining the text sentence by sentence after students stall — that turns reading time into listening time. And don’t confuse missing knowledge with low ability; the fastest readers in your room also fail on texts about worlds they’ve never met.

What Progress Looks Like

Students make on-topic predictions before reading, reference the front-loaded content while reading (“like in the video…”), and their answers get specific instead of vague.

See Every Matching Strategy in the Library · Find Your Subject

Vocabulary Blocking Comprehension

The signal: students stall on academic words and say “the thing” when they explain. Do now: pick the 3–5 words that carry tomorrow’s text, teach them with a visual and an example, and keep them posted all unit.

Choose Fewer Words, Teach Them Harder

Pick the 3–5 words that carry tomorrow’s text. A five-minute self-rating tells you which words actually need the time.

• Vocabulary Knowledge RatingStudents rate each word: never seen it / seen it / could teach it. Instant priority list.
• Frayer ModelDefinition, characteristics, examples, non-examples — deep processing for concept-heavy terms.Guide & Template (AdLit) (opens in a new tab)
• LINCS Vocabulary StrategyA research-validated mnemonic routine from KU for words that must stick.

Word Families

One root can unlock twenty words. Morphology is the highest-leverage vocabulary practice in grades 6–12.

• Morphology MappingTeach cata- / -lyst / -lyze once and students can attack the whole family.Article (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Semantic GradientsOrder related words by degree (simmer → boil → scorch) to teach shades of meaning.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Semantic Feature AnalysisA grid comparing related terms across features — builds the word network, not just the word.

Keep Words Alive After Tuesday

Words stick when students meet them repeatedly, in context, and use them out loud and in writing.

• Word Wall (Discipline-Specific)Organized by concept cluster, not alphabet — and students actually interact with it.
• Possible SentencesPredict-with-the-words before reading; revise after. Repeated meaningful use.Guide & Organizer (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• List-Group-LabelRe-sort the unit’s words at the end — the groupings show what students actually understand.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Tech That Helps

Wayground (formerly Quizizz) turns a word list into flashcards, passages, and checks with built-in accommodations like read-aloud and dyslexia-friendly fonts. A shared Padlet keeps the word wall alive across the unit.

Skip These

Copying dictionary definitions — the National Reading Panel found it does little. Fifteen-word lists — five taught deeply beats fifteen taught thin. And guessing word meanings from context alone; context helps only when it’s anchored to word parts and the text.

What Progress Looks Like

Taught words show up in student talk and writing without prompting, and students start attacking new words by their parts instead of skipping them.

See Every Matching Strategy in the Library · Find Your Subject

Skimming, Skipping, or Shutting Down on Complex Text

The signal: skimming, bailing at the first long sentence, or reading every word and keeping none. Do now: chunk the text into 3–4 sections with one purpose question each, unpack one monster sentence at the board, or model four margin codes.

Shrink the Load, Keep the Thinking

Break the text into pieces with a purpose for each piece. Same text, same rigor — smaller bites.

• Chunking with Purpose QuestionsDivide tomorrow’s hardest text into 3–4 sections, each with one purpose question.
• Interactive Reading GuidesA teacher-built path through a difficult text — prompts, stops, and partner checks.Guide & Example (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Sentence-Level InstructionPull ONE monster sentence up on the board and unpack it together.

Make the Thinking Visible

Struggling readers hide confusion. These strategies make it visible so you can teach to it.

• Text Coding / AnnotationFour or five simple margin codes (! ? ✓ NEW) — modeled first, always.
• Questioning the AuthorStudents interrogate the text: “What is the author trying to say here? Is it clear?”Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Metacognitive BookmarksA bookmark of stop-and-check prompts that externalizes the self-monitoring habit.
• Collaborative Strategic ReadingClick or clunk? Students flag breakdowns and fix them in teams.Guide (AdLit) (opens in a new tab)

Give the Text a Shape

Expository text has architecture — cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution. Students who see the frame can carry the load.

• Text Structure InstructionTeach the five structures and their signal words; match each to its organizer.
• Concept MappingTurn the chapter into a picture of its own logic.Guide & Templates (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• GIST SummarizingShrink each chunk to 20 words. Brutal, clarifying, and fast.Guide (AdLit) (opens in a new tab)

Tech That Helps

Perusall or a shared Google Doc makes annotation social instead of solitary. Microsoft Immersive Reader (free in Microsoft Edge and Microsoft 365) reformats any text for focus, spacing, and read-aloud.

Skip These

Timed or speed reading. Assigning annotation without modeling it. Round-robin reading — it does not build comprehension and it humiliates the readers who most need help.

What Progress Looks Like

Students pause and reread on their own, mark confusion instead of hiding it, and can tell you where a text lost them — which is exactly the information you need.

See Every Matching Strategy in the Library · Find Your Subject

Struggling with Disciplinary Reasoning, Discussion, or Writing

The signal: students can retell but can’t argue, and three voices carry every discussion. Do now: post three sentence stems, run a think-pair-share before anyone writes, and give discussion roles.

Give the Language First

Nobody can “discuss like a scientist” without the sentence-level tools scientists use. Post them; rehearse them out loud.

• Think-Pair-Share with Sentence StemsWith discipline-specific stems: “The data suggest… because…” Every student rehearses before anyone writes.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Contextual RedefinitionFront-load the argument vocabulary your field uses: evaluate, justify, interpret.

Structure the Talk

Unstructured “discuss with your group” reproduces the same three voices. Roles and protocols distribute the thinking.

• Text-Based Discussion ProtocolSocratic seminar and fishbowl structures with assigned roles and accountable-talk norms.
• Jigsaw with TextsEach student masters one piece, then teaches it — individual accountability built in.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Reciprocal TeachingStudents rotate predict / question / clarify / summarize — and run the discussion themselves.Guide & Bookmarks (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Parlay Structured DiscussionEvery student gets a written channel; participation gets visible.Parlay (opens in a new tab)

Move Talk into Writing

Academic conversation supports academic writing. After students say it, have them write it — in your field’s form.

• Disciplinary Writing: ScienceCER in science, DBQ moves in history, justification in math — one card per field in the library.
• RAFT WritingRole, Audience, Format, Topic — forces perspective-taking inside the discipline.
• Collaborative Synthesis DraftingColor-coded drafting that makes the moves of synthesis visible.

Tech That Helps

Parlay tracks written and spoken participation so discussion data stops being a vibe. Wayground’s open-response items work as quick rehearsal before full writing.

Skip These

“Discuss with your group” with no roles, stems, or product. Grading discussion on volume instead of moves. Writing assignments that never got a rehearsal out loud.

What Progress Looks Like

Student talk and writing pick up the moves of your field: claims come with evidence, evidence comes with reasoning — and the stems fade because students no longer need them.

See Every Matching Strategy in the Library · Find Your Subject

Not Sure Where the Breakdown Is

The signal: something’s wrong but you can’t name it — low scores, unread chapters, strong talk with weak text work. Do now: run the two-minute private check with one student, or a ten-minute cloze with the whole class. Then pick one support, not five.

Two Minutes, One Student

The fastest diagnostic in the building is a private quick reading check with the actual class text.

• When You Suspect Foundational Skill GapsThe full Quick Reading Check — words, key terms, sentences, and picture — lives on the MTSS & Tiers tab with exact teacher prompts.

Grouping Strategically While You Wait for Data

How you seat and pair students during reading tasks changes what struggling readers can access — before you’ve done any formal diagnosis. The Kagan model of team formation gives you a practical, research-grounded starting point.

The Kagan pair structure for content classes: Kagan recommends teams of four built from your class ranked by demonstrated performance: one high, one high-middle, one low-middle, one low. The team of four splits naturally into two working pairs for most tasks — high with high-middle, low-middle with low. This means the student who most needs access is always paired with someone one step ahead of them, not someone who will take over the thinking.

Two pair structures that work immediately for reading:

RallyCoach — Partners take turns reading or solving, one at a time, while the other coaches. One reads a chunk aloud; the other listens, then summarizes or answers the purpose question. Then they switch. The struggling reader is never isolated, never performing alone in front of the class, and gets an immediate model.

Timed Pair Share — Each partner shares their response to a text-based question for a set time (60–90 seconds), then switches. The structure forces a response from every student — and the timer removes the pressure of open-ended silence. Works well before writing to give students language to work from.

Practical notes for content teachers:

• Rebuild pairs every 6–9 weeks as student performance shifts
• For the highest-need student, pair them with someone patient and verbal — the goal is modeling with space to think, not watching someone else do the work
• These structures work for any content: math word problems, science lab notebooks, primary source analysis, map reading
• If the struggling reader in a pair is consistently quiet or being overridden, that’s diagnostic information — bring it to your MTSS notes

Ten Minutes, Whole Class

When you need the shape of the whole room, run one quick class-level diagnostic on your own materials.

• Cloze ProcedureDelete every 7th word; below ~40% correct means the text is at frustration level.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Vocabulary Knowledge RatingFive minutes on eight key terms tells you whether the unit’s gap is vocabulary.

Ten Minutes, Whole Class: The Content Area Reading Inventory (CARI)

A CARI is a short, informal diagnostic you build from your own unit text — not a purchased test. It takes 15–20 minutes and tells you three things before you teach: Can students navigate the text? Do they have the vocabulary? Can they handle the reading at an inferential level? Run it at the start of a unit. Use the results to decide what you front-load, not to grade.

Build it in three parts (about 20 questions total):

Part I — Text Features (8–10 questions): Ask students to use the book itself. Examples: “Where would you find the definition of [unit term] in this text? Look at the chart on page ___. What does it show? Where are the study questions located — before or after each chapter?” Students who miss these can’t navigate informational text — that’s the barrier, not the content.

Part II — Vocabulary Self-Rating (6–8 terms): List 6–8 key unit terms. Students rate each: 0 = Never seen it / 1 = Seen it, unsure / 2 = Know it / 3 = Could teach it. Instant pre-teaching priority list. Any term rated 0–1 by more than half the class gets explicit instruction before the reading starts.

Part III — Passage Comprehension (7–9 questions): Pull 150–250 words from the unit text. Write 2–3 literal questions, 2–3 inferential questions, and 1 evidence question (“Find a sentence in the passage that supports your answer. Copy it and explain why you chose it.”) Students who answer literal questions correctly but miss inferential ones are ready for the content — they need structured reading support during the unit, not pre-teaching.

Reading the results: You’re looking for the pattern, not the score. If Part I falls apart, teach text navigation. If Part II shows most vocabulary at 0–1, front-load before you assign. If Part III shows literal comprehension but inferential breakdown, chunking with purpose questions and graphic organizers will carry the unit.

CONTENT AREA READING INVENTORY — [Unit Title] / [Course]

PART I — TEXT FEATURES (use your book to answer)
1. Where would you find the definition of _______ in this textbook?
   a) Table of Contents  b) Index  c) Glossary  d) Chapter headings
2. Look at the [diagram/chart/map] on page ___. What does it show?
3. Where are the end-of-chapter review questions located?
   a) Before each chapter  b) After each chapter  c) End of book  d) There are none
[Add 2–3 more text-navigation questions using your specific text]

PART II — VOCABULARY SELF-RATING
Rate each word: 0 = Never seen it | 1 = Seen it | 2 = Know it | 3 = Could teach it
Term 1: ______     Term 2: ______     Term 3: ______
Term 4: ______     Term 5: ______     Term 6: ______

PART III — READ AND RESPOND
[Paste 150–250 word excerpt from your unit text here]

Literal:
1. According to the passage, what is _______?
2. List two things the author says about _______.

Inferential:
3. Why might it be a problem if _______?
4. What does the author suggest will happen when _______?

Evidence:
5. Find one sentence in the passage that supports your answer to question 3 or 4.
   Copy it here: _______________________________________
   Why did you choose it? _______________________________

SCORING GUIDE FOR TEACHER (not shared with students):
- Part I: 3+ wrong → teach text navigation before the unit
- Part II: More than half the class rates a term 0–1 → pre-teach that term explicitly
- Part III: Literal ✓ but inferential ✗ → add structured reading support during the unit

Watch, Note, and Check the Exit

Some of the best data is free: what students do during reading, and what transfers at the end.

• Observation Protocol for Reading BehaviorsA simple checklist of reading behaviors during independent work.
• Exit Slip: Transfer CheckOne new mini-scenario at the door: can they apply it without the original text?Guide & Examples (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Tech That Helps

A Google Form or Wayground assessment turns a cloze or knowledge rating into instant, sortable class data — with accommodations built in.

Skip These

Diagnosing by having students read aloud in front of the class — anxiety distorts the very thing you’re measuring. Treating one screener number as the whole story.

What Progress Looks Like

You can name the barrier in one sentence — “decoding is fine; the gap is schema” — which means you can choose one support instead of five.

Write One Sentence Before You Move On

Date, class, the task or text, what the student could do independently, where it broke down, what support you tried, and how they responded. One line per check. If a concern continues, that log is exactly what your MTSS coordinator needs — specifics beat impressions.

See Every Matching Strategy in the Library · Find Your Subject

Foundational Access or Decoding Barriers

The signal: stumbling on everyday words, avoiding anything text-based, masking with audio or AI. Do now: give audio access today, write down one specific observation, and bring it to your MTSS coordinator — foundational support may already be available or can be requested through the MTSS process.

Access Today

The student still has biology to learn while support gets arranged. Access is not cheating — it is what keeps them in the discipline.

If this student already has a documented support plan, those accommodations are your starting point — check it before building anything new.

• Audio Support / Read-Aloud IntegrationEar reading builds the same vocabulary and knowledge; pair it with the printed text.
• Adapted & Simplified TextsSame content, accessible entry point, always on-ramping toward grade level.
• Graphic Organizer ScaffoldsLower the language load without lowering the thinking.

Practice Privately, Never Performatively

Fluency grows through supported, rehearsed practice — not public exposure.

• Audio Recording for Fluency PracticeStudents record and re-record privately; growth they can hear.
• Interactive Reading GuidesA supported path through the text a student can walk with a partner.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Document and Connect

Specific observations move the process; impressions stall it.

• When You Suspect Foundational Skill GapsWhat to notice, what to write down, and how the referral process works — on the MTSS & Tiers tab.

Tech That Helps

Microsoft Immersive Reader works with any text — read-aloud, spacing, syllable breaks. Newsela and CommonLit provide accessible versions of grade-level topics.

Skip These

Popcorn or round-robin reading — never, and especially not as a way to “check” who can read. Guessing words from context or pictures instead of decoding (Missouri law prohibits three-cueing as a primary method for good reason). Waiting for a label before providing access.

What Progress Looks Like

The student engages with your content through supported text while the MTSS process runs — and your documentation gives the team something concrete to act on. Structured, specialist-delivered intervention (the kind described on the MTSS & Tiers tab) does the skill-building work.

See Every Matching Strategy in the Library · Find Your Subject

• Background Knowledge
• Vocabulary
• Complex Text
• Discussion and Writing
• Diagnostic
• Foundational Access

Background Knowledge

Vocabulary

Also see Possible Sentences

Also see List-Group-Label

Complex Text

Also see Jigsaw with Texts

Discussion and Writing

Also see Inquiry Charts (I-Charts)

Also see Collaborative Strategic Reading

Diagnostic

Also see Cloze Procedure

Foundational Access

Also see Interactive Reading Guides

Students need to talk, read, write, and think in the discipline.

• English Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• World Languages
• Fine Arts (Art, Music, Theatre)
• Family and Consumer Sciences
• Health and Physical Education
• Business, Technology and Engineering (PLTW and CTE)
• Multilingual Learners (ELD)
• Special Education and Co-Taught Classrooms

English Language Arts

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: literature, essays, poetry, journalism. Your structures: narrative arc, argument, figurative language. The trap in ELA is assuming general reading skill transfers automatically to The Crucible — archaic syntax, allusion, and inference density are their own barriers, and even strong decoders need them taught.

Start with These

• Questioning the AuthorTurns passive readers into interrogators of craft and intent.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Semantic GradientsShades of meaning — the difference between walked and trudged is your whole discipline.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Text-Based Discussion ProtocolEvidence-anchored seminar discussion is ELA’s home turf; run it with roles and norms.

Go Deeper

• NCTE Position Statements (opens in a new tab)

Mathematics

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: word problems, definitions, proofs, data displays. Math is the densest reading in the building — every symbol carries meaning, nothing can be skipped, and words like product and factor mean something different than they did in English class. Reading a word problem is translation work, and translation can be taught.

Start with These

• Reading Word ProblemsA slow-down protocol for translating situation → mathematics.
• Disciplinary Writing: MathematicsIf they can’t write the reasoning, they don’t own the reasoning.
• Number Talks / Math DiscourseStructured math discourse — students rehearse the language of reasoning out loud.

Go Deeper

• NCTM (opens in a new tab)

Science

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: lab procedures, data, diagrams, dense expository prose where one paragraph can carry three causal chains. Scientists read skeptically and recursively — text to figure and back. Your Tier 3 vocabulary is Greek and Latin all the way down, which is actually good news: morphology unlocks it in families.

Start with These

• Morphology Mappingphoto-, -synthesis, -lysis: teach the parts once and use them all year.Article (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Chunking with Purpose QuestionsPurpose questions per section keep working memory pointed at the science.
• Disciplinary Writing: ScienceClaim-Evidence-Reasoning: the sentence structure of your field.

Go Deeper

• NSTA (opens in a new tab)
• EEF: The Disciplinary Literacy Tree (opens in a new tab)

Social Studies

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: primary sources, secondary accounts, maps, political cartoons, data. Historians source before they read — who wrote this, when, why — then corroborate across documents. That is a learnable routine, not a talent, and it is the single most transferable disciplinary reading strategy in the building.

Start with These

• Disciplinary Writing: History & SSSourcing, contextualizing, corroborating — then writing from the documents.
• Inquiry Charts (I-Charts)One question, several sources, organized synthesis.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Anticipation GuideSurface the myths before the unit does.

Go Deeper

• NCSS Position Statements (opens in a new tab)
• Digital Inquiry Group (opens in a new tab)

World Languages

How Your Discipline Reads

You teach reading itself — in another code. Your students decode, build vocabulary, and wrestle syntax daily, which makes you the building’s most natural ally on literacy. Cognates, morphology, and comprehensible input are your daily bread; the same routines that grow L2 reading transfer straight back to English academic vocabulary.

Start with These

• Contextual RedefinitionPredict from the word, revise from the sentence — ideal for cognates and false friends.
• Semantic Feature AnalysisCompare related terms across features — perfect for verb families and register.
• Audio Support / Read-Aloud IntegrationEar reading is core methodology in your field, not an accommodation.

Go Deeper

• ACTFL (opens in a new tab)

Fine Arts (Art, Music, Theatre)

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: scores and performance directions, scripts, critiques, artist statements, program notes, technique articles. You read symbol systems alongside prose, and your evaluative language — claim, criteria, evidence — is disciplinary argument in its purest form. Music alone carries one of the densest Tier 3 vocabularies in the school, most of it Italian.

Start with These

• Word Wall (Discipline-Specific)Performance terms clustered by concept — dynamics here, tempo there.
• RAFT WritingWrite as a critic, a curator, a composer — perspective inside the discipline.
• Text Feature WalkScores, scripts, and stage directions are text-feature reading at its most real.

Go Deeper

• NAfME (opens in a new tab)
• NCTE Position Statements (opens in a new tab)

Family and Consumer Sciences

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: recipes, nutrition labels, care instructions, budgets, child-development and health texts. Your students read to act — sequence and conditional language (“if the dough is sticky…”) carry real consequences, and label-reading is quantitative literacy people use for the rest of their lives. Few rooms make the case for reading as a life skill better than yours.

Start with These

• Text Structure InstructionSequence signal words on a recipe are text structure made edible.
• Visual & Quantitative LiteracyNutrition labels are data displays — teach the reading protocol.
• Exit Slip: Transfer CheckNew scenario at the door: “the recipe says fold, not stir — why?”Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Go Deeper

• AAFCS (opens in a new tab)

Health and Physical Education

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: rules and officiating guides, training plans, technique breakdowns, nutrition and health information — a field where misreading has consequences and evaluating sources is a survival skill. Health misinformation is a literacy problem, and your class is where students learn to spot it.

Start with These

• QAR (Question-Answer Relationships)Where does that claim come from? Question-answer relationships work on supplement ads too.
• Chunking with Purpose QuestionsTechnique and safety texts read best in steps with purpose checks.
• Think-Pair-Share with Sentence StemsRehearse the reasoning: “this plan fits because…”Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Go Deeper

• SHAPE America (opens in a new tab)

Business, Technology and Engineering (PLTW and CTE)

How Your Discipline Reads

Your texts: manuals, schematics, specs, codes, work orders, financial documents, technical documentation. Precision reading with real stakes — a misread spec costs money or safety. Procedural structure, acronym-dense vocabulary, and visual texts that carry as much meaning as prose: this is disciplinary literacy at its most concrete.

Start with These

• Visual & Quantitative LiteracyA protocol for reading schematics, blueprints, and data displays as texts.
• Disciplinary Writing: CTE & ElectivesWork orders, documentation, and procedural writing in the forms industry uses.
• Interactive Reading GuidesWalk students through a spec sheet the way a mentor would.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Go Deeper

• ACTE (opens in a new tab)

Multilingual Learners (ELD)

How Your Discipline Reads

Multilingual students are doing double work: learning content while learning the language it arrives in. Their home languages are assets, not obstacles — cognates, translation as a thinking tool, and strong oral rehearsal before writing all leverage what students already own. Every strategy on this site carries an MLL note; these are the highest-leverage starting points, best used in partnership with our ELD teachers.

Start with These

• Video Front-Loading for SchemaVisual schema-building lowers the language load without touching the content.
• Think-Pair-Share with Sentence StemsStructured oral rehearsal before writing — the core MLL move.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)
• Word Wall (Discipline-Specific)With visuals and cognates marked.
• Jigsaw with TextsEvery student becomes the expert on something — status and language practice at once.Guide (Reading Rockets) (opens in a new tab)

Go Deeper

• Colorín Colorado (opens in a new tab)

Special Education and Co-Taught Classrooms

How Your Discipline Reads

Some students in every content class are working at a foundational level — and they are general education students first, entitled to your content with the right access. The playbook: accommodations from the IEP or 504 are non-negotiable floors, not favors; access tools (audio, adapted texts, organizers) keep students in grade-level thinking; and case managers are your co-strategists, not a separate department. Skill-building intervention happens with specialists; content learning happens with you, supported.

Start with These

• Audio Support / Read-Aloud IntegrationAccess to your content while decoding gets specialist attention elsewhere.
• Graphic Organizer ScaffoldsLower the language load, keep the cognitive demand.
• Adapted & Simplified TextsAn entry point, always pointed back toward the grade-level text.
• Audio Recording for Fluency PracticePrivate practice with hearable growth.

Go Deeper

• IRIS Center (Vanderbilt) (opens in a new tab)
• CAST UDL Guidelines (opens in a new tab)

Most reading difficulties in secondary content-area classes signal a need to examine classroom instruction — not to refer. Try classroom supports first, document what you’ve done, and know when escalation is warranted.

• Three Tiers
• Quick Reading Check
• Before You Refer
• Approaches to Avoid
• Grouping
• Learning Differences

The Quick Reading Check: Four Questions in Under Five Minutes

This quick reading check helps you decide what to try in your class today and what to write down; it does not replace formal screeners or reading assessments.

You don't have to be a reading teacher to do this. When a student stares at a word problem, a primary source, a lab procedure, or a set of directions and does nothing, don't assume "they can't read" — find out where it breaks. The whole protocol is a quiet conversation at the student's desk during independent work, or a minute after class. Never in front of peers.

1. Words on the Page

“When they read a short chunk of this actual class text aloud with you, can they get the words off the page accurately and at a reasonable pace?”

If not, treat this as a word-recognition / fluency barrier.

• Today in class: give audio or paired reading access so they can stay in the content (Immersive Reader, Read&Write, Learning Ally, or a patient partner), and avoid public read-aloud as a diagnostic.
• In MTSS: note that this is a word-level pattern and bring it to your coordinator or reading specialist, because persistent word-recognition gaps do not close with content-class strategies alone.

2. Key Terms and Symbols

“If they can read the words, do the key terms and symbols in this passage make sense in context?”

If not, treat this as a vocabulary / term barrier.

• Today in class: pick 3–5 words or symbols that carry this text, teach each with a quick visual and example, and keep them visible while students read.
• In your notes: jot which terms they could explain after that support and whether this pattern shows up across units.

3. Sentences and Structure

“If key words are fine, do long sentences, equations, or the way the text is built throw them off?”

If so, treat this as a sentence / text-structure barrier.

• Today in class: chunk the text into 3–4 sections with one purpose question per chunk, unpack one hard sentence together at the board, or use a text-structure organizer (cause/effect, problem/solution, etc.).
• In your notes: capture where they lost the thread (which sentence or section).

4. Picture and Purpose

“If they can track the sentences, can they tell you, in their own words, what’s happening and why it matters?”

If not, treat this as a background-knowledge / schema barrier.

• Today in class: show a short clip, image set, or brief on-ramp text, or run a 2-minute quick write (“Everything you know about…”) before reading.
• In your notes: write one line about what changed after that schema build.

After the Check — Give One Access Support Today, and Note What You See

You’ve run the check. You have a pattern. Now act on it inside your classroom — one move, not five. You don’t need to solve the whole reading profile. You need this student to get through today’s text with enough access to keep learning.

If the breakdown was at word level (Question 1 — couldn’t read it aloud fluently):

• Pair the student with a strong reader for a read-aloud of the key passage (see Kagan pairs)
• Pre-teach the 3–5 words that carry the text before independent reading
• Offer a leveled or audio version of the same text if available (Newsela, Immersive Reader)
• If this student already has a documented support plan, those accommodations are your starting point — check it before building anything new

If the breakdown was at meaning level (Question 2 — read it fine, couldn’t define key terms):

• Run a 3-minute vocabulary rating before the next text (see the Vocabulary page)
• Use a Frayer Model for the 2–3 terms that matter most
• Give the student a personal word reference card for the unit

If the breakdown was at background level (Question 4 — words and terms fine, but no picture):

• Front-load before the next text — a 4-minute video or a 2-minute quick write (see the Background Knowledge page)

If they passed all four checks but still can’t complete the task — a transfer / task-design gap: At this point, the reading is there; what’s breaking is the jump from reading to doing the task.

• Provide 2–3 sentence frames for the task: “The evidence in the text suggests… because…”
• Model one example out loud before students work independently
• Use Think-Pair-Share before written response so students rehearse before they write

Write one line before you move on. Date, class, the task or text, where it broke down, what support you tried, how they responded. One sentence. If this pattern continues, that log is exactly what your MTSS team needs — specifics beat impressions every time.

Why private matters: reading aloud in front of peers creates shame and anxiety for struggling readers — and anxiety distorts the very performance you're trying to observe, so public oral reading gives you bad diagnostic data on top of the harm. Keep diagnostic listening low-stakes, one-to-one, and brief. Purposeful oral reading routines with rehearsal (like Reader's Theater or paired reading with feedback) are fluency instruction, not diagnosis — and even those should never put an unrehearsed struggling reader on the spot.

Grouping Students for Support

Strategic grouping during class is one of the most practical tools a content teacher has. You do not need a separate intervention block — you need intentional pairs and small groups during the work you are already doing.

Kagan Cooperative Structures

Kagan structures use strategic heterogeneous pairs and small groups to maximize engagement and academic talk. For literacy support, the most useful structures are:

• Rally Robin / Round Robin — each partner takes turns generating responses orally before anything is written; reduces the blank-page barrier
• Timed Pair Share — both partners share a response in a timed structure; ensures every student practices academic language, not just the strongest readers
• Numbered Heads Together — small groups discuss, then a random member is called; builds accountability without cold-calling

Pair students with a gap of roughly one level — not top with bottom, but mid-high with mid-low. This keeps the conversation productive in both directions.

Kagan Structures Overview (opens in a new tab)

Flexible Small-Group Reading

During any task that involves reading — a passage, a problem set with word problems, a lab protocol, a primary source — you can form a brief support group without making it feel like a pull-out:

• Pull two to four students to read the text together with you while others work independently or in pairs
• Use the time to think aloud through one paragraph, model how you work through the vocabulary, then release
• Rotate groups across the week so the same students are not always in the teacher-led group
• This is Tier 1 differentiation — it belongs in every content classroom, not just ELA

Before You Refer: Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Have I diagnosed where the breakdown is? Use the quick reading check above to determine if it is a foundational decoding gap or a disciplinary language gap.
2. Have I explicitly taught and modeled this literacy strategy? Most secondary reading struggles happen because the strategy was assigned, not taught.
3. Have I tried targeted classroom supports? Schema building, vocabulary front-loading, graphic organizers, and structured discussion are Tier 1 supports.
4. Have I reviewed the assessment data? Look at universal screener data (NWEA MAP). What is the student’s Lexile measure (opens in a new tab)? (A Lexile is a guide, not a mandate — see the FAQ.) If you can’t locate the data — or you have a new or transfer student who may never have been screened — reach out to your MTSS coordinator or reading specialist.
5. Is this happening for most students or just a few? If most are struggling, this is a curriculum/instruction signal.
6. Could this be a language proficiency issue? Language acquisition is not a reading disability. Review the student’s data, including past grades, and connect with your ELD/EL department — or a former teacher — about the student’s reading in their first language (L1). Weak L1 reading often predicts a slower path in English (more on this below).

Approaches to Avoid

If you are trying to support a struggling reader, please avoid these outdated or counterproductive practices:

• Popcorn Reading or Round-Robin Reading: Causes severe anxiety, does not improve comprehension, and should not be used in secondary classrooms — and never as a way to "check" who can read. Use choral reading, paired reading with feedback, or audio support instead.
• Three-Cueing Systems: Encouraging students to “guess” what a word means from context without schema or direct decoding support is ineffective.
• Speed Reading / Timed Reading: Using timed reading without a specific diagnostic component only increases frustration.

Tier 1 — Core Classroom Instruction

Who: All students. High-quality disciplinary literacy instruction in every content-area class.

• Explicit vocabulary instruction before and during reading
• Background knowledge building before complex texts
• Text structure and genre instruction specific to your discipline
• Structured discussion protocols with sentence stems
• Writing-to-learn across disciplines
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) options for neurodivergent learners & IEP accommodations
• Language supports for multilingual learners

In the room — students are: reading, writing, and talking about content every day, with scaffolds already built in — annotating a shared text, using sentence stems in partner talk, building key vocabulary before they read.

The teacher is: front-loading vocabulary and background knowledge, modeling the literacy strategy out loud, and checking understanding with quick formative data, then adjusting on the fly. This is the content teacher's own classroom — no specialist needed.

Missouri context: Content/disciplinary literacy = Tier 1 core instruction under the 6–12 RSP guidance.

Tier 2 — Targeted Supplemental Support

Who: Students not responding to strong, consistent Tier 1 after documented effort.

• Small-group targeted reading instruction within Gen Ed
• Cooperative learning structures with individual accountability — partner processing, structured peer explanation, accountable talk
• Supplemental intervention with progress monitoring
• Co-planning with a reading specialist or literacy coach
• Explicit instruction in foundational skills not yet secure
• Additional language development supports for MLLs

In the room — students are: in a small group (often 3–6) getting extra, focused practice on one named skill gap, with more modeling and feedback, while staying in their regular class and content. Progress is checked every week or two.

The teacher is: co-planning with a reading specialist or literacy coach, running the small group during class or a support block, and reteaching the specific skill. This is added on top of Tier 1, not in place of it.

Tier 2 is supplemental — it does not replace Tier 1.

Tier 3 — Intensive Intervention

Who: Students with significant, persistent difficulties requiring support beyond the general classroom.

• Pull-out or push-in support from a trained interventionist — a reading specialist, literacy interventionist, or similarly trained staff member
• May occur during tutorial time or pushed into Gen Ed classes
• Provided regardless of IEP or 504 status
• Individualized, diagnostic-driven with frequent progress monitoring

In the room — students are: in a very small group or one-on-one with a trained reading specialist, working on the exact foundational skill (for example, multisyllabic decoding), with frequent progress monitoring — and still getting strong Tier 1 instruction in their content classes.

The specialist is: delivering diagnostic, individualized instruction (push-in or pull-out) and reviewing data often, while the content teacher keeps Tier 1 going. Smallest group, most intensive, most frequent monitoring.

Note: Tier 3 is a last resort. Robust Tier 1 and 2 supports within the classroom must come first.

Students with significant word-recognition gaps may be working with a trained literacy interventionist through ELA Essentials or another intensive intervention pathway. While that work is ongoing, content teachers play an important role: providing access tools (audio, adapted text, extended time), keeping the student engaged with your content, and sharing specific classroom observations with your MTSS coordinator. That information helps the team make better decisions about next steps.

About intervention programs: Tier 3 often uses a structured literacy program — LANGUAGE! Live, READ 180 and Corrective Reading are widely used examples. A program is a tool, not a teacher: the evidence consistently favors explicit, systematic instruction delivered by trained educators, and software marketed as a replacement for that instruction deserves skepticism — many products lack independent third-party research. Before trusting any program's claims, check it against the What Works Clearinghouse (opens in a new tab).

Missouri exit criterion: a student exits intervention when they sustain grade-level reading through Tier 1 instruction alone — which is exactly why strong Tier 1 disciplinary literacy in every classroom is part of the intervention system, not separate from it (see DESE literacy guidance (opens in a new tab)).

Learning Differences: What Content Teachers Should Know

Three patterns show up in every secondary classroom. You don't diagnose any of them — but recognizing the pattern changes what you try, what you document, and who you loop in.

Dyslexia and Structured Literacy

The short version: dyslexia is common, neurological, and it does not disappear at the high school door — it changes costume. By ninth grade the student who struggled to decode is often the student with strong ideas and thin essays, sharp class discussion and unread chapters, and a full toolkit of avoidance strategies. Structured literacy — explicit, systematic, cumulative instruction in the structure of language — is the evidence-supported response, delivered by trained specialists.

Missouri context, briefly: schools screen for dyslexia risk in the early grades and every teacher gets annual training on it — and state law is explicit that a positive screen is not a diagnosis. For current guidance, see DESE literacy (opens in a new tab).

What a content teacher does: provide access (audio support, adapted entry texts, extended time, oral response options — the statute itself names low-cost supports like these), never require public oral reading, document what you observe in specific terms, and loop in your MTSS coordinator. What a content teacher does not do: diagnose, or wait for a label before providing access.

International Dyslexia Association (opens in a new tab)

Auditory Processing Differences

Some students hear fine but struggle to process spoken language — multi-step directions evaporate, noisy rooms swallow instruction, and "listen and take notes" is a double task they can't split. Diagnosis belongs to audiologists, not checklists. These supports cost nothing: cut background noise during instructions, pair every spoken direction with a visual, chunk multi-step tasks, and check back privately.

Executive Function and Reading

Working memory holds a sentence together; self-monitoring notices when comprehension broke three sentences ago; flexibility shifts between a diagram and the paragraph explaining it. Current reading models treat these as part of reading itself — which is why chunking, purpose questions, graphic organizers, and metacognitive bookmarks (all in the library) help so many students who "can read but don't."

A Note on Accommodations and MLLs

Multilingual Learners: Language acquisition is not a reading disability. MLLs may need scaffolded language supports — visual aids, sentence frames, bilingual glossaries, extended processing time — but these are language development strategies. If an MLL is also struggling with foundational reading in their first language, that involves both ELL and reading specialists.

Universal Design (UDL) & IEPs: Students with IEPs may have specific reading-related goals and accommodations. Implementing those accommodations in your classroom is Tier 1 instruction. If you suspect an unidentified disability affecting reading, the referral goes through your building’s MTSS team, not directly to special education.

Research and Guidance

• Center on MTSS (American Institutes for Research) (opens in a new tab)The national technical-assistance center. Its “Essential Components” page lays out screening, progress monitoring, the multi-level prevention system, and data-based decision making.
• Center on PBIS — MTSS in the Classroom (opens in a new tab)What the tiers actually look like in a single classroom, from universal supports for all students to intensive support for a few.
• IES Practice Guide: Providing Reading Interventions, Grades 4–9 (2022) (opens in a new tab)Four evidence-based recommendations for delivering reading intervention to secondary students — the research base for Tier 2 and Tier 3 reading support. IES What Works Clearinghouse
• Missouri 6–12 Reading Success Plan Guidance (OCCR-25-006, Rev. 2025) (opens in a new tab)Missouri’s framework for reading success planning, screening, intervention, and exit criteria. DESE Literacy
• Colorín Colorado: MLL Strategies (opens in a new tab)Research-based strategies for supporting multilingual learners in content-area reading.
• NWEA MAP Growth Norms (opens in a new tab)Understand how to interpret universal screener data and growth norms for secondary students.
• Lexile Framework for Reading (opens in a new tab)Grade-level ranges and what specific Lexile measures mean for your students.

Documentation Examples for Tier Movement

When documenting student progress, interventions tried, or tier movement, use specific, observable language. Below are examples for each transition point.

Documenting Tier 1 Supports (Before Any Referral)

Record: What strategy was used, how often, for how long, and what the student's response was.

Requesting Movement from Tier 1 to Tier 2

Record: What Tier 1 supports were tried, for how long, with what frequency, what the data shows, and why supplemental support is needed.

Requesting Movement from Tier 2 to Tier 3

Record: What Tier 2 supports were added, progress monitoring data showing insufficient response, and specific concerns.

Documenting Intervention Exit / Return to Tier 1

Record: Evidence that the student can sustain grade-level performance through Tier 1 instruction alone.

Key Documentation Principles

• Be specific: Name the strategy, the frequency, and the duration — not just "I tried different approaches"
• Attach student work: Annotated samples, cloze results, exit slips, and observation notes are evidence
• Include dates: Tier movement decisions depend on documented timelines
• Note what changed: If you modified an approach, document why and what the result was
• Use screener data: Reference NWEA MAP RIT scores, Lexile measures, and classroom diagnostic results
• Avoid deficit language: Describe what the student does, not what they "can't do" — "reads 85 wpm with 12 miscues on grade-level text" is more useful than "poor reader"

• Reading Science in Plain Language
• Data and Assessment Decoded
• Learning Differences
• Roles and Referrals
• The Reading Data, Right Now
• Reading the Data Honestly

Reading Science in Plain Language

What Is the “Science of Reading”?

It’s not a program or a brand. It’s decades of research on how people learn to read. The big findings: reading has to be taught (our brains aren’t born wired for it), good readers need both word-reading skill and language knowledge, and direct teaching beats guessing. The Professional Learning tab has a free 40-page guide that explains the whole thing.

Do Phonics and Decodable Texts Have Anything to Do with High School?

For most of your students, no — their word reading works fine. But a real slice of every high school still struggles to read words, and for them, word-level teaching (usually roots, prefixes, and big multisyllable words) is exactly what works. That teaching happens with specialists, not in your class. Your job: spot the pattern and give the student access to your content while help gets arranged.

If a Student Reads Aloud Smoothly, Can They Still Have a Reading Problem?

Yes. Some students say every word right and understand almost nothing — the gap is vocabulary, background knowledge, or sentence complexity, not word reading. A quick private check catches it: “Tell me what that was about.” Smooth voice, empty retell = a comprehension gap, and the strategy library is full of fixes.

Do Audiobooks and Read-Alouds “Count” as Reading?

They count for what they actually build: vocabulary, knowledge, and understanding of grade-level ideas. They don’t build word-reading skill. So the answer is both: audio keeps a struggling reader learning your content while the word-reading gap gets targeted help. Access isn’t cheating.

Are AI Summaries Helping My Students or Hurting Them?

Depends on the job. As a preview before the real text — helpful. As a replacement for the real text — harmful, because it removes the exact practice students need, and it can hide a reading struggle. A student who needs the summary to function is telling you something. Check real understanding with work you can see: in-class writing, oral explanation, whiteboards.

Data and Assessment Decoded

What Does a Lexile Actually Tell Me — And What Doesn’t It?

A Lexile puts readers and texts on one scale so you can match them and watch growth. That’s all. It doesn’t tell you why a student struggles, and it is not a ceiling — with front-loading and chunking, students can absolutely work above their number. A guide, never a mandate. (For perspective: entry college and career texts run about 1300L, while high school textbooks average about 1100L — see the data section below.)

What Is a RIT Score (NWEA MAP Growth)?

RIT is the score scale for NWEA MAP Growth, which many districts use as a universal screener — a quick check of every student to flag who might need a closer look. That’s its whole job. A flag isn’t a diagnosis; it’s an invitation to follow up with something closer to the classroom: a cloze check, a knowledge rating, the quick reading check, and your own observations. Your classroom evidence completes the picture the screener starts.

What’s the Difference Between a Screener and a Diagnostic?

A screener is the smoke detector: fast, universal, tells you who might need help. A diagnostic finds the fire: it tells you what is breaking down for that student. Screeners without follow-up just make lists. The Strategies tab has classroom diagnostics you can run in ten minutes.

Why Do NAEP, MAP, and Our State Test Say Different Things About the Same Student?

Because they measure different things against different bars. NAEP’s “Proficient” is a deliberately high standard — by NAEP’s own definition, it does not mean “on grade level.” Big tests also describe groups better than individuals. When the numbers disagree about one student, trust the pattern in your classroom evidence.

Learning Differences

What Is Dyslexia, Really?

A brain-based difference that makes reading and spelling words hard — usually rooted in how the brain processes the sounds inside words. It’s not about vision, effort, or intelligence, and it doesn’t disappear at ninth grade; it changes costume. The full section — what it looks like here and what you do — is on the MTSS & Tiers tab under Learning Differences.

How Might Dyslexia Look in a High Schooler — And What Do I Do?

Common signs at the secondary level: strong verbal reasoning paired with slow, effortful reading; avoiding reading aloud; spelling far below how the student talks; taking much longer than peers on the same passage. You do not diagnose — and you do not wait for a diagnosis to act. What you can do today: offer audio through tools we already have (Microsoft Immersive Reader, or Read&Write for Google where available) — no paperwork required; for students with qualifying documentation, your case manager can also set up Learning Ally or Bookshare audiobook access. Provide notes or slides in advance, never require unrehearsed public reading, and implement any documented accommodations that are already in place for the student — check with your case manager if you’re unsure what applies in your classroom. Then write down what you see, in specifics, and bring it to your MTSS coordinator. Full guidance: Learning Differences on the MTSS tab.

What Is Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)?

Normal hearing, but trouble processing spoken language — directions evaporate, noisy rooms swallow instruction. Audiologists diagnose it; teachers support it: less background noise, visuals with every spoken direction, chunked instructions, private check-backs. More on the MTSS tab.

What Does Executive Function Have to Do with Reading?

A lot. Working memory holds a long sentence together; self-monitoring notices when understanding broke three sentences ago. Newer reading models count these as part of reading itself. That’s why chunking, purpose questions, organizers, and metacognitive bookmarks help so many students who “can read but don’t.” More on the MTSS tab.

Roles and Referrals

I Teach Content, Not Reading. Is This Really My Job?

Nobody expects you to teach word reading — that’s specialist work. But you’re the only person in the building who knows how your field reads, writes, and argues, and that can’t be outsourced to ELA. Teaching students to read like a scientist or a historian is core instruction, not extra. Everything on this site is built to fit inside your content, not compete with it.

The Reading Data, Right Now

National Reading Snapshot

• 1 in 3Roughly a third of U.S. eighth graders scored below NAEP Basic in reading in 2024 — the largest share in the assessment’s history.
• −5Average reading scores at grades 4 and 8 were 2 points lower than 2022 and 5 points lower than pre-pandemic 2019; fewer than a third of students at either grade reached NAEP Proficient.
• 28%Share of U.S. adults (16–65) scoring at or below Level 1 in literacy on PIAAC 2023 — up from 19% in 2017. Adolescent literacy is an adult-outcomes issue.

Sources: NAEP 2024 Reading (The Nation’s Report Card) (opens in a new tab) · NCES, 2023 U.S. PIAAC Highlights (opens in a new tab). NAEP reading runs every two years; 2024 is the most recent administration. Retrieved July 2026.

Missouri Literacy Snapshot

• 65%Missouri eighth graders at or above NAEP Basic in reading in 2024 — meaning about one in three scored below Basic.
• 26%At or above NAEP Proficient — statistically unchanged from 2022, aligned with the national average, and still below 2019 levels.
• 44%Missouri students scoring proficient or advanced in English language arts on the 2025 MAP — up slightly, but still below 2019’s 49%. (DESE, Aug 2025 (opens in a new tab))
• 6–12Missouri’s response reaches our grades: Reading Success Plans, required science-of-reading training for teachers of reading, a three-cueing ban — and free structured-literacy training for us through LETRS and Aspire (opens in a new tab) (details on the Professional Learning tab).

Sources: NCES Missouri Grade 8 Reading Snapshot, 2024 (opens in a new tab) · Missouri DESE, Jan 2025 release (opens in a new tab). Retrieved July 2026.

The Texts of Adult Life

• 1300LThe text level people typically meet in their first college courses and careers, per MetaMetrics (the makers of the Lexile Framework). An anatomy & physiology textbook measures right at 1300L; calculus runs 1380L.
• ~1100LWhere typical high school textbooks sit — roughly 200 Lexile points below what’s waiting after graduation. That gap is the strongest everyday argument for keeping students in complex text with support instead of around it.
• Your CountyThe NCES Skills Map estimates adult literacy for every U.S. county — including ours. Worth two minutes: look up Platte County (opens in a new tab).

Sources: MetaMetrics, Lexile Grade Level Charts (opens in a new tab) · MetaMetrics, Student Readiness for Postsecondary Options (PDF) (opens in a new tab) · NCES PIAAC Skills Map (opens in a new tab). Retrieved July 2026.

Reading the Data Honestly

• “NAEP Proficient” is not “on grade level.” NAEP itself says its Proficient bar represents mastery of challenging material, not grade-level performance as state tests define it — and DESE makes the same point about MAP. Headlines that treat them as identical overstate the crisis in one breath and misplace it in the next. Below Basic is the number to watch, and it’s the one at a record high.
• A screener flag is not a diagnosis. MAP Growth and similar tools are smoke detectors: they tell you who to look at, never what’s wrong. Missouri law says this explicitly for dyslexia screening. Every flag deserves a follow-up — a classroom diagnostic, a private quick reading check, your own observation notes. Your evidence is data too, and for the student in your third period it’s the best data there is.
• Group data describes groups. NAEP samples a few thousand students per state to describe the system — it cannot tell you about an individual. When a big number and your classroom evidence disagree about one student, the classroom evidence wins.
• Screens are a real variable — and an unsettled one. In PISA 2022, reading scores fell a record 10 points across participating countries, 65% of students reported being distracted by devices during at least some lessons, and frequent distraction tracked with scores about three-quarters of a school year lower. That’s correlation, not a verdict — but it’s why Missouri’s Student Screen-Time Standards Act (HB 2230) passed the House 143–10 in March 2026 before stalling in the Senate; expect it back in January. Whatever the legislature does, the classroom takeaway holds: technology should scaffold reading, not replace it — and print still matters. (OECD, PISA 2022 (opens in a new tab))

• Listen: Sold a Story (40 Min)
• Read: The Free Defining Guide
• Understand: Science of Reading
• Learn: Reading 101 Course
• Understand: Disciplinary Literacy
• Train: LETRS and Aspire (Free in MO)
• Research and External Resources
• AI Scaffold Builder

Got 40 Minutes?

Start by Listening: Sold a Story

Emily Hanford’s APM Reports investigation into how a disproven idea about reading instruction spread through American schools — and what the research actually says. It reframed the national conversation about reading, and it’s essential context for the shift toward structured literacy. Episode one runs about 40 minutes, and it works in the car.

Prefer a browser, transcripts, or discussion guides? Listen at APM Reports (opens in a new tab)

Want One Thing to Share with Your Team?

The Free Book: Science of Reading: Defining Guide

The Reading League’s 40-page, open-access eBook is the field’s own plain-language definition — what the science of reading is, what it is not, and what aligned instruction looks like. It’s free, shareable, and the single best thing to hand a colleague, a PLC, or an administrator who wants the real thing without the jargon. Also available in Spanish and French.

Get the Free eBook (opens in a new tab)Direct PDF (opens in a new tab)

Got an Hour?

What Is the Science of Reading?

What it is: the interdisciplinary body of research — cognitive science, linguistics, neuroscience, education — on how people learn to read, why some struggle, and what instruction works. Its throughline: reading is not natural and must be taught; skilled reading requires both word recognition and language comprehension (the Simple View, elaborated in Scarborough’s Reading Rope); and explicit, systematic instruction outperforms approaches built on guessing words from context or pictures. Newer models like the Active View of Reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021) add what secondary teachers see daily: executive function, strategy use, and motivation are part of reading, not extras.

What it is not: a program, a curriculum, a phonics-only position, or a K–3 issue. “Aligned to the science of reading” on a product label is a marketing claim until the evidence says otherwise.

What it means in grades 6–12: check whether decoding is actually intact before assuming a comprehension problem; when it is, build vocabulary, background knowledge, and text structure deliberately. And this is where disciplinary literacy enters: foundational reading skill and reading like a scientist or historian are different jobs. The science of reading tells us how the machine works; disciplinary literacy is what the machine is for. Missouri’s Reading Instruction Act reflects the same evidence base — including prohibiting three-cueing as the primary method for teaching word reading.

National Reading Panel (2000) (opens in a new tab)Shanahan: Practical Advice for Teachers (PDF) (opens in a new tab)The Reading League (opens in a new tab)

Want the Foundations, Free?

Reading 101: A Self-Paced Course from Reading Rockets

Nine free, self-paced modules on the building blocks of reading — phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and assessment — with classroom video and a downloadable letter of completion. It’s designed for K–3 teachers, which is exactly why it’s useful here: it’s the clearest picture of the foundational skills our striving readers are still building, from the people who make the strategy library this site leans on.

Start Reading 101 (opens in a new tab)

Want the “Why” Behind the Subjects Tab?

Understand Disciplinary Literacy

Timothy Shanahan — whose research anchors this site’s approach — explains the distinction that changes everything: content-area reading gives every class the same generic strategies; disciplinary literacy teaches students to read the way experts in your field actually read. Ten minutes with either piece below and the Subjects tab will make a different kind of sense.

What Is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does It Matter (opens in a new tab)Disciplinary Literacy: The Basics (opens in a new tab)

Going Deeper

Structured Literacy Training for Missouri Educators

• Aspire Professional Learning (Grades 6–9) — Free for Missouri Educators (opens in a new tab)Through Missouri’s Read, Lead, Exceed initiative, grade 6–9 educators can complete Lexia Aspire — science-of-reading training built for secondary teachers — at no cost to you or the district. IDA-accredited, self-paced modules, first-come registration, with a graduate-credit option through the American College of Education. Questions: your RPDC or literacy@dese.mo.gov. Missouri Aspire registration & details
• LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) (opens in a new tab)Missouri’s flagship science-of-reading training for PreK–5 educators and administrators, offered through DESE and regional RPDCs — including the Kansas City RPDC. Secondary educators: Aspire above is the 6–9 pathway. Lexia LETRS & Aspire for Missouri
• Missouri DESE Literacy Initiatives (opens in a new tab)State-level literacy initiatives, LETRS cohorts, structured literacy training, and regional professional development. DESE Literacy Initiatives

Research and External Resources

Vetted, stable links to the research and tools that ground this hub.

Disciplinary Literacy Leaders

• ILA: Adolescent Literacy (opens in a new tab)The International Literacy Association’s topic hub for grades 6–12, with open-access research articles including “The Science of Adolescent Literacy.” ILA adolescent literacy
• Shanahan on Literacy (opens in a new tab)Timothy Shanahan’s research blog on disciplinary literacy and evidence-based reading instruction.
• Keys to Literacy (Joan Sedita) (opens in a new tab)Resources, templates, and research on adolescent and disciplinary literacy routines, including the Writing Rope.
• The Reading League — Adolescent Literacy (opens in a new tab)Resources grounding secondary literacy practices in the Science of Reading.
• The Disciplinary Literacy Tree (EEF) (opens in a new tab)The Education Endowment Foundation’s visual model of how general literacy roots branch into subject-specific reading, writing, and communication. EEF: The Disciplinary Literacy Tree

Strategy Libraries

• Achieve the Core (Student Achievement Partners) (opens in a new tab)Free, open lessons and tools for ELA and content-area literacy. Two standouts: ready-made text sets for building background knowledge, and the Academic Word Finder — paste any text and it identifies the Tier 2 vocabulary worth teaching.
• Reading Rockets Literacy Glossary (opens in a new tab)Plain-language definitions of the terms that fly around literacy meetings — from “morpheme” to the difference between content-area and disciplinary literacy. Bookmark it for the next data day. Reading Rockets glossary
• Reading Rockets — Classroom Strategy Library (opens in a new tab)Procedures, differentiation notes, and downloadable templates.
• AdLit — Adolescent Literacy Strategies (opens in a new tab)Before/during/after reading strategies for middle and high school.
• WeTeachNYC (opens in a new tab)Vetted instructional resources and disciplinary literacy tools developed by NYC educators. The library is free to search; some items require an NYCDOE login.
• Cooperative Learning Structures (Kagan) (opens in a new tab)One widely used source of cooperative learning structures. The structures matter more than the brand: accountable talk, partner processing, and structured peer explanation help students rehearse academic language before independent work.
• Oregon Instructional Frameworks (opens in a new tab)Discipline-specific literacy cards and slide decks by subject area.
• Colorín Colorado — MLL Strategy Library (opens in a new tab)Research-based strategies for supporting multilingual learners.

Classroom Technology Tools

• Newsela (opens in a new tab)Adjustable-complexity nonfiction text sets across all content areas.
• Discovery Education (opens in a new tab)Video and interactive resource library for schema building.
• Edpuzzle (opens in a new tab)Embed comprehension questions directly into video content.
• Parlay (opens in a new tab)Structured academic discussion platform with participation tracking.
• Perusall (opens in a new tab)Collaborative annotation platform for social reading.
• Canva (Students & Staff) (opens in a new tab)Design platform for infographics, visual summaries, and vocabulary displays.
• Padlet (opens in a new tab)Collaborative boards for word walls, brainstorming, and discussion capture.
• Infobase / CVOD (opens in a new tab)Classroom Videos on Demand for front-loading background knowledge.

Assessment and Screener Data

• NWEA MAP Growth Norms (opens in a new tab)Interpret universal screener data and growth norms for secondary students.
• Lexile Framework for Reading (opens in a new tab)Grade-level ranges and what Lexile measures mean for your students.
• Lexile & Quantile Hub (opens in a new tab)Lexile measures and reading-demand tools for college and careers. Useful for CTE.

Foundational Literacy and Access

Some secondary students — including students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students with interrupted formal education — need explicit instruction in foundational skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and oral language. These resources ground that work.

• IES Practice Guide: Reading Interventions, Grades 4–9 (2022) (opens in a new tab)The most current federal evidence base for secondary reading intervention. IES What Works Clearinghouse
• CAST UDL Guidelines 3.0 (opens in a new tab)Universal Design for Learning — designing accessible instruction for all learners.

Evidence and Evaluation

• What Works Clearinghouse (IES) (opens in a new tab)The federal database of independently reviewed education research. Before trusting any program’s marketing — especially software sold as a replacement for trained instruction — check whether the evidence actually exists here. WWC literacy resources
• Keys to Literacy Free Resources (Joan Sedita) (opens in a new tab)Templates, webinars, and instructional routines for comprehension, vocabulary, and writing across the content areas. Templates require a free account.
• IRIS Center (Vanderbilt) (opens in a new tab)Free, self-paced modules on evidence-based practices for students with learning differences — accommodations, intensive intervention, UDL, and more.

Missouri Policy and Practice

• Missouri DESE Literacy Initiatives & Reading Success Plans (opens in a new tab)The state’s literacy hub: Reading Success Plan guidance, LETRS cohorts, structured literacy training, and the initiatives behind Missouri’s science-of-reading legislation. DESE Literacy
• Missouri Dyslexia Screening Law (§167.950 RSMo) (opens in a new tab)The statute behind Missouri’s dyslexia screening and support requirements — including the definition of dyslexia and the explicit line that a positive screen is not a medical diagnosis. Read the statute
• DESE: Serving Students At-Risk for Dyslexia (LEA Guidance) (opens in a new tab)Missouri’s guidance for schools on screening, classroom support, and serving students flagged as at risk. LEA guidance (PDF)
• ELA Certification and Reading Specialist Certification Are Different CredentialsMissouri certifies Special Reading K–12 as its own credential, separate from ELA. ELA teachers are experts in literature, composition, and language study; reading specialists are trained in reading assessment, diagnosis, and intervention. The roles complement each other — knowing the difference helps teams route students to the right support faster.

Foundational Research and Media

• Sold a Story (APM Reports) (opens in a new tab)Essential listening for understanding the history of reading instruction and the shift toward the Science of Reading.
• KU Center for Research on Learning — LINCS (opens in a new tab)Research-validated mnemonic vocabulary strategy. KU SIM

AI Scaffold Builder

Enter your discipline and topic to generate a ready-to-use vocabulary front-loading prompt or a structured reading scaffold. Copy it into ChatGPT Edu or Brisk Teaching to build your scaffold securely.

1. Discipline

• Science
• History / Social Studies
• ELA
• Mathematics
• CTE / Electives

2. Strategy to Generate

• Anticipation Guide Statements
• Frayer Model Target Vocabulary
• Chunking Purpose Questions
• Discussion Sentence Stems
• RAFT Writing Prompt

3. Lesson Topic or Standard

e.g., Photosynthesis, Causes of WWI, Linear Equations...

Copy and Paste This Prompt into ChatGPT Edu or Brisk

• Brisk Teaching (opens in a new tab)A browser extension that works inside the Google tools we already use. Strong for leveling a text while keeping the ideas intact, generating text-dependent questions, and building quick scaffolds from a doc or website you already have open. Paste a prompt from the builder above, or start from your own material.
• Chalkie (opens in a new tab)An AI lesson-materials tool built for teachers: enter a topic, grade, and standards and it drafts editable slides, vocabulary, and differentiated activity sheets that export to Google Slides or PowerPoint. Useful for a fast first draft of a scaffold — review everything for accuracy before it reaches students.

Using AI Ethically: Scaffolding, Not Substitution

AI is for planning and scaffolding — it does not replace real assessment or student thinking. Two honest cautions:

• Students can offload thinking onto AI. Work produced outside secure or authentic conditions may not reflect real learning. Confirm understanding through observable, accountable work — in-class writing, oral explanation, whiteboard reasoning, one-to-one conversation — whenever the stakes matter.
• AI output needs a teacher’s eyes. Check generated content for accuracy and grade-level fidelity before it reaches students; the prompt builder above ends every prompt by asking the AI to flag what you should double-check.

References (APA)

Works cited across this site. Institutional practice guides are cited by publisher; full author lists appear on the linked pages. Data figures were retrieved July 2026.

• Allen, J. (2004). Tools for teaching content literacy. Stenhouse.
• Allen, J. (2008). More tools for teaching content literacy. Stenhouse.
• Duke, N. K., & Cartwright, K. B. (2021). The science of reading progresses: Communicating advances beyond the simple view of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(S1), S25–S44.
• Education Endowment Foundation. (n.d.). The disciplinary literacy tree. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/the-disciplinary-literacy-tree
• Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2012). Improving mathematical problem solving in grades 4 through 8. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguide/16
• Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2016). Teaching secondary students to write effectively. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguide/22
• Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2022). Providing reading interventions for students in grades 4–9. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguide/29
• MetaMetrics. (n.d.). Student readiness for postsecondary options [White paper]. https://metametricsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/StudentReadinessforPostsecondaryOptionsv4_1_MetaMetricsWhitepaper.pdf
• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2025, January). Missouri scores remain steady on nation’s report card. https://dese.mo.gov/missouri-scores-remain-steady-nations-report-card
• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2025, August). Missouri continues improvement in MAP scores. https://dese.mo.gov/communications/missouri-continues-improvement-map-scores
• Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.950. https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=167.950
• National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). U.S. PIAAC Skills Map: State and county indicators of adult literacy and numeracy. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/
• National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Highlights of the 2023 U.S. PIAAC results. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/2023/national_results.asp
• National Center for Education Statistics. (2025). NAEP reading: 2024 results, grades 4 and 8. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/reading/2024/g4_8/
• National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/smallbook
• OECD. (2023). PISA 2022 results (Volume I): The state of learning and equity in education. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i_53f23881-en.html
• OECD. (2024). Managing screen time: How to protect and equip students against distraction (PISA in Focus No. 124). https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/05/managing-screen-time_023f2390/7c225af4-en.pdf
• Sedita, J. (n.d.). Disciplinary literacy. Keys to Literacy. https://keystoliteracy.com/blog/disciplinary-literacy-2/
• Shanahan, T. (2005). The National Reading Panel report: Practical advice for teachers. Learning Point Associates. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED489535.pdf
• The Reading League. (2022). Science of reading: Defining guide. https://www.thereadingleague.org/what-is-the-science-of-reading/defining-guide-ebook/