Helping Teachers to Build Stronger and Fairer Literacy Instruction

Purpose:

For a long time, I thought literacy support for students in the middle years (years 6- 9) was about helping struggling readers catch up to their peers. The more I have studied and taught, the more I see that this idea is far too narrow. Literacy in Grades 6 to 9 is not a side task, and it is not just the responsibility of English teachers. Students are asked to read, write, discuss, question, and interpret in every subject, every day. If we want them to succeed, literacy instruction is essential and has to be taught intentionally, explicitly, and responsively to all learners.

What this Hub is for:

This little corner of my blog has been designed to be a practical hub for classroom teachers, especially those of us working with diverse learners in the messy, wonderful middle years. My goal is to bring together what research says, what good instruction can look like, and what actually feels doable on a Tuesday afternoon when half the class forgot pencils, and someone is asking if the task can be “way shorter.” This includes building background knowledge, teaching vocabulary directly, modelling comprehension strategies, and using writing as a tool for learning. Writing does not just follow reading; it can deepen it. When students summarize, respond, explain, and argue in writing, they strengthen comprehension and hold onto new learning more effectively (Graham, 2020; Graham & Hebert, 2011). 

How to use it:

This Hub section of my blog will have a drop-down bar listing a selection of topics for your perusal. The sidebar of this page should also include quick access to my links under “blog categories” on the right-hand side of your screen (if you are on a desktop), allowing you to easily access all reported topics under the category of “Literacy Hub”.

What I want YOU to leave with:

After perusing this hub, I hope you leave with a developed understanding of how literacy develops amongst middle-aged and older learners, and some knowledge of practical strategies that align with evidence to better support student motivation, comprehension, written expression and vocabulary. More importantly, I hope you leave with some ideas for responsive approaches that will support not just your ‘average joe’ student but also your multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and students who the school system has underserved.

References and Professional Resources used to create this hub:

Archer, A. L. (2011). Explicit instruction in reading fluency [Video]. YouTube.

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Boscolo, P., & Gelati, C. (2019). Motivating writers. In S. Graham, C. A. MacArthur, & M. Hebert (Eds.), Best practices in writing instruction (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Breiseth, L. (2021). Background knowledge and ELLs: What teachers need to know. Colorín Colorado.

Breiseth, L. (n.d.). The role of background knowledge. Colorín Colorado.

Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5–51.

Coyne, M. D., & Loftus-Rattan, S. M. (2022). Structured literacy interventions for vocabulary. Guilford Press.

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.

Ehri, L. C. (2022). What teachers need to know and do to teach letter-sounds, phonemic awareness, word reading, and phonics. The Reading Teacher, 75(5), 613–623.

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2015). Text-dependent questions, grades K–5: Pathways to close and critical reading. Corwin.

Flanigan, K., Hayes, L., Templeton, S., Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., & Johnston, F. (2022). The “P” word revisited: Principles for tackling misconceptions about phonics instruction. The Reading Teacher, 75(3), 341–352.

Gottlieb, M., & Ernst-Slavit, G. (Eds.). (2014). Academic language in diverse classrooms: Promoting content and language learning. Corwin.

Graham, S. (2020). The sciences of reading and writing must become more fully integrated. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S35–S44.

Graham, S., & Hebert, M. (2011). Writing to read: A meta-analysis of the impact of writing and writing instruction on reading. Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Goldenberg, C. (2023). The bilingual brain and reading research: Questions about teaching English learners to read in English. Colorín Colorado.

Hasbrouck, J., & Glaser, D. (2018). Reading fluently does not mean reading fast [Literacy leadership brief]. International Literacy Association.

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. Routledge.

International Literacy Association. (2018). Reading fluently does not mean reading fast.

Kang, E. Y., McKenna, M. C., Arden, S. V., & Ciullo, S. (2016). Integrated reading and writing interventions for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 31(3), 141–152.

Lane, H. (2023). Multisensory instruction: What is it and should I bother? Collaborative Classroom.

Mesmer, H. A. (2023). Ep. 132: The research on decodable text [Podcast episode]. Melissa and Lori Love Literacy Podcast.

Miles, J., Ehri, L. C., & DeFord, D. (2018). Applying reading science to classroom practice: A review of evidence-based methods. Reading Research Quarterly, 53(4), 489–507.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read. U.S. Government Printing Office.

Palincsar, A. S., & Brown, A. L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117–175.

Pressley, M. (2006). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Rasinski, T. V. (2021). The fluent reader: Oral reading strategies for building word recognition, fluency, and comprehension (2nd ed.). Scholastic.

Sedita, J. (2022). The writing rope: A framework for explicit writing instruction in all subjects. Brookes.

Shanahan, T. (2020). What constitutes a science of reading instruction? Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S235–S247.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Wexler, N. (2020). The knowledge gap: The hidden cause of America’s broken education system, and how to fix it. Avery.

Yopp, H. K. (1992). Developing phonemic awareness in young children. The Reading Teacher, 45(9), 696–703.