Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers

Recharge Adolescent Literacy: Strategies to Foster Joyful and Proficient Readers

There are many adolescent readers who, for a variety of reasons, find it difficult to connect with written words and have fallen behind on their foundational reading skills. Thankfully, it’s never too late to give these necessary skills a boost and help students find joy in reading and learning. Armed with equity, empathy, evidence-based research, and practical application, Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers provides classroom practices teachers can use with the whole class or with small groups to integrate reading support seamlessly with grade-level content learning.

Bestselling authors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, along with Sarah Ortega, Kierstan Barbee, and Aida Allen-Rotell, creatively organize the book around a metaphor: adolescent literacy is a battery—when all the parts are connected, working together, and fully charged—literacy can thrive. Throughout the book, the following features will guide your learning:

• Plug Into the Research – an overview of the evidence-based research supporting each section of the literacy model
• Power Up Classroom Practice – connecting the dots on the research, classroom practice and human aspects of learning
• Voices from the Field – classroom examples of application and strategies from other secondary educators
• Take Charge – key takeaways and reflection questions
• Tips on building and organizing your classroom library to incorporate tools, technology, and media available to maximize lesson effectiveness
• Dozens of videos to model time-efficient strategies and key concepts

By focusing on research, classroom practices, and the human aspects of learning, this book is an essential tool to recharge reading practices for adolescent readers and help educators increase foundational reading skills in the classroom.

Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator.  He is a credentialed teacher and leader in California.  In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as Welcome to Teaching, PLC+, Teaching Students to Drive their Learning, and Student Assessment: Better Evidence, Better Decisions, Better Learning. Nancy Frey is professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Nancy was a teacher, academic coach, and central office resource coordinator in Florida.  She is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California.  She is a member of the International Literacy Association’s Literacy Research Panel. She has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as The Artificial Intelligences Playbook, How Scaffolding Works, How Teams Work, and The Vocabulary Playbook. Sarah Ortega is a coordinator for instruction and supports for English Language learners at Health Sciences High & Middle College and served as a classroom educator for 19 years. She was recognized as the 2023 Chula Vista Elementary School District Teacher of the Year and her teaching videos have been featured in professional development training and educator magazines. She is also a professional learning consultant and works with schools and districts to design and implement learning solutions that support the emotional, behavioral, and instructional needs of students.   Kierstan Barbee, EdD, is a full-time consultant with Corwin. She most recently served as a project manager of assessment for learning in Dallas Independent School District, which involved creating system-wide professional learning programming for central staff and campuses that promoted the spread of research-based practices. Through an emphasis on relationship-building and human-centered design principles, Kierstan has coached PreK-12 principals, teachers, and district leaders on pedagogical practices that promote equity and student agency. She also previously served as a secondary English Language Arts teacher, academic coach, and professional development supervisor. She holds teaching credentials in Texas and earned her master’s degree from Harvard University and her doctoral degree in educational leadership and literacy from University of Houston. Aida Allen-Rotell, MA, is currently a full-time professional learning consultant for Corwin and a teaching clinician. She was previously a bilingual teacher in an elementary school, where she taught grades K-6 for 15 years, as well as a high school special educator, academic coach, coordinator of services for multilingual learners, and administrator. She holds teaching and administrative services credentials in California and earned her master’s degree in education from San Diego State University. She led efforts to improve student learning, which resulted in her school earning academic distinction for impacting the lives of students living in poverty, becoming a Visible Learning+ Gold Certified school, and improving academic language for multilingual learners. She also served as an advisor to many high school clubs, was the student government advisor, and led students to championships for 10 years in Health Occupations Students Association (HOSA) competitions. She is dedicated to developing teacher and leadership mindsets for diverse learning populations. Aida is the co-author of PLC+: A Playbook for Instructional Leaders.