Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers
Nancy Frey, PhD
March 17, 2026
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PPT @ www.fisherandfrey.com
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Everything | Comprehension skills |
Reading i be stuttering when i read i be nervous | My weakness in English is reading |
Don’t finish reading on time | Reading comprehension and writing |
I struggle to understand things and I struggle with pronouncing words and spelling | This is my worse subject. Im not good in this class�I get anxiety when I have to read out loud |
Remembering what I read right after I read it or when im reading im not actually reading something is going thru my head | Reading aloud �Reading out loud/spelling |
Preston, 2023
Adolescents are very
skilled at
hiding in plain sight.
Struggle is situational. It is not identity. .
CAUTION
To change the trajectory of reading skills, efforts must be focused on
eyes on text.
But lots of non-directed independent silent reading isn’t going to accomplish this.
Independent silent reading during school time has mixed research support. A meta-analysis of 47 studies in K-10 shows modest effects for reading motivation and word recognition, but no effect for comprehension.
Erbeli, F., & Rice, M. (2021). Examining the effects of silent independent reading on reading outcomes: A narrative synthesis review from 2000 to 2020. Reading & Writing Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.1944830
A Model for Adolescent Reading
“Eyes on Text”
p. 7
Download our systematic review at https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/11/1442
Frey, N., Fisher, D., Barbee, K., & Ortega S. (2025). A model for adolescent reading instruction: Systematic review. Education Sciences, 15, 1442.
We are learning to strengthen adolescent readers.
We will know we are successful when we can
1
The Foundation of Reading: Self-Efficacy
Success feeds motivation
The Success-Failure Ratio
The Remembered Success Effect
From Research to Practice (Finn et al., 2025)
2
Background Knowledge
Verbal Reasoning
Sentence Analysis
Word Knowledge
Word Recognition
Self-Efficacy
Background Knowledge
The intricate cascade of neurotransmission commences with the depolarization of presynaptic membranes, culminating in the exocytotic release of neurotransmitter-laden vesicles into the synaptic cleft, where they engage with their cognate receptors on the postsynaptic membrane, thus catalyzing receptor-mediated ionic fluxes that underpin the generation of excitatory or inhibitory postsynaptic potentials. (OpenAI, 2024)
The Knowledge Threshold Hypothesis
pp. 34-35
Quad Text Selection
Multimodal texts to build knowledge visually
Easier informational texts to build knowledge
A hook text to build interest and activate motivation
A challenging target text to apply their growing content knowledge
Lupo et al., 2020
Quad Text Selection in 8th ELA
Lupo et al., 2020
p. 51
Self-Questioning
Planning for Learning Before Reading | Monitoring Learning During Reading | Reflecting on Learning After Reading |
What information on this topic do I already know? | What is the most confusing thing about this information? Where am I getting stuck? | What decisions did I make to get unstuck in my learning? |
Self-Questioning
3
Fluency is a key aspect of word recognition. And it sure doesn’t get enough love in secondary.
Say no to popcorn reading.
Key drawbacks of round robin reading:
Fluency Routines
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
Teacher models the text selection. (2 min.)
Students read the same section of the text in a whisper voice as the teacher walks around to listen (3 min.)
Students engage in a Partner-Share “What is this text mainly about?” (3 min.)
Students are chosen at random (after the partner-share opportunity) to summarize the main point of the text. (2 minutes) | Teacher uses the choral reading strategy on a selection of the text. (2 min.)
Students read the same section of the text in a whisper voice as the teacher walks around to listen (3 min.)
Teacher poses a text-dependent question, and partners discuss. (3 min.)
Students are chosen at random (after the partner-share opportunity) to respond to the question. (2 minutes) | Teacher uses the choral reading strategy on a selection of the text. (2 min.)
Students read the same section of the text in a whisper voice as the teacher walks around to listen (3 min.)
Teacher asks a question that requires inferential thinking. Partners discuss. (3 min.)
Students are chosen at random (after the partner-share opportunity) to respond to the question. (2 minutes) | Partner A reads to Partner B. Partner B gives feedback based on accuracy of words and expression (3 min.)
Partner B reads to Partner A. Partner A gives feedback based on accuracy of words and expression (3 min.)
Writing - Response to text-dependent questions. (4 min) | Students read the same section of the text in a whisper voice as the teacher walks around to listen (3 min.)
Students develop questions based on the text. (2 min.)
Writing - Students choose one of the questions that were developed and independently craft a written response (5 min.) |
10-minute daily fluency routine
p. 76
4
Why Word Knowledge Matters
These 14 roots comprise 100,000 words
p. 85
Teaching Morphological Awareness
Something you can do next week:
Teacher-directed explicit instruction of words and morphology in student-friendly descriptions, explanations, and examples
Multiple exposures to vocabulary in rich content-based contexts, including students constructing images and deepening knowledge of words and related words through writing
Active student engagement in using, listening for, writing, paraphrasing, redefining, and discussing new words
Ogle et al., 2015; Elleman et al., 2009
Comprehensive Vocabulary System for Adolescents
5
Why Sentence Analysis?
Supports readers: Sentence-level interventions are particularly effective for students with uneven reading profiles (Lovett et al., 2022).
Bridges the gap between word recognition and text comprehension: Sentence analysis connects smaller units of meaning (words) to larger ideas in texts .
She told him that she loved him.
She only told him that she loved him.
She told only him that she loved him.
She told him only that she loved him.
She told him that only she loved him.
She told him that she only loved him.
She told him that she loved only him.
Juicy Sentences
Fillmore and Fillmore (n.d.)
Pgs. 107-109
Wong-Fillmore, 2016
Let’s Try A Juicy Sentence
Under the microscope, a cell looks a lot like a fried egg: It has a white (the cytoplasm) that’s full of water and proteins to keep it fed, and a yolk (the nucleus) that holds all the genetic information that makes you you.
Under the microscope, a cell looks a lot like a fried egg: It has a white (the cytoplasm) that’s full of water and proteins to keep it fed, and a yolk (the nucleus) that holds all the genetic information that makes you you.
Under the microscope | What is under a microscope? |
a cell looks a lot like a fried egg | How does it look like a fried egg? |
It has a white (the cytoplasm) that’s full of water and proteins to keep it fed | What does it feed on? What is the “it” referring to? |
and a yolk (the nucleus) that holds all the genetic information that makes you you. | What is genetic information? |
6
10 ways we use Verbal Reasoning
Walton et al, 2008
25,000 students tracked from K-8. At the end of 8th grade…
Generative Learning Activities are opportunities for students to use verbal reasoning skills.
p. 131
Taking It Back and Moving Forward
Effective curriculum and instruction emphasizes purposeful and intentional eyes on text.
What can you:
Power Up Your Practice
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