Evidenced-Based Practices for Literacy Intervention in Middle School

These practical strategies for building up struggling middle school readers’ literacy skills can help them read more fluently.

By Sarah Yost

May 30, 2024

Edutopia

Educators striving to bolster struggling middle school readers' literacy skills can glean valuable insights from Sarah Yost's article, "Evidence-Based Practices for Literacy Intervention in Middle School," published on May 30, 2024. Yost, drawing from her extensive experience as a middle school English language arts teacher and instructional leader, outlines practical strategies to enhance reading fluency among adolescents.

Yost delves into the challenge of addressing literacy deficits in middle schoolers who have not acquired foundational reading skills, posing critical questions about the efficacy of traditional instructional methods. She highlights the transformative impact of recent shifts in primary literacy instruction, catalyzed by investigative journalism and legislative initiatives, towards evidence-based practices grounded in neuroscience.

The article delineates three key recommendations from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) for middle-grades educators:

1. **Decoding Multisyllabic Words**: Yost underscores the imperative for adolescents struggling with decoding to rapidly acquire proficiency in tackling multisyllabic words. She advocates for personalized assessment of students' phonetic knowledge, leveraging existing competencies to scaffold further learning. Employing systematic word attack strategies, such as syllable segmentation and morpheme analysis, equips students with tools to decode complex texts effectively.

2. **Reading Fluency**: Yost elucidates the multifaceted nature of fluency encompassing rate, accuracy, and prosody. Middle school teachers are encouraged to cultivate fluency through repeated readings of grade-level texts, employing purposeful engagement strategies to deepen comprehension. Preparatory word attack exercises and collaborative reading routines facilitate incremental progress towards fluency mastery.

3. **Comprehension Strategies and Knowledge Building**: The article underscores the symbiotic relationship between comprehension and background knowledge, advocating for thematic immersion to scaffold understanding. By focusing on in-depth exploration of singular topics, educators can foster domain-specific vocabulary acquisition and critical discourse skills. Collaboration across disciplines enriches students' comprehension abilities and cultivates a holistic approach to literacy development.

Yost's article offers a beacon of hope for educators grappling with adolescent literacy challenges, emphasizing the potency of evidence-based interventions to empower students on their journey towards proficiency. By embracing these age-appropriate strategies, teachers can nurture independence and resilience in their students, equipping them for success in high school and beyond.

[Read the full article here.](https://www.edutopia.org/article/evidence-based-practices-literacy-...)

Original Article

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com