Secondary Literacy: Middle_HS
Secondary Literacy (Middle and High School)
The Arizona Department of Education is focused on the importance of teaching children to read. It is important to continue this focus in the secondary classroom, including middle school and high school. In short, literacy instruction remains every bit as important in the older grades as it is in grades K-3. The resources provided here are meant to assist secondary (6th-12th) ELA educators and parents in providing the best instruction for all Arizona students. (Lauren Spenceley, Secondary English Language Arts Specialist)
Expand the blue bars below to find resources, professional learning, guidance documents, and more!
The Arizona English Language Arts Standards define the knowledge, understanding, and skills that need to be effectively taught and learned for all students to be ready to succeed in credit-bearing, college-entry courses, in the workplace, and/or in military service. The standards present a vision of what it means to be a literate person in the twenty-first century.
Grade-specific K-12 standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, and Language translate the broad aims of The Arizona English Language Arts Anchor Standards into age- and attainment-appropriate terms. These standards allow for an integrated approach to literacy to help guide instruction.
You can access the Grade 6-12 ELA Standards, as well as the Vertical Articulation of Standards, Glossary, and other guidance materials on the Standards: English Language Arts webpage.
FAQ about approved novel/text lists and the standards
Coming soon!
ADE Adolescent Literacy Guidance Document - sign up to be notified of its release!
Adolescent Literacy Hub - Check out a wealth of resources, and subscribe to updates!
This resource section is under construction, but a great place to start is:
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guides - The Institute of Education Sciences has provided a set of recommendations for evidence-based best practices to address challenges in classrooms and schools that serve the secondary grades.
- Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices - Released August 2008
- Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 - Released March 2022
- I offered a book study on this guide in March-May 2024 - Visit the Padlet for a wealth of related resources!
Great new resource from The Reading League - The Reading League Compass - Adolescent Literacy
Another great related book: Literacy Intervention in the Middle Grades: Word Learning, Comprehension, and Strategy Instruction, Grades 4-8 by Kevin Flanigan and Latisha Hayes
What is Disciplinary Literacy?
Disciplinary literacy refers to the specifics of reading, writing, and communicating in a discipline.
- Disciplinary Literacy - Skill specialized to history, science, literature, math, and other subject areas.
- Intermediate Literacy - Generic comprehension strategies, common word meanings, and basic fluency.
- Basic Literacy - Decoding and knowledge of high-frequency words.
Related graphics and resources can be found on the Disciplinary Literacy Padlet
Reading Apprenticeship in Arizona
Reading Apprenticeship from WestEd - Disciplinary Literacy in grades 6-12 and beyond
Reading Apprenticeship is an evidence-based professional learning experience focused on disciplinary literacy in grades 6-12. Educators are engaged in a process to discover the tools and perspectives to “apprentice” their students in any subject area. This asset-based approach helps teachers develop students’ comprehension skills while also building subject-area knowledge, reader identity, collaboration, and persistence.
- We currently do not have any free opportunities for taking part in Reading Apprenticeship, but please view the materials to learn more and reach out if you would like more information. Keep an eye out for future opportunities!
Resources:
- Information on Reading Apprenticeship in AZ
- Reading Apprenticeship Strategy of the Month - check out strategies to try in your classroom!
- Archived Book Study: Access the materials from the past Professional Learning Book Study on the Reading Apprenticeship core text.
Achieve the Core-Text Complexity Toolkit
All About Adolescent Literacy - AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers.
AdLit Classroom Strategies - Before, During, and After Reading
CEEDAR - Disciplinary Literacy Course Enhancement Module
EdWeek - Spotlight on Adolescent Reading
General Education Leadership Network (GELN) - Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy in the Secondary Classroom
IES Practice Guides - The Institute of Education Sciences has provided a set of recommendations for evidence-based best practices to address challenges in classrooms and schools that serve the secondary grades.
- Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices - Released August 2008
- Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 - Released March 2022
Keys to Literacy Adolescent Literacy Resources - Joan Sedita of Keys to Literacy provides resources focused on adolescent literacy. Adolescent literacy encompasses the skills that must be taught to all students so they can meet increasingly challenging reading and writing demands as they move through the upper grades, as well as what needs to be done for those students who fall behind and may need intervention instruction in foundational literacy skills.
Meadows Center, Partner Reading Teachers' Guide - The purpose of this guide is to provide teachers with a feasible partner reading procedure that can be used in middle school classrooms.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Students’ Right to Read – A Plethora of resources for engaging students in literature.
ReadWriteThink – Powered by NCTE. ReadWriteThink is a teaching and learning community for English Language Arts teachers from K-12th grade with resources providing free access to the highest quality standards-based practices, lesson plans, videos, activities, and apps.
WestEd Publications, Reading for Understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship Improves Disciplinary Learning in Secondary and College Classrooms
WestEd Reading Apprenticeship - What if instead of teaching around the text, lecturing, or summarizing for students, teachers engaged students in actually grappling with the text - reading and talking about what it means and how they figured it out? WestEd has provided resources and materials to teach reading in a metacognitive way.
Resources for Texts Related to Holocaust and Genocide Education - In 2024, HB 2779 amended ARS 15-701.02 to read: the state board of education shall include a requirement that students be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides for at least three school days, or the equivalent, on at least two separate occasions during any of grades seven through twelve. Although this instruction is required as part of the 2018 History and Social Science Standards, this legislation further stresses the importance of these topics and events. This webpage provides resources, training, and support for educators in meeting this requirement. It also houses the work of the Task Force on the Holocaust and Other Genocides - a Toolkit for teachers and students. Especially helpful to ELA teachers - book recommendations by grade level.
Keys to Literacy, Keys to Content Writing Resources
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively
Writing Professional Learning from ADE - You will find an abundance of resources for secondary writing and AZ's writing standards at this Padlet!
Archived Writing PL Sessions:
- Assessing Secondary Writing
- Arizona's 6-12th Grade Writing Standards: Model, Practice, Reflect, Assess
- Writing Across the Curriculum in Secondary Grades
- Igniting the Spark from Opinion (K-5) to Argument Writing (6-12)
- Empowering Students through Grammar Instruction | Recording | Slide Deck
- Writing for College, Career, and Beyond | Recording | Slide Deck
AdLit.org, "Organizations that Promote Adolescent Literacy" - From lesson plans and classroom tools to free books and opportunities to publish students’ work, nonprofit organizations have a lot to offer parents, teachers, and struggling readers themselves. Learn about some nonprofits with a commitment to helping young people become better readers and writers.
AdLit.org, "Parent Engagement in Transitions to Middle and High School" - Using the 3A framework (Attendance, Achievement, and Attainment) for dropout prevention developed by the America’s Promise Alliance and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this article highlights specific knowledge that parents need to support students’ success, as well as ways that schools can engage parents as partners.
AdLit.org, "Engaging Parents to Support Academic Achievement" - Academic achievement is a strong predictor of high school graduation and is critical to long-term success in college, work, and life. A sixth grader who fails Math or English has unsatisfactory behavior, or poor attendance, has a 75% likelihood of dropping out. Freshmen in Chicago public schools who earn a B average or better have an 80% chance of finishing high school with at least a 3.0 GPA.
IES, "Literacy Tips for Parents of Adolescents" - Based on common instructional elements, these are activities that parents can initiate at home to help ensure successful literacy outcomes for their adolescent students.
Meadows Center, "How Can I Help My Middle Schooler Read Multisyllabic Words? Five Helpful Steps" - This resource describes a simple strategy you and your child can use to help decode long words.
Scholastic, “17 Ways to Keep Your Middle Schooler Turning Pages” - As your kids get older, they may put reading on the back burner. Learn the best ways to keep them turning the pages with these helpful tips.
WestEd, "Understanding and Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development: Grades 4–8" - Designed for families and educators of children in Grades 4–8, this resource promotes stronger school-home collaboration around literacy.
ADE Assessment - Educator resources for the new Arizona state assessments. [Arizona's Academic Standards Assessment - AASA (3rd-8th), ACT Aspire (9th), ACT (11th)]
Including:
- Performance Level Descriptors and Item Specifications (AASA)
- Arizona State Standards Alignment Guide (ACT and ACT Aspire)
High School Graduation - Information and Requirements
Postsecondary Resources - Resources and Events
Office of English Language Acquisition Services (OELAS) Guidance - High School Credit for Integrated and Targeted ELD | OELAS Homepage
Ongoing Professional Learning Opportunities for Secondary ELA Educators
Request Secondary ELA Professional Learning for your School/District - Schedule a 30-minute virtual meeting!
Adolescent Literacy Hub - Support and resources for Secondary ELA Educators in AZ and beyond
AIM Pathways to Proficient Reading: Secondary - ADE-funded Cohorts
We have the opportunity to provide virtual cohorts of the AIM Pathways to Proficient Reading: Secondary professional learning course to Arizona educators (valued at over $800 at no cost to you or your district). This course includes over 55 hours of literacy learning for secondary educators.
If you and/or your district/charter are interested in future availability for this training, please fill out this interest form: AIM Pathways to Proficient Reading: Secondary Interest Form for Future Opportunities.
Secondary ELA Webinars on APLD
Earn PD credit and collaborate with other secondary ELA teachers! A variety of topics, including: reading comprehension, writing, secondary MTSS, collaboration with Social Studies, and more! - Use the search term "secondary ELA." Check out the exciting webinar offerings for school year 2025-2026!
Register!
Use the search term "secondary ELA" to narrow down your search.
All ELA Professional Learning Opportunities
Register - use the search term "k12-AS-ELA" to narrow down your search
APLD Support:
For questions regarding registration, certificates, accessing courses, etc., please refer to our APLD FAQs
Secondary ELA Book Studies
Spring 2026 - The Essentials of Adolescent Literacy by Joan Sedita
Join the ADE English Language Arts Team for a FREE Secondary ELA Focused 6-session book study. Thursdays from 4:30-6:00 MST (Feb-May 2026). Everyone is welcome!
Dates/Chapters:
- 2/2 Kickoff with author Joan Sedita (separate registration - the first 50 people to sign up for the kickoff will be entered to win a copy of the book!
- 2/5 Chapter 1 and 2 – Literacy Basics and Adolescent Literacy
- 2/26 Chapter 3 and 4 – Vocabulary and Comprehension Instruction
- 3/19 Chapter 5 and 6 – Text Structure and Writing
- 4/9 Chapter 7 and 8 – Discussion and Advanced Word Study/Fluency
- 4/30 Chapter 9 – Adolescent Learners with Literacy Difficulties
- 5/7 Chapter 10 - Data-Driven Reading Interventions and Book Study Wrap-Up
Register - use search term "book study"
General Information for our book studies:
Virtual book chats take place via Microsoft Teams.
Register in the APLD system to receive credit - each session is offered individually.
All participants who register in APLD, read their chapter(s), and attend the book study will be given 2 hours of PD credit for each session they attend.
Archived Book Studies:
- Literacy Intervention in the Middle Grades: Word Learning, Comprehension, and Strategy Instruction, Grades 4-8 by Kevin Flanigan and Latisha Hayes
- Reading for Understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship Improves Disciplinary Learning in Secondary and College Classrooms, THIRD EDITION
- The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades
- Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 and Beyond: Practice Guide
- Thinking Reading: What Every Secondary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading
- Effective Instruction for Middle School Students with Reading Difficulties
- Disciplinary Literacy Inquiry & Instruction
- Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction and Assessment, Grades 6-12
Archived Webinars
| Webinars | Description and Information |
|---|---|
| Special Presentation - "Secondary ELA Webinar: Restoring Humanity to Striving Adolescent Readers" | Recording - use this Passcode: V^2e5*h0 | Padlet of Resources |
| Special Presentation - "A Face Like Mine: Connecting Classic Literature to Modern YA Books" | On 2/11/21, a panel of high school librarians discussed ways to incorporate modern YA books in teaching classic literature in the classroom. Click here to view the presentation |
| Building Background in the Virtual Secondary ELA Classroom | Building schema and background knowledge is one of the best ways to raise reading comprehension for our students. In this webinar, we explored some easy and fun ways to do this in the virtual/distance learning secondary ELA classroom. A better understanding of how building background and surfacing schema will help your students become better readers. Visit the Padlet with resources and a slide deck. |
| Summer Series - Spotlight on Media Literacy and Sourcing | In collaboration with our ADE Social Studies team - Join trainers from ADE, and master teachers from around the state in a webinar to teach and engage with media literacy at all grade levels. Recorded presentation |
| "What is Media Literacy and How Do I Teach It?" | This webinar will examine what media literacy means, how we teach students to be responsible consumers and producers of media, and examine some methods and lessons you can use in your classroom. Recorded presentation |
| Integrating Secondary Social Studies and ELA | In collaboration with our ADE Social Studies team - How do you integrate Social Studies and English Language Arts in a secondary setting? What are the benefits of collaboration between English and Social Studies educators? This webinar demonstrated best practices to integrate Social Studies and ELA efficiently and easily. This webinar also used texts with multiple perspectives to address new ways to create cross-curricular projects and lessons. Slide Deck |
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**The views and opinions expressed in any third-party resource do not necessarily reflect those of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and do not imply an endorsement by ADE.
