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 into the secondary classroom, including middle school and high school.
In short, literacy instruction remains every bit as important in grades 4-12 as it is in grades K-3. The
resources provided here are meant to assist educators and parents in providing the best instruction
for all Arizona students.
Educators have a responsibility to diversify the representation in the texts that students read in their classrooms. There is a world of diverse texts available that will give a broader viewpoint of the world as well as allow for and celebrate greater representation. Each of the books in the chart provided here feature protagonists and characters that are a part of underrepresented groups. There are also non-fiction texts that represent diverse voices and diverse perspectives of history. Additionally, there are resources to help educators diversify their curriculum.
Diverse Texts in the Secondary ELA Classroom Guidance
| National Council for the Teachers of English | Arizona English Teachers' Association |
|---|---|
Current Events | Current Events
|
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.
NCTE Bookstore, Adventurous Thinking: Fostering Students’ Rights to Read and Write in Secondary ELA
NCTE Students’ Right to Read – Plethora of resources for engaging students’ in literature.
ReadWriteThink – National Council for the Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Literacy Association (ILA) have partnered up to provide reading lesson resources.
Smartbrief article, “Identifying students with dyslexia in middle, high school”
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 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.
Writing Contests
JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest - The Profile in Courage Essay Contest opens for submissions on September 1, 2020. The contest deadline is January 15, 2021.
National Novel Writing Month Young Writers’ Program – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place in November. The Young Writers’ Program supports under-18 writers and K-12 educators as they participate in the November event, and take part in smaller writing challenges year-round.
Grammar Resources
Heinemann Publishing, The Grammar Planbook
NCTE Bookstore, Grammar to Get Things Done: A Practical Guide for Teachers Anchored in Real-World Usage
Stenhouse Publishers, Revision Decisions: Talking Through Sentences and Beyond
Stenhouse Publishers, Everyday Editing: Inviting Students to Develop Skill and Craft in Writer’s Workshop
ADE Teaching Struggling Readers course – Coming soon 2021
EdWeb webinar archive, “Reading Tools to the Rescue: Solutions for Learning on Couches and in Classrooms”
EdWeb/Learning Ally Webinar archive, "Integrating Assistive Technology into Virtual Instruction for Struggling Readers”
Education Week Webinar archive, “Cross-Curricular Instructional Principles to Prepare More ELA Students for AP and College”
Education Week Webinar archive, “How to Build Writing Proficiency and Foster Differentiation in the 21st Century Classroom”
Education Week Webinar archive, All Literacy and English/Language Arts Webinars
NCTE Reads Archived book study, “In the Pursuit of Justice: Students’ Rights to Read and Write in Elementary School”
Read WriteThink Parent/AfterSchool Resources for Secondary Grades
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.
