Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers

“There is no age limit on learning to read! This fact is even more critical for adolescent students. Students who have been unsuccessful face even greater challenges overcoming reading deficits. The good news it is never too late to learn. Practitioners must first change their mindset and instructional practices. This book is research rich providing a solid foundation of critical instructional practices, as well as providing easy to implement strategies. A must read for all practitioners!”

“Understanding what foundational skills are and how to support adolescents is critical in schools today. Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers provides a much-needed resource for educators to learn how to teach foundational skills to adolescents in engaging and meaningful ways. In this text, Fisher, Frey and colleagues provide insight into adolescents’ literacy journeys and demonstrate how theories of effective literacy instruction apply to practice. Readers are provided with examples of how to teach foundational skills explicitly and with flexibility to support a variety of adolescent readers. This text is a must read for teachers as well as for all educational professionals who want to support adolescents’ self-efficacy, motivation, and the necessary foundational skills needed to be successful in middle school and beyond.”

Nancy Frey is a professor in educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. 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. Her published titles include 50 Strategies for Activating Your PLC+, The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning, Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners, Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers, and RIGOR Unveiled: A Video-Enhanced Flipbook to Promote Teacher Expertise in Relationship Building, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance.

Sarah Ortega, EdD, is a credentialed bilingual teacher and administrator in California. She served as a classroom educator for 19 years before moving into various leadership positions at the site and district level. In 2023, Sarah was recognized as the Chula Vista Elementary School District Teacher of the Year. Her teaching videos have been featured in professional development training and educator magazines. She is 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. She is a co-author of Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescents and Instructional Strategies to Move Learning Forward.

Kierstan Barbee holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership and literacy from the University of Houston. She brings 20 years of education-related experience in PreK-12 settings. She has served as a secondary English Language Arts teacher, academic coach, and professional development supervisor in urban districts as well as a project manager of assessment for learning, which involved creating system-wide professional learning programming for central staff and campuses that promoted the spread of research- and evidence informed practices to maximize teaching and learning. 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 in learning.

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.