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“The text makes a significant contribution to the field, because the range of articles represents a synthesis of the most current research-based methods for promoting the literacy of adolescent learners in all content areas....The text is also designed to expose the reader to the issues that apply to the acquisition and improvement of adolescent literacy through reading, thinking, interacting, and teacher's instruction of subject matter, and appropriately addresses many audiences, such as teacher educators, graduate students, and teachers both in the field and entering the profession....As a professor teaching courses in a literacy master's program, I have found the design of this book to be particularly useful. The material is easily conveyed in a meaningful, teacher-friendly mode. Each chapter begins with a set of guiding questions that frame the purpose of the chapter's contents. Woven throughout each chapter are descriptions of the principles and goals of effective literacy instruction along with classroom examples. Each chapter concludes with another set of questions designed to ask readers to consider and apply the information, and elicit effective class discussions....The chapters in this volume, while representing various theoretical frameworks and methodological principles, all contribute an appeal to the need for educators to continue to provide thoughtful, ongoing, research-based subject matter instruction to adolescent literacy learners. This appeal is multifaceted and reflected through the literacy practices of adolescents in the classroom, the home, and contexts outside the school setting....An important text.”

—Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy


“Laying the foundation for effective middle and secondary school literacy programs, this is the most comprehensive treatment of adolescent literacy that I’ve seen to date. Wood and Blanton are highly regarded experts in this critical field, and, together with their outstanding contributors, they provide a thorough examination of theory and instructional practice.”

—Gary Moorman, PhD, Department of Language, Reading and Exceptionalities, Appalachian State University


“The list of authors in this unique volume reads like a 'who's who' of adolescent literacy. They offer a comprehensive overview of the field, combining relevant research with practical classroom applications in every chapter. This is an excellent text for classroom teachers, preservice teachers, and teacher educators.”

—Dixie Massey, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Washington


“Leaders in the field of adolescent literacy have created an essential volume that distills and clarifies the most important messages about helping our youth grow as literate people. The book is well organized and its messages are accessible for teacher educators, literacy coaches, and practicing teachers. This work is current and fresh, expanding traditional views of literacy and making them useful in a world of interdependent languages, technologies, and educational milieus.”

—Douglas Kaufman, PhD, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut


“This book is important in that it paints a new landscape of goals, learners, and instructional practices for adolescent literacy. It not only reimagines essential topics in literacy for all learners, but also addresses some new wrinkles, including fluency, online comprehension, and increased awareness of the needs of English language learners. This book will be much appreciated by educators who seek new directions for promoting adolescent literacy achievement.”

—Mark W. Conley, PhD, Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, University of Memphis

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Table of Contents

Introduction: The Case for Improving Adolescent Literacy Instruction, William E. Blanton and Karen D. Wood

1. Advocating Reading Instruction in Middle and High School Classrooms, David W. Moore

I. Literacy and the Adolescent Learner

2. The "Adolescent" in Adolescent Literacy: A Preliminary Review, Thomas W. Bean and Helen J. Harper

3. Enhancing Adolescent Self-Efficacy for Literacy, Patrick McCabe

4. Content-Area Reading: Past, Present, and Future, Maryann Mraz, Robert J. Rickelman, and Richard T. Vacca

5. Promoting Adolescent Literacy through Parental Involvement: Making It Happen, Timothy Rasinski, Nancy D. Padak, and Kristy Pytash

6. Literacy Coaching in Middle and High Schools, Rita M. Bean and Ellen Eisenberg

7. Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners in the Middle and Secondary Classroom, Paola Pilonieta and Adriana L. Medina

8. Responsible Differentiated Instruction for the Adolescent Learner: Promises, Pitfalls, and Possibilities, Jeanne Shay Schumm and Mary A. Avalos

9. Engaging Texts and Literacy Practices for Adolescent Boys, William G. Brozo and Courtney Gaskins

10. Paying Attention to Girls’ Literacy Needs, Marsha M. Sprague and Kara K. Keeling

11. Implications of Adolescents' Popular Culture Use for School Literacy, Alison Heron-Hruby and Donna E. Alvermann

II. Teaching the Adolescent Learner: Research-Based Instructional Practices

12. Research-Based Instructional Literacy Practices: Challenges and Opportunities, Patricia L. Anders

13. Assessing Adolescent Literacy, William Dee Nichols, Barbara J. Walker, and Beverly K. McIntyre

14. Motivating Adolescent Learners to Read, Pamela J. Dunston and Linda B. Gambrell

15. Using Picture Books with Older Learners, Miriam Martinez, Nancy Roser, and Janis M. Harmon

16. Polysyllabic Words and Struggling Adolescent Readers: The Morphemic Link to Meaning, Reading, and Spelling "Big" Words, Patricia M. Cunningham

17. Comprehension Is More Than a Strategy, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Donna Ross

18. Vocabulary Learning in the Content Areas: Research-Based Practices for Middle and Secondary School Classrooms, Janis M. Harmon, Karen D. Wood, and Adriana L. Medina

19. Discussion-Based Instruction in the Middle and Secondary School Classroom, Thomas DeVere Wolsey and Diane Lapp

20. Writing Instruction for Adolescent Learners, Jane Hansen and Brian Kissel

21. Grouping in the Middle and Secondary Grades: Advancing Content and Literacy Knowledge, Jeanne R. Paratore and Rachel L. McCormack

22. Promising Practices for Supporting Adolescents’ Online Literacy Development, Julie Coiro

23. Technology and Literacy: Current and Emerging Practices with Student 2.0 and Beyond, David G. O'Brien and Brock Dubbels

24. Engaging Adolescents in Thoughtful Literacy Practices, Danielle V. Dennis, Evan Lefsky, and Richard L. Allington

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About the Editors

Karen D. Wood, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A former middle school reading teacher and K-12 literacy specialist in the public schools, she is the author of over 200 articles, chapters, and books on such topics as integrating literacy across the curriculum, meeting the needs of diverse learners, vocabulary and comprehension development, and translating research and theory into classroom practice. Dr. Wood began writing the “Research into Practice” column for the Middle School Journal in 1986 and continues as its author today. She was a member of the authorship team of the McGraw-Hill Basal Reading Series from 1989 to 2004 and was the former coeditor, along with William E. Blanton, of the journal Reading Research and Instruction.

William E. Blanton, EdD, is Professor in the Language and Literacy Learning in Multilingual Settings Program at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He has held faculty appointments at Indiana University and Appalachian State University, where he was a cofounder of the Laboratory of Technology and Learning. Dr. Blanton has coauthored reading instruction programs, edited journals in reading education, served on editorial boards of major journals, and published numerous articles and book chapters. His current research studies the role of culture in development, with a dual focus on characterizing children’s development and the development of the social institutions in which this process occurs.

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Contributors

Richard L. Allington, PhD, College of Education, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

Donna E. Alvermann, PhD, Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Patricia L. Anders, PhD, College of Education, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Mary A. Avalos, PhD, School of Education, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida

Rita M. Bean, PhD, Department of Instruction and Learning, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Thomas W. Bean, PhD, Curriculum and Instruction Department, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada

William E. Blanton, PhD, School of Education, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida

William G. Brozo, PhD, Graduate School of Education, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia

Julie Coiro, PhD, School of Education, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island

Patricia M. Cunningham, PhD, Department of Education, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Danielle V. Dennis, PhD, Department of Childhood Education and Literacy Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

Brock Dubbels, PhD, The Center for Cognitive Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Pamela J. Dunston, PhD, Department of Reading Education, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

Ellen Eisenberg, MEd, PA High School Coaching Initiative, The Annenberg Foundation, Radnor, Pennsylvania

Douglas Fisher, PhD, School of Teacher Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Nancy Frey, PhD, School of Teacher Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Linda B. Gambrell, PhD, Department of Reading Education, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

Courtney Gaskins, PhD, Youth for Tomorrow, Bristow, Virginia

Jane Hansen, PhD, School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Janis M. Harmon, PhD, Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

Helen J. Harper, PhD, Curriculum and Instruction Department, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada

Alison Heron-Hruby, PhD, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia

Kara K. Keeling, PhD, Department of English, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia

Brian Kissel, PhD, Department of Reading and Elementary Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina

Diane Lapp, EdD, College of Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Evan Lefsky, PhD, literacy consultant, Crawfordville, Florida

Miriam Martinez, PhD, Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

Patrick McCabe, PhD, PhD Program in Literacy, St. John's University, Queens, New York

Rachel L. McCormack, EdD, School of Education, Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island

Beverly K. McIntyre, MS, College of Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina

Adriana L. Medina, PhD, Department of Reading and Elementary Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina

David W. Moore, PhD, College of Teacher Education and Leadership, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona

Maryann Mraz, PhD, College of Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina

William Dee Nichols, PhD, College of Education and Allied Professions, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina

David G. O'Brien, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Nancy D. Padak, PhD, Department of Education, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Jeanne R. Paratore, EdD, School of Education, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts

Paola Pilonieta, PhD, Department of Reading and Elementary Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina

Kristy Pytash, MA, Teaching, Leadership, and Curriculum Studies Department, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Timothy Rasinski, PhD, Reading and Writing Center, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Robert J. Rickelman, PhD, College of Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina

Nancy Roser, PhD, College of Education, University of Texas, Austin, Texas

Donna Ross, PhD, School of Teacher Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Jeanne Shay Schumm, PhD, School of Education, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida

Marsha M. Sprague, EdD, Department of English, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia

Richard T. Vacca, PhD, Emeritus, Department of Teaching Leadership and Curriculum Studies, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Barbara J. Walker, PhD, College of Education, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Thomas DeVere Wolsey, EdD, Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Karen D. Wood, PhD, College of Education, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina

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Audience

Teacher educators, graduate students, and researchers in middle and secondary literacy; 7–12 classroom teachers; reading specialists.

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Course Use

May serve as a text in such courses as Adolescent Literacy, Secondary English and Language Arts, and Methods and Materials in Secondary Education.