The Science of Reading in the Secondary Classroom

Support adolescent readers with explicit vocabulary, annotation, and comprehension routines across content areas.

This workshop applies the principles of the Science of Reading to middle and high school classrooms, bridging research on how students learn to read with practical strategies for adolescent literacy. Participants explore ways to improve comprehension by explicitly teaching keyword identification, context clues, and text annotation during reading. The session also emphasizes pre-reading prediction, active reading strategies, and post-reading synthesis such as summarizing and mind mapping. Through modeling, examples, and interactive practice, teachers gain tools to support struggling readers while maintaining rigor across content areas.

Core Needs Addressed

  • Secondary students often lack foundational literacy strategies, making it difficult to access complex texts.

  • Content-area teachers may be unsure how to integrate reading instruction into subject lessons.

  • Limited use of explicit strategies (keywords, context clues, annotation, summarization) that help students engage deeply with texts.

  • Gaps in adolescent reading fluency and comprehension that impact overall academic performance.

Key Learnings

  1. Explicit Strategy Instruction
    Participants will learn how to teach students to use strategies such as identifying keywords, applying context clues, and annotating text to improve comprehension.

  2. Structured Pre-, During-, and Post-Reading Practices
    Educators will practice guiding students through structured phases of reading, including making predictions before reading, actively analyzing during reading, and synthesizing ideas after reading.

  3. Supporting Struggling Readers Across Content Areas
    Teachers will leave with actionable tools to embed literacy practices into all subject areas, ensuring that even students with reading gaps can access and succeed with grade-level texts.

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The Science of Reading in the Secondary Classroom

Support adolescent readers with explicit vocabulary, annotation, and comprehension routines across content areas.

Led by our team of Instructional Strategists

Learning Path

Last Updated

Apr 15, 2026 2:50 PM

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Designed for School Leaders asking...

How can we apply Science of Reading principles in secondary classrooms to produce measurable gains in reading comprehension and content mastery?

What instructional practices will ensure struggling readers develop effective strategies—such as annotation, vocabulary analysis, and synthesis—without lowering rigor?

How do we build teacher capacity to integrate adolescent literacy strategies across content areas to improve engagement and academic outcomes?

This workshop helped me better understand the challenges families face and gave me practical strategies to strengthen communication and engagement. I now feel more confident in building supportive partnerships with families to improve student success.

Jen Soloman

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Delivering Powerful Learning Experiences

As a result of this work

As a result of this work, educators will apply the principles of the Science of Reading to support adolescent literacy, ensuring students strengthen comprehension and engage more effectively with complex texts. Teachers will leave with practical strategies, including keyword identification, annotation techniques, context clue instruction, and pre- and post-reading routines that support rigorous, accessible learning across content areas.

Workshop Description

This workshop applies the principles of the Science of Reading to middle and high school classrooms, bridging research on how students learn to read with practical strategies for adolescent literacy. Participants explore ways to improve comprehension by explicitly teaching keyword identification, context clues, and text annotation during reading. The session also emphasizes pre-reading prediction, active reading strategies, and post-reading synthesis such as summarizing and mind mapping. Through modeling, examples, and interactive practice, teachers gain tools to support struggling readers while maintaining rigor across content areas.

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Designed for Today's Schools

Customized
Expert-led
In-person, virtual, or asynchronous
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Nationwide

Educators will confidently

Educators will confidently apply the science of reading in middle and high school classrooms by teaching comprehension strategies such as keyword identification, context clues, annotation, summarizing, and mind mapping. This work supports district priorities by strengthening inclusive practices that ensure equitable access and support for all learners.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes your workshops different from traditional professional development or other providers?

Our approach goes beyond one-size-fits-all professional development. We hold ourselves to rigorous standards of quality and delivery in every client interaction, ensuring that each experience is meaningful, relevant, and impactful. We don’t just deliver workshops—we build long-term partnerships with schools and districts, working alongside educators to improve instructional practices and student outcomes over time.

We actively listen to educators’ unique contexts and experiences, using that insight to collaboratively design tailored solutions rather than pre-packaged sessions. Our team asks thoughtful questions, challenges assumptions, and continuously learns so we can help redefine what’s possible in teaching and learning.

Above all, we communicate authentically, foster positive and productive relationships, and bring a deep passion and commitment to education. The result is professional learning that feels purposeful, personalized, and truly transformative.

Who are your workshops designed for?

Our workshops are designed for educators and school leaders, including teachers, instructional coaches, school administrators, and district teams. Each session is tailored to the specific audience to ensure content is relevant, practical, and immediately applicable.

What does a typical workshop look like?

Our workshops are interactive, engaging, and grounded in real classroom practice. Each experience is intentionally designed using the principles of andragogy, sound instructional design, and the core constructs of effective professional development to ensure relevance, coherence, and impact. Participants engage in discussion, reflection, planning, and application activities — not just passive listening. Educators leave with concrete strategies and next steps they can implement right away.

How long are your workshops?

We offer flexible formats, including half-day, full-day, and multi-session series. We can also design ongoing professional learning experiences to support sustained implementation over time.

What delivery methods are available for your workshops?

We offer flexible delivery options to meet the needs of schools and districts, including in-person sessions, live virtual workshops, and asynchronous learning through our applied learning platform. Regardless of format, all experiences are designed to be interactive, engaging, and collaborative, with structures that promote meaningful participation and application of learning.

What kind of follow-up support is available?

We believe professional learning is most effective when it’s sustained. In addition to workshops, we offer instructional coaching, implementation planning, and follow-up sessions to help teams translate learning into practice and drive meaningful results.

Who facilitates the workshops?

Inspired Instruction’s workshops are facilitated by a nationwide team of expert Instructional Strategists.  Our facilitators bring diverse experience as classroom educators, instructional coaches, principals, directors, and superintendents, spanning all content areas. We thoughtfully match your specific needs with a facilitator whose expertise aligns to ensure the learning experience is relevant, practical, and impactful for your staff.

How much does it cost to bring a workshop to my school or district?

We offer a range of pricing options designed to meet the needs of different schools and districts. Our Client Directors work closely with you to understand your goals, scope, and budget, and will partner with you to design a high-quality professional learning experience that fits within your financial framework.

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