Reading Instruction in Secondary English Language Arts Classrooms

This article uses data from three qualitative research studies to explore how the instructional choices teachers make impact students' literacy development in secondary English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms. This report documents that secondary teachers are using various instructional strategies to combine literature content and literacy instruction with opportunities for students to interact with different types of text. The approaches used by the 11 ELA teachers in the study indicate that incorporating research-based strategies and emphasizing metacognitive instruction improves students' reading skills. The findings suggest that when teachers provide in-class time for students to read and discuss text with peers, students are more engaged and able to interact with text on more meaningful levels.