What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction - International ...

Coming Up: Get Ready for Session 10
Teachers across subject areas share the responsibility of ensuring
that students receive high-quality, appropriate reading instruction
throughout the school years. In outlining thinking about content area
literacy and providing a detailed review of research and strategies in
the field, “Making a Difference in Adolescents’ School Lives: Visible and
Invisible Aspects of Content Area Reading” by Richard Vacca makes a
strong case for increased attention to adolescents’ literacy needs.
If you work at the middle or secondary level, or if you are preparing
students for the increasing challenges they’ll face with texts in the upper
grades, think about these things as you read:
• Why is it essential for teachers to have an understanding of the
needs of adolescent readers?
• What makes up “visible instruction” in the development of reading
strategies?
• Why is it important to make reading an invisible and seamless part
of content area curricula?
From the Professional Development Edition of What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction (3rd ed.),
© 2009 International Reading Association.
86