Back to the Basics: Teaching Foundational Skills in the Adolescent General Educational Classroom Setting

Too often, foundational literacy instruction is siloed into early elementary grades or relegated to intervention programs. Yet, research shows that many students in upper elementary and middle school still struggle with decoding, fluency, and language comprehension — skills that are essential for success in content areas across the curriculum. This session will explore how general education classrooms can and should integrate explicit foundational literacy skills instruction into daily teaching. Participants will examine practical, evidence-based strategies to support word recognition, word knowledge, sentence analysis, and verbal reasoning — all within the context of grade-level curriculum. The presenter will also discuss assessments and interventions for students in need of Tier II supports.