In this article, Greenleaf and Hinchman provide an energizing vision of high quality literacy instruction in a 9th grade Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy class for struggling adolescent readers. They describe key classroom features that help students thrive: high academic challenge with explicit support to develop reading strategies; asset-oriented teaching that begins with students’ existing knowledge; an emphasis on student choice and interest-driven reading; and an inquiry-oriented learning environment to engage students actively in reading and learning.

The teacher whose classroom is featured in this article can be seen working with students in the video linked below and in an interview about Reading Apprenticeship at Dreher High School.

Watch related video: Grade 9 Academic Literacy (4:40)

This chapter from Leading for Literacy explains how to start building a culture of literacy at a school, district, or college campus. Whether advocating as a single teacher or responding to an administrator eager to have everyone on board, there are a range of ways to get started and avoid some common pitfalls.