When most people hear “Science of Reading,” they picture phonics charts, decodable readers, and first graders sounding out c-a-t and d-o-g. And while those things are absolutely part of reading development, they don’t reflect the full picture, especially for educators working with older students.

Here’s the truth:
The Science of Reading isn’t just for elementary. And it’s not just about phonics. It’s a research-based understanding of how all humans learn to read, and it applies to every grade level.

So, what does it look like when you use Science of Reading research in a middle or high school classroom?

Let’s break it down.

1. Instruction Starts with Language, Not Literature

When we shift to a Science of Reading lens, we stop seeing comprehension as a “skill” that students either have or don’t. Instead, we recognize that comprehension depends on several teachable elements like vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax, and text structure.

In practical terms, this might look like:

• Teaching morphology to help students decode academic vocabulary
• Analyzing how sentence structure affects meaning
• Using short, complex sentences to model reading strategies before applying them to longer texts
• Incorporating oral language routines that build fluency and comprehension

We stop assigning texts and start teaching language.

2. We Don’t Wait for Intervention to Teach Foundational Skills

In a SoR-aligned secondary classroom, foundational skills aren’t just reserved for interventions. 

If students are struggling with decoding or fluency, we are able to work with them during our Tier 1 instruction because we are constantly incorporating explicit instruction on multisyllabic word reading; using warm-ups to reinforce high-frequency morphemes or sentence patterns; teaching students how to annotate or break down difficult text on a sentence level, among other things.

The SoR-aligned classroom is proactive, not reactive. And it’s about access to the texts, not just ability to read.

3. Text Complexity Is Supported, Not Assumed

The old model says: “Here’s the text: read it, figure it out, answer the questions” The SoR-aligned model says: “Here’s how to access this complex text. Let me show you so that we can appreciate it together.”

That can include:

• Pre-teaching vocabulary using supplementary materials or focusing on roots and affixes
• Modeling how to decode unfamiliar syntax or academic language
• Using sentence combining or deconstructing as a bridge to meaning
• Discussing genre and structure explicitly so students know what to expect

You’re still using rich, grade-level texts but with the scaffolds that help students truly understand them.

4. Reading Instruction Is Structured, Not Random

Science of Reading research supports explicit, systematic instruction. That doesn’t mean scripted or rigid, it means intentional.

In secondary ELA, this might look like:

• Building units around cumulative language goals, not just themes
• Layering word-level, sentence-level, and paragraph-level work before whole-text analysis
• Aligning reading and writing tasks so students practice using the same language structures in both directions
• Teaching comprehension through explicit language supports, not just assigning questions at the end

Instead of hoping students “pick up” reading skills, you’re building them piece by piece.

5. It Honors the Reality of Your Readers

Science of Reading helps us see struggling readers differently. It helps us stop blaming deficits and start teaching with purpose. It says:

• If a student avoids reading, they may not be lazy… they may be missing a skill.
• If a student can’t summarize the text, maybe they couldn’t decode it or understand the sentence structures.
• If comprehension breaks down, we ask: Which component of the rope is fraying?

SoR gives us the tools to diagnose the breakdown and rebuild the bridge.

Final Thoughts: SoR in Secondary Isn’t New… It’s actually getting back to basics.

We don’t need to abandon what makes secondary ELA rich and meaningful. We just need to support it with the science that makes reading accessible for all students.

Using the Science of Reading at the secondary level doesn’t mean abandoning novels or writing workshops. It means supporting them with the instruction that helps every student engage.

Let’s stop thinking of reading as something that’s already been taught and start thinking of it as something we keep teaching with purpose, every day.

Grab the FREE SoRin2ndary Toolkit for Secondary Teachers