Students in grades 3–6 need to use increasingly sophisticated comprehension skills and strategies as they read and build knowledge across disciplinary content areas. Grounded in research, this book presents effective practices for integrating literacy instruction with literature, science, and social studies. Chapters address text selection, vocabulary development, strategy instruction, discussion formats, writing to express and expand comprehension, assessment, and more. Ways to meet the needs of emergent bilingual and culturally diverse students are highlighted throughout. Ideal for preservice and inservice teachers and professional staff development, the book includes classroom vignettes, text boxes with easy-to-read instructional procedures, and curriculum resources. Helpful reproducible forms can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

See also the authors' related book on the primary grades: Developing Reading Comprehension: Effective Instruction for All Students in PreK-2.

"What a wonderful resource for preservice and practicing classroom teachers! Each chapter addresses essential aspects of reading instruction, based on the best possible evidence about how students build comprehension and the instructional practices that support them on the journey. Stahl and García offer practical guidance related to challenging issues, such as how to select texts for intermediate-grade students, prepare them for reading in different disciplines, and organize discussions that deepen students’ thinking about text. The book is filled with helpful resources, templates, and examples. Importantly, the authors foreground the linguistic and cultural diversity of contemporary classrooms, offering a multitude of strategies for planning instruction that meets the needs of all students."--Gina N. Cervetti, PhD, School of Education, University of Michigan

"Content literacy, disciplinary literacy, real-world applications of how to teach students in the middle grades--this book has it all! Decades of research and theory are translated into practical classroom strategies. School leaders and classroom teachers in English language arts, science, and social studies can use this book to guide their planning for integrated curriculum design, resulting in unit and lesson plans that serve all students. Tips for how to best serve English learners are given throughout the chapters. The strategies presented are program-agnostic, yet ensure that high-quality instruction permeates middle-grade classrooms."--Caitlin McMunn Dooley, PhD, State Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Georgia

"The book demonstrates the passion and expertise of the authors, who are committed to integrating the content areas and literacy for all students, including multilingual learners. Educators are guided to use literacy strategies to simultaneously develop content knowledge and comprehension, and to adapt instruction based on students’ English language proficiency. Classroom vignettes and examples make the theories and research come to life. The book is user friendly, as the authors share a treasure trove of ideas and resources for classroom instruction."--Okhee Lee, PhD, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University-

Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl, EdD, is a literacy consultant and author who focuses on translating literacy research into practice. Formerly, she was Clinical Professor of Literacy at New York University (NYU), where she taught graduate courses and served as Director of both the Literacy Program and the NYU Literacy Clinic. Before entering academia, Dr. Stahl taught in public elementary and middle school classrooms for over 25 years. She is the coauthor or coeditor of several books, and her articles have appeared in the leading journals of research and practice. Dr. Stahl specializes in reading acquisition, comprehension instruction, reading intervention, and literacy assessment. Currently, she partners with educators as a consultant to support their efforts to improve reading achievement, especially for students with reading difficulties.

Georgia Earnest García, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. She has held appointments at the Center for the Study of Reading, the RAND Reading Study Group on Skillful Reading, and the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth. Prior to obtaining her doctorate, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer, bilingual education teacher, English teacher, and ESL/EFL teacher. Dr. García has authored or coauthored several books as well as numerous book chapters and journal articles. After retiring, she served on the Educational Testing Service’s Dual Language Assessment Team and the WestED Reading Content Team, which updated the Reading Assessment Framework for the 2026 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Dr. García was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2019. She continues to collaborate with bilingual teachers and schools and to conduct and publish research on the literacy development, instruction, and assessment of bilingual students.