English Is Not Reading: And What That Means for Our Secondary Classrooms

We ask students to analyze texts every day—but not all of them can access them. That's not a reason to lower the bar. It's a reason to strengthen our instruction.

I was sitting with one of my English teachers this week, talking through Superintendent's Conference Day.

We were doing what we always do—thinking about:

• what teachers need

• what kind of training would actually be helpful

• what people would be open to

And at one point, she said something that has stuck with me.

She said, “We have the reading class, and that’s great. Those kids are getting support. But what do we do in our other English classes? What do we do with the kids who are reading so far below grade level? How do we help them?”

And then she said it plainly:

“That’s really where we’re struggling as a department.”

And she’s right.

Because that is the reality of secondary classrooms.

The Reality We’re Sitting In

We’ve built systems to support our most struggling readers.

We have intervention classes. We have reading support.

We've trained those teachers.

But what about all the other kids? What about all the other teachers? In a typical American classroom, teachers have:

• students who can access the text independently

• students who can get through it with some effort

• and students who are quietly struggling to read it at all

When schools try to take this problem on, they usually turn to the English teachers. But that leaves us with 2 very real problems.

• Just because someone is an English teacher does not mean they were ever taught how to teach reading.

• How do we support students in English classes without turning them into reading intervention blocks?

So what does this actually look like in practice?

Let’s take a text like Animal Farm.

Students are expected to analyze power, understand manipulation, and think about why the animals accept the pigs’ control. That’s complex work.

But for many students, the barrier isn’t the thinking. It’s getting into the text in the first place.

So instead of lowering the task, we adjust the access.

Here are some no-fail strategies you can use tomorrow to help students access complex text, using Animal Farm as an example.

Start With the End in Mind

Before we jump to strategies, we have to be clear on what we are teaching.

We are not just teaching Animal Farm.

We are teaching what it means.

We want students to understand the idea:

👉 Power can be gained and maintained through language and control.

That is the work.

That is the meaning.

And that is what allows for transfer.

Why Transfer and Background Knowledge Matter

When students understand an idea deeply, it doesn’t stay in one lesson.

It transfers. And when it transfers, it becomes background knowledge.

And that background knowledge:

• helps them process new texts faster

• reduces cognitive load

• allows them to infer and think more deeply

So when a student understands power and manipulation in Animal Farm, they can apply that thinking to:

• history

• current events

• other literature

That’s how comprehension grows.

So What Can We Do Tomorrow?

Not a new program.Not a full overhaul.

Just small, intentional moves that increase access.

1. Say the Words Before Students Read Them

If students can’t pronounce the word, they won’t read it.

Pull a few key words:

• manipulate

• obstinate

Say them. Have students repeat them.

Now those words aren’t barriers.

2. Syllable Matter: Break Words So Students Can Actually Read Them

Take 10 seconds:

• ma / nip / u / late

• ob / sti / nate

Blend it together.

This is not elementary.

This is access.

3. Vocabulary: Go Deep, Not Wide

One of the biggest mistakes we make is trying to cover too many words.

Instead, choose a small set of high-impact words and go deep.

How to Choose Words

• Tier 2 words (high-utility): influence, control, benefit

• Tier 3 words (content-specific): manipulate, ignorance

• Ask: Do students need this word to understand the idea?

What to Do With Them

Frayer Model (quick version)

• definition

• example

• non-example

👉 Builds real understanding, not memorization

Semantic Gradient influence → persuade → manipulate → control

👉 Helps students understand nuance

Word Matrix / Morphologymanipulate → manipulation → manipulative

👉 Supports both word reading and meaningThe Shift

4. Build Fluency So Thinking Can Happen

• Choral reading

• Partner reading

• Repeated reading

Short sections. Multiple reads.

Not round robin.

Just more opportunities to read.

5. Use Essential Questions to Drive Thinking

👉 How do the pigs gain power?

👉 Why do the animals accept it?

Now students are reading with purpose.

7. Build Background Knowledge Through Connection

Ask:

• “Why do people go along with things even when they know it’s not fair?”

• “Who usually has power in a group?”

Now the text feels familiar.

8. Model the Thinking That Leads to Meaning

“I’m noticing the animals don’t question the pigs. That tells me something about how power works.”

Now students are learning how to think, not just answer.

9. Name the Idea So It Transfers

Say it clearly:

“This is about how power works.”

Because when students can name the idea, they can use it again.

Final Thought

That question from our department meeting is the right one.

What do we do in the classrooms where most students are?

The answer isn’t to lower the text.

And it isn’t to turn English into an intervention class.

It’s to build access.

Because when we:

• support word reading

• build fluency

• develop vocabulary

• connect background knowledge

• and teach for meaning and transfer

More students can do the work.

English is the destination. Reading is how students get there.

And if we don’t build that pathway, not every student will arrive.

When we know better, we teach better.

See you next Sunday!

References

Catts, H. W. (2018).The role of knowledge in reading comprehension. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49(4), 851–862.

Ehri, L. C. (2005).Learning to read words: Theory, findings, and issues. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2), 167–188.

Hirsch, E. D. (2006).The knowledge deficit: Closing the shocking education gap for American children. Houghton Mifflin.

Moats, L. C. (2020).Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers (3rd ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Shanahan, T. (2020).The science of reading: A handbook. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S235–S248.

Wexler, N. (2019).The knowledge gap: The hidden cause of America’s broken education system—and how to fix it. Avery.