Meaning-based, code-based, and vocabulary-based instruction in middle and high school classrooms: The case for attention to all three

Abstract

This commentary explores the nuanced approaches to literacy instruction in middle and high school classrooms, emphasizing the integration of skilled and strategic reading. The commentary underscores the distinction between skilled readers' effortless navigation through familiar texts and the conscious employment of reading strategies when faced with complex texts. It draws attention to components of instruction within English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies by drawing illustrative examples from three teachers' classrooms. These examples illustrate how meaning-, vocabulary-, and code-based approaches overlap and can be integrated in a multifaceted approach to literacy instruction, which is sensitive to disciplinary demands and student diversity. An integrated approach is essential for equipping adolescents with the sociocognitive tools necessary for academic and lifelong literacy. Instructional recommendations are provided.