Middle and high school teachers often face the challenge of addressing a wide range of literacy levels among their students. While some students are ready to read complex texts independently, others struggle with fundamental skills like phonics and decoding, leading to disengagement and a loss of motivation. At the same time, teachers may be limited by a lack of literacy training and resources. Based on research and developed by a team of literacy experts, Storyshares addresses these challenges by providing age-appropriate, engaging reading materials that are aligned with structured literacy principles.
To support striving readers in grades 5-12, Literacy Intervention for Teens (LIFT) includes:
- 8 engaging decodable chapter books written specifically for older striving readers;
- 4 high-low books with supporting fluency resources;
- Fluency passages that scaffold up as students improve their skills;
- Sound-Keyword Cards and Dry Erase Boards to provide hands-on practice with multisyllabic word decoding;
- Vocabulary Cards and Book Club Role Cards to enhance comprehension and knowledge; and
- Fluency and Decoding Student Workbooks that offer additional practice and reinforcement, as well as supporting progress monitoring.
To help teachers get started with LIFT, Storyshares delivers a 45-minute live implementation session. Ongoing supports include a detailed Educator Manual with scripted and adaptive lesson plans (including a phonics-based scope and sequence), as well as personalized professional learning opportunities.
LIFT lessons are 30 minutes long, but that is a minimum, not a maximum. To support teachers with longer class periods, the lessons and student workbooks come with extension activities and ways to connect with core instruction. Teachers can also combine lessons to move through LIFT more quickly.
LIFT is designed for literacy interventionists, Special Education teachers, MLL/ESL teachers, ELA teachers, and school leaders who are tackling Tier 2 intervention. For educators who are brand-new to teaching reading/literacy intervention, LIFT provides materials, training, and PD recommendations.
Several dozen schools and districts across the country have adopted LIFT, and it has proven effective. In a 2025 study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, middle school students at five different schools who used LIFT showed both increased NWEA MAP scores and a more positive attitude towards reading.
