About the Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Course

The Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy year-long course is organized into three discipline-specific units — English language arts, history, and science — each of which supports the integration of literacy and subject area instruction.

Within and across the three units, students read increasingly complex text and apply their growing repertoire of literacy skills with more flexibility and control. In addition, a carefully scaffolded program of sustained silent reading is provided for each unit, building reader enjoyment, independence, stamina, and persistence.

Step-by-step lesson plans integrate instruction and assessment. Student materials include a full year of course readings, interactive notebooks for working with the disciplinary texts, and metacognitive logs for the sustained silent reading program.

Materials

Unit 1: Reading Self and Society

  • Teacher Binder + Metacognitive Log BLMs
  • Student Reader (Building Academic Literacy Anthology)
  • Student Interactive Notebook
  • Transparencies (optional)

Unit 2: Reading History

  • Teacher Binder + Iron Jawed Angels DVD
  • Student Reader + Women’s Suffrage
  • Student Interactive Notebook
  • Transparencies (optional)

Unit 3: Reading Science

  • Teacher Binder
  • Student Reader + A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States
  • Student Interactive Notebook
  • Transparencies (optional)

Bundled Sets

  • Teacher Materials (for all 3 units)
  • Student Materials (for all 3 units)

How Do Students Benefit From the Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Course?

In a randomized, controlled study funded by the U.S. Department of Education, ninth-grade students in the two-semester course made statistically significant gains in reading comprehension, grades, and standardized test scores. Students also had significantly lower suspension rates compared to control students.

The experimental study followed ninth graders who were reading significantly below grade level. In addition, RAAL has been used successfully in English language development classes, with students reading at and above grade level, and in grades 6-12. Many middle schools use RAAL schoolwide, to provide a literacy and engagement advantage for all students.

Revisions to the RAAL Course are underway!

The Reading Apprenticeship team at WestEd is working on an exciting update to the Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy (RAAL) curriculum and professional development, supported by a 2024-2028 EIR grant. This grant project includes designing, piloting, and evaluating the effectiveness of RAAL with 8th and 9th graders in multiple states.

With updates underway, the current RAAL materials are only available to existing clients.

How to Order

Schools and educators currently implementing a RAAL Course can order RAAL materials by contacting Diane Lee at [email protected].

Visit the Reading Apprenticeship website to learn more about the Reading Apprenticeship research base and professional development services for middle school, high school, and community college teachers.