An estimated 773 million teens and adults worldwide cannot read above a basic level, according to UNESCO. For schools, the challenge is especially urgent among older students who need foundational reading support but are often disengaged by materials designed for younger children.
Developed by the literacy experts at Storyshares, Literacy Intervention for Teens (LIFT) is a research-based literacy intervention program built specifically for striving readers in grades 5–12. Grounded in structured literacy principles, LIFT combines explicit decoding and fluency instruction with age-appropriate, high-interest texts that help students build skills, confidence, and motivation.
The program features decodable chapter books and accessible high-low texts written specifically for adolescents, paired with fluency passages, vocabulary supports, decoding resources, and student workbooks that reinforce learning and support progress monitoring.
For students, 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.
Early implementation results have been strong. In intensive summer school and after-school intervention pilots, 58% of students improved their reading level by more than half a school year, while 45% accelerated their literacy skills by one or more full grade levels. Initial data also showed older high-risk students, including rising ninth graders, successfully transitioning out of remedial tracks and into general education classes after completing program pathways.
Designed for literacy interventionists, Special Education teachers, MLL/ESL educators, ELA teachers, and school leaders, LIFT includes live onboarding, adaptable lesson plans, a phonics-based scope and sequence, and ongoing professional learning support.
By combining evidence-based instruction with stories that resonate with teens, LIFT helps schools address one of education’s most persistent challenges: helping older struggling readers become confident, independent learners. Learn more.
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