LIFT Literacy Intervention: Your Top Questions, Answered
Striving readers in middle and high school often fall through the cracks—not because they can't learn, but because they need the right kind of support. LIFT, Storyshares’ Literacy Intervention for Teens, is here to bridge that gap. If you're considering LIFT for your school or classroom, this FAQ will address common questions. If you have additional questions about how LIFT works, please reach out to info@storyshares.org.
What is LIFT?
LIFT (Literacy Intervention for Teens) is a targeted Tier 2 intervention program designed to help middle and high school students improve their decoding and fluency skills. Unlike early literacy programs that focus on phonological awareness, LIFT is tailored for students who already have basic phonics knowledge but are not yet fluent readers.
Who is LIFT for?
LIFT is ideal for students who:
- Recognize letter-sound correspondence
- Need review of decoding skills and syllable types
- Struggle with reading fluently, accurately, and confidently
*It is not intended for students requiring Tier 3 intensive intervention or those still working on phonemic awareness.
What materials are included in the LIFT program?
Educator Materials
- Educator Manual
- Sound-Keyword Cards
- Vocabulary Cards
- Book Club Role Cards
- These First Letters Middle School Decodable Chapter Book Set with Educator Companion
- 4 Compelling Storyshares High-Low Paperbacks
- White Boards and Dry Erase Markers
Consumables
- Student workbook for decoding
- Student workbook for fluency
*These resources are designed to make planning simple and instruction impactful, providing both structure and flexibility for intervention settings.
How should I group students for LIFT?
LIFT works best in homogeneous small groups of 4–6 students. Students should be grouped based on their specific needs in decoding and fluency, using any available classroom or diagnostic reading data.
Targeted grouping ensures that instruction is focused, meaningful, and appropriately paced for all learners.
Does LIFT come with assessments?
In an effort to not over-assess older striving readers, we work with schools in the initial implementation sessions to align LIFT with the assessments they already use.
Every LIFT lesson does include formative assessments and opportunities for corrective feedback based on those assessments.
Is LIFT a full-year curriculum?
LIFT is modular and flexible, making it easy to integrate into your existing intervention schedule. It can be used as a semester-long intervention or extended throughout the school year, depending on student needs and available time.
What timeframe do you recommend per lesson?
The instructional routines are designed for 30-minute-long lessons (a minimum, not a maximum). The lessons and student workbooks come with extension activities and ways to connect the lessons to core instruction, intended to support teachers and students who teach longer class periods.
*We've piloted LIFT in both summer and after school programs with great success, so if you have more than 30 minutes/day you can combine lessons and move through it more quickly!
How do I fit it into my schedule?
LIFT works well for an intervention period, small group instruction, a WIN period, or during after school/summer programming.
Can LIFT be used in general education classrooms?
LIFT can be used in any setting where small group instruction takes place. This can be in an ICT classroom, during Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS), newcomer and multilingual learner classrooms, “What I Need” (WIN) periods, and designated intervention blocks.
Can I use LIFT if I haven't been trained in reading intervention?
Yes! LIFT is for literacy interventionists, Special Education teachers, MLL/ESL teachers, ELA teachers who are doing tier 2 intervention... and more! If you are brand-new to teaching reading/literacy intervention, we have a PD recommendation that perfecly aligns with LIFT.
How many lessons are included in LIFT?
LIFT includes 35 decoding lessons and 60 fluency lessons. Students who start with decoding lessons can eventually progress to the fluency lessons, which also include decoding work.
Where can I learn more or purchase LIFT?
Visit the official Storyshares product page for LIFT to purchase the program, and for additional details. Whether you're supporting one struggling reader or an entire grade level, LIFT is here to help you unlock literacy for every student.
Have more questions? Reach out to us at sales@storyshares.org—we’d love to help you find the right fit for your students' literacy journey.