Unlocking Student Success with Mission Possible

Engaging Reading, Thinking, and Writing Strategies for the Classroom

As teachers, we’re always searching for resources that do more than just “cover the curriculum.” We want tools that get students excited about learning, build their confidence, and help them develop the skills they need to succeed. For me, Mission Possible has become one of those resources.

Written by Johanne Proulx, Renée Bourgoin, and Lesley Doell, Mission Possible offers a collection of high-interest, high-support texts. The series isn’t just about helping students read—it’s about getting them to think, question, and engage with texts in meaningful ways.

Here are some of the strategies I’ve used in my classroom:

1. Strengthening Reading Comprehension & Strategy Practice

Each Mission Possible text is carefully structured to support comprehension while encouraging deeper thinking. I like to:

• Model comprehension strategies during guided reading, such as predicting, questioning, summarizing, and making inferences.
  
  
• Teach annotation skills by having students underline key details, circle unfamiliar words, and jot quick notes in the margins.
  
  
• Use graphic organizers like cause-and-effect charts, story maps, and main idea/detail charts to help students organize their thinking.

2. Fostering Collaboration Through Small-Group & Partner Activities

One thing I’ve noticed is that my students are more engaged when they’re learning with each other. Mission Possible texts work well for collaborative reading activities such as:

• Partner Reading – Students take turns reading paragraphs and checking each other’s understanding.
  
  
• Jigsaw Reading – Groups read different sections of a text, then teach the key ideas to the rest of the class.
  
  
• Think-Pair-Share – I pose a guiding question, students discuss their ideas with a partner, and then we bring the conversation back to the whole group.

3. Building Vocabulary Knowledge

Strong vocabulary supports strong comprehension, and Mission Possible integrates vocabulary learning seamlessly. Here’s what has worked in my class room:

• Creating a vocabulary word wall featuring important and challenging words from the texts.
  
  
• Encouraging students to keep a personal glossary where they record new words, definitions, and example sentences.
  
  
• Incorporating quick vocabulary games—like “Guess My Word” or “Vocabulary Charades”—to reinforce understanding in a fun way.

4. Connecting Reading to Writing

I like using Mission Possible texts as mentor texts to inspire and guide student writing. They give us so many opportunities to explore different writing styles and text features, such as:

• Informational features like headings, captions, and sidebars.
  
  
• Persuasive and narrative techniques that students can emulate in their own writing.
  
  
• Built-in writing prompts that encourage personal reflections, journal responses, and creative compositions.

5. Developing Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving Skills

One of my favourite things about Mission Possible is the built-in “mission” or challenge included in each text. These tasks encourage students to:

• Gather evidence directly from the text.
  
  
• Use critical thinking to analyze information.
  
  
• Work in teams to discuss and test different solutions.
  
  
• Present their findings to the class.

With its engaging texts, flexible teaching strategies, and focus on critical literacy skills, Mission Possible has helped me create a classroom where students are active, curious, and excited to learn. It’s adaptable to support diverse learners and structured enough to keep lessons focused and purposeful. There is a teachers guide to support educators as well.

A comment from one of my grade 6 students:

“I like that we are learning things that other people might not know about… I mean, who has heard of la fourmi panda?”