Reading in content areas such as science requires that students read and understand expository texts. Expository texts are characterized by dense factual information, multisyllabic technical vocabulary, complex and interconnected sentences, and predictable rhetorical routines including description, collection, compare/contrast, problem/solution, and causation. The 2006 report of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) indicated that average proficiencies of 15-year-old Qatari students in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy are among the lowest observed in the 57 countries that participated in the assessment (p.41). This research proposes an interventional study of reading comprehension among middle school science students in independent schools in Qatar. The research includes design, implementation, and determination of the impact of professional development to enhance strategic teaching of reading science texts by science teachers. This research has three major goals: 1) describe current science reading materials, student strategy use, and instructional practices; 2) design six professional development modules based on the insights from the first phase that train science teachers to model and encourage effective reading strategies; and 3) implement a professional development program that will lead to improved science learning by Qatari middle-grade students.