Authentic Literacy Strategies for Content-Area Teachers:
Practical Tools to Enhance Achievement for All Students
Slide 2
Why is this important? Global information economy requires
advanced literacy skills. One of seven U.S. adults is functionally
illiterate. Reading skills = key achievement predictor in all
subjects, especially math and science. When students read
effectively, teachers can teach more in-depth content in less time.
Content learning and reading/writing to learn are deeply
intertwined.
Slide 3
Issues to consider... Teachers waste an extraordinary amount of
literacy-instruction time on activities that have marginal effect
on students literacy development (Schmoker). The Montillation of
Traxoline Red Square Question
Slide 4
Red Square Question ... It wasnt like it was spread all over
the place, like you had to read it. It was just like, if the red
square question was here, you knew it was somewhere around that
area, right there. And you could just look for the answer and copy
it down and you got full credit for it. So you didnt have to read.
It was something that you could like slide by without them knowing.
I dont know if they cared or not, but thats the way everybody did
it. You see the red square question and you sort of calculate where
its around, you find the answer, and you write it down, and thats
it. ~Rosa, 9 th grader, describing her experiences reading history
(Leem 17).
Slide 5
What works? work to make meaning Develop students abilities to
work to make meaning from what they read. in tandem Teaching
content knowledge and reading strategies in tandem through a
process of explicit instruction, guided practice, independent
practice (NIL 55-56). Daily literacy practice integrated with
content instruction and technology in all classrooms.
Slide 6
What successful strategies/procedures are you currently using
that marry content and literacy ? Summarize your departments ideas
in the Current Practices discussion (click that subject) on the
wikispace discussion tab. In the subject line, add the department
name. In the reply section, summarize ideas in response to the
above question. Be sure to click Post to add your discussion
comment.Current Practices
Slide 7
Practical Strategy #1: Close/Strategic Reading Close/Strategic
Reading Reading with discipline-specific purposes with selected
short passages; promotes fluency and deep
understandingdiscipline-specific purposes short passages Modeling
think alouds, meaning making, expert readers Encourages readers to
ask questions Builds vocabulary skills with pre-teaching new words
Modeling and practice easily integrated with technology; MS Word
(highlight, thesaurus, comment, symbols)integrated with technology
Repeated practice internalizes skills. Practice is so powerful it
changes the brain. Reciprocal teaching model, NIL 57-58; Think
Alouds, NIL 49
Slide 8
How can you use the close reading strategies to develop
content? Summarize your departments ideas in the Close Reading
discussion (click that subject) on the wikispace discussion tab. In
the subject line, add the department name. In the reply section,
summarize ideas in response to the above question. Be sure to click
Post to add your discussion comment.Close Reading
Slide 9
Practical Strategy: Active Reading Students work to make
meaning of discipline- focused texts to build knowledge over time.
Shift responsibility for thinking and making sense of texts to
students themselves through guided supports.
Slide 10
Practical Strategy #2: Active Reading with Graphic Organizers
Helps students organize concepts during and after reading
Contributes to development of critical analysis and reading skills
Integrates with range of technology: MS Word: Insert Smart Art
(note relationship categories) MS Word Inspiration (on all CFF
laptops) Inspiration Webspiration (collaborative resource)
Webspiration NIL 24, 50-53
Slide 11
Practical Strategy #3: Question-Answer Relationships (QAR )
Types of QuestionsQuestions Models/guides students to generate
questions Supports strategies that work Used before/during/after
readingreading NIL 20-21
Slide 12
Practical Strategy #4: Student-Generated Charts Reflection
Chart Inference Chart Inquiry Chart, NIL 54 MS Word tables, charts
SmartNotebook tables
Slide 13
Practical Strategy #5: Bookmarks/Reaction Guides Anticipation
Guide, NIL 54 (for key ideas for inquiry during reading and
re-visit after reading) Similar strategy incorporated in
before/during/after interactive bookmarks
Slide 14
Practical Strategy #6: Active Reading Post-Its To annotate
texts: Pose questions Mark main ideas Make predictions Mark
reactions
Slide 15
Practical Strategy #7:Note taking Generalizations and
Recommendations Verbatim note taking=least effective way to take
notes. Give teacher-prepared notes to students to annotate. Notes
should be considered a work in progress. Notes should be used as
study guides for tests. The more authentic note taking, the better.
Have students practice a variety of note-taking formats and
combination notes: Inspiration Templates Inspiration Templates
PowerPoint (notes on bottom, view notes page)
Slide 16
Practical Strategy #8:Vocabulary Pre-teaching in context (see
close reading) Window pane Word splash: all words in one paragraph
rather than unrelated sentences Word map, NIL 59
Slide 17
Practical Strategy #9: Writing to Learn What not to do: Not
worksheets, not vapid questions at the end of the selection, not
canned formulas (Schmoker). What works: Writing to learn Writing to
disclose learning Writing to express opinions Writing to
connect
Slide 18
Writing to Learn Diverse demands of content areas: lab report
example Paragraph: basic unit to develop chain of logic Managing
this challenge of daily writing: Collins Writing Program.docx;
Collins online:The Collins Writing Program; Other examples Collins
Writing Program.docxThe Collins Writing Program Other examples
Quickwrites, exit slips MS Word; Office Live; Wiki discussion
Analytical and persuasive writing for advancing critical reasoning:
estimating (similarities/differences), synthesis
paperestimatingsynthesis paper Purposeful writing: real world
relevance (project based, math, simulations, iEARN )
simulationsiEARN
Slide 19
Authentic Literacy Across-the-Curriculum Benefits Repetition of
strategy or skills in different contexts and with different
texts... contributes to the improvement of adolescent literacy
skills (NIL 39). Thoughtful reading, writing, and discussion in
redundant abundance, promote faster, more enduring achievement
gains on state assessments than quick-fix approaches
(Schmoker).
Slide 20
How can you use active reading and writing to learn strategies
to develop content? Summarize your departments ideas in the Reading
and Writing to Learn discussion (click that subject) on the
wikispace discussion tab. In the subject line, note the department
name. In the reply section, summarize ideas in response to the
above question. Be sure to click Post to add the discussion
comment. Reading and Writing to Learn
Slide 21
Works Consulted Leem, C.D.; Spratley, A. Reading in the
Disciplines: The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy. New York:
Carnegie Corporation, 2009. National Institute for Literacy. What
Content-Area Teachers Should Know about Adolescent Literacy.
Washington: NICHD, US Department of Education, 2007. Pitler,
Howard, et al. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that
Works. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
(McRel), 2007. Schmoker, Mike. Radically Redefining Literacy
Instruction: An Immense Opportunity. Phi Delta Kappan 88.7 (2007):
488-93. Time To Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy
for College and Career Success. New York: Carnegie Corporation,
2009. VanDeWeghe, Rick. Research Matters: Authentic Literacy and
Student Achievement. English Journal 97:6 (2008): 105-108.