Content Area Literacy Analysis

Content area teachers can implement strategies and scaffold learning when planning and designing instruction so that students will actively engage in literacy. According to Dobbs, content area reading instruction includes: the information present in the text, and the instructional plan teachers use to help students understand the content (2003, p.3). Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz explain that in order to plan instruction effectively, teachers must be aware of the explicit and functional dimensions of content literacy. The explicit aspect of content literacy involves the development of skills and strategies that enable students to comprehend what they are reading. Functional instruction focuses more on the application of strategies needed to derive knowledge from a variety of sources of information.” (2014, p. 134). Forget defined literacy as “listening, thinking, reading, and speaking in such a way that information and ideas are processed and communicated to the benefit of self and society” (2003, p. 5). Content area teachers need to plan and design lessons so that students will actively engage in literacy. Forget goes on to discuss that poor performance in schools can be do to a lack of basic literacy skills. Therefore, teachers need to implement the skills and strategies found to be successful in literacy to ensure

Having a solid grasp of the concepts that build up to content area literacy is extremely important. In fact, I believe that it is my duty as an educator to have a complete understanding of the different processes and how to apply them into my lesson plans. If I were to ignore them, it would definitely hinder my effectiveness as a teacher and in turn my students' education. Understanding the concept of connecting to text, for example, could turn a boring lesson that students will forget as soon as they leave the classroom into a lesson that sticks with them for the rest of their life.

Over all, her work has been cited 440 times in other scholarly works. Considered a reliable source among her peers, her writing consists of analyzing what is hot and not in common core literacy standards, the utilization of pattern books in the classroom, reading techniques for mentally or physically disabled students, utilizing Pinterest as a tool in developing content knowledge, and diagnostic and correction of reading habits. Additionally, in 2007 Grote-Garcia contributed to a scholarly article on professional resources. Furthermore, several of her articles have been published Literacy Today. The submission process for Literacy Today simply involves an individual submitting a question, pitch, or article to the provided email on their website on Literacy Today’s website (December). Overall, Stephanie Grote-Garcia’s professional opinion is that educators need to stay on top of the hottest trends in literacy development and comprehension building in the classroom (Google Scholar). This includes the utilization of pattern books, reevaluating common core’s literacy impact on struggling readers, and developing a student’s knowledge base in struggling readers. Throughout all the material that she has contributed to, all possess the common thread of developing literacy skills in students.

All of the topics that have been covered so far in class have all interconnected in one way or another. Learner development, knowledge transformation, and connecting to text are all foundations that lean upon each other in order to surmount and achieve the goal of content area literacy (Hodges, 2015). Content area literacy alone is extremely important, but it requires the aforementioned applied skills in order to be successful. Personally, I consider these concepts to create a fantastic base for students and teachers to build towards content area literacy. Obviously, a student needs to be able to connect to the given text in order to be interested in it, which aids in retaining the information gleaned. Learner development is fairly self-explanatory;

This unequal learning schedule “backfires in later grades, when children’s lack of subject matter knowledge impedes comprehension” (3). It has a bad effect on the future of students because if they do not know about the text they are reading then it is much more difficult for them to understand it. Also, understanding the importance of knowledge about the text should have administrators thinking about how the year-end standardized testing is presented. “If the topics are random, the test weights knowledge learned outside of the classroom.” Standardized testing should be on the subjects that are learned in school, the topics shouldn’t be abstract and require the test taker to have background knowledge that they may not have. Also, new learning standards should prioritize the building of knowledge. “The Common Core Standards for reading specify nearly nothing by way of content that children are supposed to know - the document valorizes reading skills.” Common Core standards don’t let students get the knowledge they really need to excel in literacy. Reading is affected from the moment it is first taught and can have a bad outcome for later generations if not taught

While reading "Literacy Matters" it came to my attention a teachers role in the class should include teaching students different forms of skills whether they might be conceptual, literacy skills, or strategies that can be enforced in every subject. Being literate in today's world is important in order to enhance the students communication skills, knowledge and comprehension of our lesson. Effective teaching is when a teacher knows his/her content, can explain the process, follows the Common Core State Standards and differentiates their instruction with the content being introduced in a lassroom setting. Effective teachers must challenge the students in their class by letting them engage and explore with the content that way the students can

This chapter opened my eyes to a variety of things to consider when students are learning to read and write. I never heard of these eight principles that lay the foundation for literacy instruction prior to reading this chapter. One prevalent theme in these principles is the idea of giving students some control over their learning through collaborative or independent assignments. I’m in favor of this because a classroom where the teacher is the central focus for instruction is boring.

The Common Core allows students to be enhanced thinkers by sanctioning them to critically evaluate and make conclusions rather than memorizing the meaning of literary terms and characters (Cameron, A19). This enhances students’ skills and permits them to participate in a more active learning role. The Common Core demands more from students, in which students have to live up to those standards. With the Common Core, teachers have to “ensure that every child is thinking, participating, inquiring, and working with others … and discovering” (Cameron, A19). Under the Common Core, students nationwide will gain the same knowledge and skills as others required for future jobs.

Grade 4 Literacy and Math assessment samples are based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These samples offer a bird’s eye view of the comprehensive expectations that have been set for student academic performance in preparation for college and careers. For instance, students are asked to engage in reading both literary and informational text followed by answering arduous questions that demonstrate their critical thinking abilities. The sample items mirrored skills taught under the CCSS under the standards of Reading Literature (RL), Reading Informational text (RI) and Writing (W). There were samples of Narrative Writing Tasks, Research Tasks, and Literary Analysis Tasks in literacy. Sample tasks connected to standards such as RL/RI. 4.1 and 4.10 in which 4th grade students need to read a grade appropriate, complex anchor text which serves as a main source to respond to. Students are asked to answer multiple choice questions along with open-ended and performance-based tasks/writings where they use their skills and knowledge to

Literacy is a fundamental social skill in our life. Many past studies of adult literacy have tried to count the “low literacy” in the U.S, evaluating literacy as a simple checklist that individuals either do or do not have, however, the definition of the literacy are still argued in the teaching field that many researchers think it’s too simple to narrow down the literacy into rigid categories.

Kane (2008) explained that 40 percent of high school graduates lack the literacy skills necessary for employment. By teaching effective literacy strategies in content area learning, teachers can foster “deeper understandings of texts and increase students’ ability to generate ideas and knowledge for their own uses” (Kane, 2008, p. 3). Using literature in the content areas to increase literacy enhances

Literacy can be used in many other subjects other than in a Language Arts class, such as mathematics, science, and social studies. Literacy skills are being integrated into class instruction across the curriculum. Literacy skill can be used as a tool of thinking and learning by the students in a mathematics, social studies, and science classroom. The use of literacy in these subjects has become highly important in education. This literature review will address the following themes:

According to the Children’s Literacy Foundation, one out of six children who do not read at their respective age level by the end of third grade will not graduate from high school. This reality is not only disturbing but also highlights the undisputable relationship between reading and further learning. Without the proper foundation that reading lays, children will simply fall through the shaky structure below them towards a life of poverty and, surprisingly often, crime. Furthermore, in my not so humble opinion reading, along with general literacy, is the bridge between the schoolyard and the “real” world. Unfortunately, kids, tweens, teens, and adults often burn that bridge in favor of other activities, such

Teachers need a great philosophy of education, which includes a great philosophy of literacy. The philosophy of literacy contains two parts, which are the philosophy of reading and the philosophy of writing. Every teacher has their own belief in what constitutes a great literacy program. “Balanced reading is deep-rooted in the belief that teachers should constantly be aware of student individual needs and progress” (Bennett, n.d.). I will be discussing my philosophy of reading and my beliefs on what constitutes a great reading program.

pedagogical content knowledge is the transformation of subject matter, pedagogical, and contextual knowledge into a unique form, which is called the transformative model. The transformative model implies that these initial knowledge bases are inextricably combined into a new form of knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, in which the