Abstract Learning to read in the content areas is a critically important skill that students must be taught. Educators must teach students the specific skills and strategies necessary so that they are able to read, write, comprehend, and critique information from many different sources. If American students are going to be successful, literate individuals who are able to compete in our global society, educators must find the initiative to have students learn specific reading strategies that will help them to understand and comprehend content area material. Reading in the Content Areas in the Elementary Grades Most people would agree that learning to read is a stepping stone to further educational pursuits for elementary school students. Unfortunately, reading proficiency in the United States of America by adolescent students indicates that there may actually be a problem of epidemic proportions in this nation. Two national reports- A Nation at Risk and the Report Card from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - indicate that there is indeed a crisis in our nation concerning students and literacy achievement. Recent data from the 2007 NAEP Report Card indicates that students’ achievement in reading and literacy skills has not positively changed for more than twenty years (as cited in Jacobs, 2008). While these statistics may seem bleak, there are some contributing factors that can be changed to help minimize these issues. The literature that I reviewed for this paper demonstrates the effectiveness of teaching reading strategies in the content areas as early as elementary school. This paper, will examine why and how effective elementary content area literacy may help to undo this d... ... middle of paper ... ... heart of a story. Teaching Pre K-8, 66-67. Moss, B. (2005). Making a case and a place for effective content area literacy instruction in the elementary grades. The Reading Teacher, 59(1), 46-55. doi: 10.1598/RT.59.1.5 Moustafa, B. M. (1999). Content area reading: summary of reference papers. Long Beach, CA: California State University. (ERIC Document ED 427297) Olson, M. W., & Gee, T. C. (1991). Content reading instruction in the primary grades: perceptions and strategies. The Reading Teacher, 45(4), 298- 307. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9201061227&site=ehost-live Trinkle, C. (2009). Reading for meaning: making connections and searching for answers. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 25(6), 48-50. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=36216924&site=ehost-live
Vacca, Richard T., Vacca, Jo Anna L., and Mraz, Maryann (2011). Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum(10th Edition). Boston: Pearson.
Burns, Paul C.,Roe, Betty D., and Ross, Elinor P. (1992). Teaching Reading in Todays Elementary Schools. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
...ilding Reading Proficiency at the Secondary Level: A Guide to Resources." Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (2001): 1-150. ERIC-Education Resources Information Center. Web. 17 Feb 2011.
Overall, teachers need to take into account all six critical areas of reading when teaching. No matter the subject or time constraints, teachers need to incorporate all areas into the curriculum. Reading is a complex process. If a student does not know to read, a student will never to be able to achieve their best. When using all six areas teachers are using a balanced literacy approach and create greater success for students to succeed in reading and writing.
Slavin, R., Cheung, A., Groff, C., & Lake, C. (2008). Effective reading programs for middle and high schools: A best-evidence synthesis. Reading Research Quarterly, 43(3), 290-322.
In class, we have been focusing on the explanation of what Literacy III: Research and Pedagogy in Content Area Literacy actually means. Content Area Literacy is defined by as “the ability to use reading and writing for the acquisition of new content in a given discipline” (McKenna and Robinson 1990). Because of the explanation of the class, I feel as if I am learning about the background and deepening my knowledge and understanding of the class as a whole. Content Area Literacy gives each subject areas a reason to include reading strategies in those lessons. These subject areas include mathematics, science, history, and English (Hodges 2015). When you can include reading strategies in these lessons, you are expanding student’s horizons and giving them multiple exposures. I think that this is extremely beneficial in the all classrooms. As for the negatives on Content Area Literacy, it should be noted that teachers should not only focus on reading during the other subject areas. Teachers need to have a medial balance between the content area and the literacy strategies
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. L., & Mraz, M. (2011). Content area reading: Literacy and learning
My first impression after reading the title of the article “Three Views of Content-Area Literacy: Making Inroads, Making it Inclusive, and Making up for Lost Time,” was that this was going to be an article entirely about the importance about using literature within a given content area. I believed that the three sections could be translated into the uses of content area literacy in the future of education, making content literacy included into base curriculum, and how to do all of this in a limited amount of time. After reading the entire article, it came to my attention that because of my assumptions I was just like the teachers burying their faces in the newspaper and disregarding the importance of the information placed in front of them (Hoffman, Topping, Wenrich, 2006, p. 159). Upperclassman from my area of content had discussed with me the lack of value that a class about content area literacy would provide for someone who would go on to teach ensembles in secondary institutions or higher. I now know that these views are equal to those of the ignorant teachers from the first story in the article. We believe that as content specialists that the concepts of reading and writing have no place to be taught in our classrooms, however the article has helped me realize that as future educators we need to put down the paper and listen to what is really being said about content area literacy.
A comprehensive approach to literacy instruction is when reading and writing are integrated. This happens by connecting reading, writing, comprehension, and good children’s literature. A comprehensive approach to literacy should focus on the many different aspects of reading and writing in order to improve literacy instruction. This includes teachers supporting a comprehensive literacy instructional program by providing developmentally appropriate activities for children. Comprehensive literacy approaches incorporate meaning based skills for children by providing them with the environment needed for literacy experiences. This includes having a print rich classroom where children are exposed to charts, schedules, play related print, and
In this paper, I will analyze reading strategies for the content area of language arts in a fifth grade class. Reading comprehension is one of the most critical skills a student can master. Without a firm grasp on the comprehension process, learners will struggle in every subject they encounter, whether it’s science, math, or social studies as well as everyday living skills. The content areas typically included disciplines like science, social studies/history and math, but any area outside of English literature instruction constitutes a content area. The reading associated with content area courses reflects not only the concepts and ideas important to these subjects, but also the text structures used by those practicing the field.
It is a “reading world” we live in and students should be guaranteed every opportunity to succeed in this information driven society. Children today are overwhelmed with more reading material than ever before on billboard, television, the Internet and at school, causing reading to become a relevant and essential need in the life of every child (Lumpkin 1972). Being able to read has become the core of our information driven society. Yet, reading difficulties continue to plague the foundation of our education system creating a problem that only seems to be escalating. Hasselbring affirms that reading difficulties are a serious concern to our nation’s students claiming that, “as many as 20 percent of 17 year olds... [are] functionally illiterate and 44 percent of all high school students…[are] described as semi-illiterate”(2004). This is a harsh reality to face – a reality that stems from difficulties developed at the elementary level where reading complications arise and usually go unchecked. These reading difficulties are carri...
Chapters four and five in Content Area Reading and Literacy and Do I Really have to Teach Reading details the importance of assessments, describes before reading strategies, characterizes diverse accessible texts, and defining a purpose for reading. Chapter four in Content Area Reading and Literacy focuses on different forms of assessments, how assessments are utilized in the classroom, and explains why assessment are a necessity. In chapter 4 of Content Area Reading and Literacy, and chapter four and five of Do I Really have to Teach Reading, the authors express the need for prior knowledge before reading, they outline the criteria for providing a wide variety of reading materials, and the chapters set the foundation for aiding students in
comprehension instruction: A comparison of instruction for strategies and content approaches ―[Electronic version]. Reading Research Quarterly, 44(3), 218–253.