Integrating Literacy in the Content Areas

Laurie GregoryOctober 25, 2013

What do the Common Core Literacy Standards say students should do?

• Read complex texts closely• Make evidence-based claims• Support claims with details• Write effectively• Do research

How often do you integrate literacy?

• Every day• Every week• Every month• Every unit• Every quarter• Every year• Not often at all

Do a Close Reading

• Do a close reading of the introduction to “Foregrounding the Disciplines in Secondary Literacy Teaching and Learning: A Call for Change” by Elizabeth Birr Moje

Discussion

• Re-read the first two paragraphs.• What type of text is this?

Discussion

• What is the author’s thesis?• What is disciplinary literacy?

Discussion

• Re-read paragraphs 3-5.• What are the three reasons the author gives

for stating her thesis?• How is she going to structure the rest of the

piece to support her thesis?

What is close reading?• Engaging with a text of sufficient complexity directly • Examining meaning thoroughly and methodically• Reading and rereading• Understanding the central ideas and key supporting details• Reflecting on:• the meanings of individual words and sentences• the order in which sentences unfold • the development of ideas over the course of the text

• Ultimately arriving at an understanding of the text as a whole (PARCC, 2011, p.7)

How to Support Students

Basic Lesson StructureBeginner Intermediate Advanced

1. The teacher reads the text out loud to students without stopping to give them a sense of the overall plot or main idea.

1. The students read the text silently one time through to get a sense of the overall plot or main idea.

1. The student reads the text silently one time through to get a sense of the overall plot or main idea.

2. The teacher re-reads small chunks of the text at a time and asks discussion questions. The students may work in pairs first, but answers are shared with the whole group.

2. Teacher re-reads small chunks of the text out loud and asks discussion questions. Students may discuss the questions as a whole group, in pairs, or small groups.

2. The student re-reads small chunks of the text at a time, stopping to make notes, underline key points, and ask himself questions.

3. The students and teacher develop a written response to a prompt together.

3. The students write a written response to a prompt independently.

3. The student writes a response to a prompt and provides evidence from the text in his answer.

Text Dependent QuestionsRequire students to…• Cite evidence• Determine the central idea• Analyze how the author structures the text and

develops ideas/claims• Determine the meanings of words and phrases• Determine the point of view or purpose

(From the Common Core Standards)

Think for a minute about the students currently enrolled in your class. It is possible that a good number of them could be so inspired by you and the learning that takes place in your course that they decide to pursue a college major and career in your content area.

How will these students use literacy skills in college and/or a

career in your content area? What does literacy look like in your

content area?

For History or Social Studies

• Primary or Secondary Source Document• Complex set of ideas or events, possibly an

argument• Unique, complex structure• Integrates charts, data, etc.• Academic Vocabulary

For Science, Health, FACS, and Technical Subjects

• Explains a complex process or experiment or makes claims with evidence

• Outlines a complex procedure for students to follow (i.e. lab)

• Symbols, key domain-specific terms and concepts• Complex structure and relationships between

concepts,• Includes data, charts, tables, etc.• Academic Vocabulary

Your Tasks:

• Design a protocol for close reading and evidence based writing in your content area.

• Create a calendar of what is currently being done to integrate reading and writing in your content area.

• Explore some of the resources available on engageny.org.

• Create a lesson that involves close reading and evidence-based writing.