How Important is Teaching Literacy in All Content Areas?

I have been teaching for three years, and the idea of literacy education in all core contents is a must! I currently teach Eighth Grade Special Education English; therefore, literacy is a part of my everyday teaching. Literacy also plays a large role in the other core contents in our school. The students are provided with ample opportunities to speak, read, write, and listen to new ideas and build upon prior knowledge. The students also partake in a class titled, Communication Arts, in which the students learn and improve their communication skills from public speaking to drama, journalism, and more. The students seem to enjoy the class while improving their literacy skills. Furthermore, one area that I find to be very important in today's technological world is improving students communication via email and the internet. I cannot tell you how many emails I receive with the "words" "U, bc, and ttyl" scattered throughout. I personally feel the need to teach my students how to write coherent and appropriate emails in addition to the other literacy instruction.

Rebecca is on to something true. Too many "literacy" teachers only teach decoding. Decoding skills are best taught between ages 5 and 8. The rest of the time students need to be focusing on understanding what they are reading. This is, after all, the purpose of reading...to UNDERSTAND. Before age 5 children's brains are hard-wired to learn new vocabulary in order to name what they are doing and what they see. They try to speak in order to say what they know.

When children are sitting still, quietly, and looking at the teacher they are doing very little and seeing only the teacher. When they are not allowed to speak, they have no opportunity to say what they think they know. If their parents do not use much language with them and neither the parents nor the teachers listen to them, students tune out.

A classic example of misguided "teaching literacy" for preK to age 7 is the teaching of phonics to 3 year olds for lengthy periods during the day. At this age children need to learn the whole word and what it means. They can play with the sounds of a word in songs and silly games, but they need to be talked with and listened to. Adults need to name what the child is doing so the child has the vocabulary to describe what he has learned from what he is doing. Later the child will use that vocabulary to understand what he is reading.

Teaching the daily calendar is a second misguided series of lessons. If children attend day care or preK from age 3, most of them are subjected to daily 20 minute lessons on days of the week, seasons of the year and weather. There is abundant research showing that the majority of children do not have a sense of time until age seven. In 300 days per year times 20 minutes of calendar a day, a young child has sat through 100 hours a year listening to a calendar lesson he is developmentally unable to understand. After 4 years of such lessons (age 3-7), a child has spent 66 six-hour days listening to calendar instruction he has no understanding of.

I believe that through making children sit still at these early years and listen to the teacher teach phonics and calendar, we are actually teaching them to NOT LISTEN and NOT UNDERSTAND. Word knowledge and understanding are critical literacy skills that require sophisticated forms of teaching. Children must be actively involved in developing vocabulary. Because textbook companies find it much easier to explain phonics lessons and because the calendar salesman was so effective we are ignoring two fundamental building blocks of real literacy from the very beginning.

With regard to Jimmy's comment, "...do not push this idea down to all subjects because, been there done that and it doesn't work," I must respectfully disagree. If you are saying that literacy instruction in a content classroom hinders students' knowledge or learning of the subject matter, you are ill-informed. Students can only truly understand any content through the application of literacy skills. It is these very skills that allow students to process text/information. When students, through scaffolded instruction, learn to effectively preview text, access prior knowledge and question throughout text, it facilitates connections between what they currently understand and what new information they are taking in. This process, along with a wealth of other speaking, listening, reading and writing techniques accounts for learning that "sticks."
Sue

I agree that the more students use reading, writing, and speaking in all content areas the more their critical thinking abilities and understanding of new material will increase. However many students do not learn effective literacy skills to begin with. This is a great way to advance literacy skills, but many students still need more effective basic literacy instruction. i've read several news articles lately about how low reading scores are across the nation. Before we focus on advancing literacy skills, many students need teachers to focus on helping them understand the basics. If not they fall behind in every subject and lack necessary skills: "3 Ways Poor Reading Skills Impact 68% of 4th Graders">

I agree that using reading, writing, and speaking in correlation to every subject would help students improve their critical thinking abilities and help them understand what they are learning. Of course it shouldn't be the entire focus of literacy promotion- there are still many students that haven't even gained the skills they need to be able to read or write. Before trying to get students to use literacy skills to boost their learning in every area, teachers should first focus on ensuring students gain those skills in the first place. The news has covered a lot of articles about low reading scores lately: "3 Ways Poor Reading Skills Impact 68% of 4th Graders"

What about computer literacy? It's becoming just as vital as reading, writing, and speaking literacy.

Why is computer literacy important? Here is why: Computer Literacy is Literacy

I define literacy as a 'mode of delivery' - its the way all things are taught and understood. We use it all the time. Each subject area has its own literacy - its own vocabulary, if you will - and that is what should be focused on. I find the generic term and use of literacy way too broad and it confused teachers. They say "I teach literacy" - well, really, no you don't. Literacy is not a subject.

I think we need to be reminded again and again of the 5-8 minutes of student listening means it is time for 2-3 minutes of student conversation/feedback/action for students to retain information and stay engaged. STANDING UP our instruction so students interact with each other and the text is challenging to orchestrate at first, but once you try it, you'll quickly see how much more engaged and deeper the student conversation will be. Keeping the conversation FOCUSED is the most significant challenge: setting up the INQUIRY QUESTION is essential! Having a meaningful objective for the lesson and activities is a must. And, being willing to give up "control" of the room for 2-3 minutes (or more!) does mean one or two (or more!) children may be "off task", but they will be drawn in if the lesson keeps moving forward in a meaningful way, challenging them to think and come to their own conclusions. Sometimes what you overhear that sounds "off task" will come full circle to something very meaningful for the conversation . . . we have to "let go" and trust the students. Start with small periods of time and build from there.

Good morning,

Your statement is precisely the reason that ALL content teachers need to teach literacy as it specifically addresses the need of the content. You are correct in stating that science literacy looks different than Language Arts literacy. However, do you not still require students to read, write, and communicate in science class? Of course you do! Our responsibility as educators is to teach our students how to accomplish these skills in all content areas. Sounds like you have a mission to demonstrate how science educators can support literacy development as it applies to science. :-D

[quote]I am a middle school science teacher. Students have issues answer science questions now because to teach them how to write an extended answer is nice. To often, students write something that sounds nice, but because literacy is the order of the day, the question is not answered. Be very careful with a total pressing of literacy because it will cause a brain drain of our students in my subject, Science. Science answers get right to the point. If an over abundance of detail is there, student will continue to fail science and not be prepared for higher level of science. Please do not try to push this idea down to all subjects because, been there done that and it doesn't work.[/quote]