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Segment 2: Strategies for Helping Students Learn Social Studies through Text

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Segment 2: Strategies for Helping Students Learn Social Studies through Text

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Segment 2: Strategies for Helping Students Learn Social Studies through Text

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Segment 1: Why is Literacy Important in Social Studies?

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Segment 1: Why is Literacy Important in Social Studies?

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Segment 1: Why is Literacy Important in Social Studies?

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Rhythms and Reading: How Music Helps Teach Kids Literacy Skills

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Rhythms and Reading: How Music Helps Teach Kids Literacy Skills

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Rhythms and Reading: How Music Helps Teach Kids Literacy Skills

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Thank you, Julie, for this fantastic guest post! How can music affect your child’s literacy skills? Learn more below! Courtesy of Pixabay.com Music has a remarkable capacity for helping young people develop communication skills and many abilities they need to succeed in school. There’s a close link…

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Ten Ways to Support Literacy in the Art Room

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Ten Ways to Support Literacy in the Art Room

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We all know literacy is key. Getting kids to read is one thing, but fostering an excitement and fervor around loving literature is another. All teachers should have literacy at the top of their priority list as it connects to all disciplines and enables lifelong learning.

Here are 10 ways to support literacy in the art room.

1. Model your love of reading for your students!

Create a "Must Read" list on your web page and update it frequently. Let students know you are a reader, too and, when appropriate, share your favorite authors and books with them. Post new finds on classroom Twitter feeds and always have a book on your desk. Let kids know you borrow from the local library and allow them to take books from your classroom library on loan.

2. Create a literacy rich environment.

I have a basket of art-themed books in my classroom. I rotate what's in it periodically and let ambitious early finishers read on the carpet. Begin to grow a library of books related to the arts and keep it accessible in your classroom. They could be books about artists ( here are 70 to start with), books with fabulous illustrations, picture books, books about creativity, books that teach artistic methods, books for art research, and/or books that simply inspire.

3. Design projects based on or connected to great books.

More than half the lessons I teach in pre-school to third grade correspond or connect to a book I keep on hand and share during the lesson. I work in a district where literacy rates need improvement, and the more I can do to encourage a love of reading, the better off my students will be.
Three of my favorite books to use are:
Whenever I need inspiration for new lesson ideas, I hit the children's section of the library and leave with more ideas than I can handle. For three more ideas, click here.

4. Help make Read Across America Day memorable in your school.

My school has a committee for this and I volunteer my services annually. I make the visiting community readers pins, craft banners related to the organized activities for the day, make props of book characters for kids to take photos with, and even assist the students with costume and mask making for our annual Read Across America parade where kids dress up as their favorite book character. Of course, I make my own character costume as well!

5. Find out what strategies Language Arts teachers in your school employ and use them in your room.

My school is focusing on the Fab Four Reciprocal Teaching strategy right now. So, whenever we read anything in class, I have students use this strategy when breaking it down. It reinforces the concept, shows support for your fellow teachers, and establishes a consistency in the curriculum across disciplines.

6. Create a vocabulary wall.

Build a word wall related to what you are teaching or even a word ladder with great words you can use to talk about art. This will enrich student vocabulary as well as the discussions in your classroom.

7. Collaborate with peers on interdisciplinary lessons.

Talk to the Language Arts teachers in your school and design some fun collaborative projects. For example, I've had students create "Onomatopoeia Art" where they are challenged to define a word visually.

8. Get kids writing in art!

It can be as simple as a "Complete the sentence about your art" prompt or as advanced as an essay format research paper. Teach kids how to intelligently convey - with words - what they have done with images. Use writing prompts as jumping off points for drawing activities or vice versa. Also, I've had great success with Graffiti Conversations. You can learn more about those here and here.

9. Speak eloquently and use challenging vocabulary.

Be professional and give thought to the words you will use when presenting information. Of course, you need to use language on the students' level, but you should also be challenging them with new words - which you clarify and explain - so their vocabulary is always expanding. Academic conversations should not be reserved for English class only.

10. Give books as rewards.

Literacy is a gift and has transformative power. Support it and encourage students' efforts by giving books as rewards or gifts when appropriate. Remember to inscribe the book and make it personal. I gift the graduating students who win the Art Award a great art history book. It is a reminder of how special a beautiful book is and that in learning lies great power and endless possibilities.

Literacy impacts every aspect of both the educational and the "real" world. Showing and sharing your passion for reading as well as finding ways to integrate literacy in your lessons will deepen your students' understanding of art and the world around them. What an amazing gift to give!
What is your favorite book to use in the art room? What do you do to support literacy and a love of books in your school?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

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Ten Ways to Support Literacy in the Art Room

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Art as Text: Bridging Literacy and the Arts

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Art as Text: Bridging Literacy and the Arts

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Art as Text: Bridging Literacy and the Arts

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Supporting Literacy in the Science Classroom

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Supporting Literacy in the Science Classroom

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There are a variety of ways to incorporate literacy strategies in science education without sacrificing content.

©iStock/Nadzeya_Dzivakova

Written and spoken language play a significant role in all classes. But if you're trained as a science teacher, how do you support literacy development without losing content time for science?

Rethink Literacy

Asking students to think critically while reading science reports, news and pop science, graphs, and documentaries;

Challenging students to connect multiple sources of media, analyze a source's potential bias, or identify an unreliable source; and

Asking students to write or speak about science findings from a review of research or their own experiments with an audience in mind.

Good news: You already teach literacy. Science teachers offer students many opportunities to improve their literacy skills, including:

Components of literacy are already present in the science classroom. The key is to mindfully support the levels of reading, writing, and speaking skills your students possess, while focusing on content.

Embed Supports

A key method to support skill development without taking away content time is to embed supports.

When you're in direct instruction, acknowledge your strategies. Model reading a science text by thinking aloud with your questions about the text, making connections, or summarizing as you read.

Include multiple types of sources: Students can be given a chance to discuss a chart or watch a short video to set some baseline understanding before tackling a text on the same topic. Be sure to ask students to connect the different mediums-you may be surprised at how many of them initially see the pieces of information as unrelated.

Embed writing supports: Provide opportunities for students to write parts of their notes in their own words, with structure. For example, ask students to summarize a main idea as part of their notes for the day. For students who need more support, create a sentence frame and word bank. Mentor texts are another great way to clarify expectations and demonstrate strong writing; choose a former student's work to share with the class and ask students to identify what is right about the response.

Original prompt: Describe the process of photosynthesis as it relates to glucose production. Explain how plants and other living organisms depend on one another.

Annotated version: Describe the process of 1) photosynthesis as it relates to 2) glucose production. Explain how plants and other living organisms 3) depend on one another.

Annotate the prompt: Science prompts are often multifaceted, and scoring depends on students' responding to each component of the question. Students who miss points often know the materials but have difficulty processing the entire question. Students can learn to identify each part of a prompt and use each identified requirement as a section in their writing. Here's an example:

Readers Below Grade Level

Some students can discuss the science topics but struggle to access any material they have to read. There are several ways to address these below-grade-level readers' needs.

Engineer a text: Take a grade level piece of text and center it on a page. Create a column to the left where you pull out and define key vocabulary, and one on the right where you ask questions of the reader. These questions can be tailored for many levels of readers, ranging from supportive, fact-based questions (helping students read to find out the key facts) to application and extension questions for your readers above grade level. The result is differentiated instruction for your students.

Use technology to expose students to texts: Even if a student is unable to independently read a text, they can develop grade-level literacy skills by interacting with vocabulary, sentence structures, and content of higher-level texts through technology. Several devices have the option to enable text-to-speech functions, which have the device read the text out loud. Speech-to-text functions allow students to speak what they want to have typed. This function requires some practice-don't ask the student to use it for the first time on an assessment.

The Immersive Reader program from Microsoft also reads texts to students. It includes other enhancements, like syllable recognition and the ability to highlight as you read. It even has parts-of-speech recognition to support writing.

Two more benefits for science teachers in promoting literacy: As my students improved their engagement with the literacy inherent to science class, I noticed an increase in engagement with the content and a decrease in disruptions.

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Supporting Literacy in the Science Classroom

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There are a variety of ways to incorporate literacy strategies in science education without sacrificing content.

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6 Strategies for Teaching Literacy in Your Math Class

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6 Strategies for Teaching Literacy in Your Math Class

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I'm so excited about the benefits of teaching literacy in math classes that I've recently written about it not once but twice. Reading and writing in math class engages and empowers students. It also strengthens reasoning and critical thinking skills and gives you great insight into students' lives. And all this helps students become better math learners.

Even with the many benefits of teaching literacy in math class, if you're still not doing it, I get it. On top of the other million things you're already doing, it might just feel like too much to start planning for in-class writing sessions. Or, with the pressures to get every student performing at grade level, you may feel like you don't have five minutes to spare to talk about the language in a complicated word problem.

I feel you, but I'm also going to say that teaching literacy in your math class is worth it. Your students will build skills, confidence, and community. Need some strategies? Here are six fun ways to get your students reading, writing, and talking to one another.

1. Incorporate Reading and Writing Into Every Class

It's fine to start small. When reading, chunk the text into manageable sections, especially with complex word problems. Writing assignments should be frequent and low-stakes. Write with your students, and encourage them to share what they've written. You can even share once in a while to show that you're also committed to growing as a writer and a thinker.

2. Have Students Write Reflectively at the End of Each Week

You can decide on the prompt, and it can be as simple as, "write about two things you learned this week in math class," or as complex as, "write about a time you used something you learned in math class in your daily life." Not only will students build literacy skills but they'll develop more ownership of their mathematical understanding and practice self-reflection, which will help them become more agile and independent learners.

3. Have Fun Rewriting Word Problems

Even if students don't change the math in word problems, changing the details encourages them to write and personalize the problem, making it more relevant to their lives and more specific to their culture, interests, or identity. They'll also have to engage deeply with the math in order to place the numbers in a different context.

4. Facilitate Discussion

Help students build oral literacy and critical thinking by having them discuss the method they used to solve a problem and any challenges they faced along the way. They'll need to justify their approach and pose questions to each other, and this requires deep mathematical engagement. For a look at a teaching resource where discourse is built into every facet of the learning experience, check out MATHbook. With MATHbook, discussions aren't just tacked on as an afterthought; they're the vehicles through which the learning happens!

5. Build Vocabulary

Any ELA teacher will tell you that building vocabulary through discussion is way more fun (and more effective) than taking vocab quizzes or memorizing lists of words. Plus, learning integrated vocab lets students practice using context to determine meaning, which is good for all students, but for ELL students in particular.

I remember encountering a word problem with my ninth-grade class of mostly ELL students that referred to a highway as "congested." After discussing all possible meanings of the word, we had a good laugh picturing a coughing, sneezing highway and then moved on. My students not only solved the problem but they practiced analyzing definitions and choosing the most plausible.

6. Close Reading: It's Not Just for Poems

You've probably heard your colleagues in ELA talk about " close reading " or "multiple read strategy." Close reading involves reading a passage a few times and focusing on different details each time in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the text. Turns out, it's good for math too!

The multiple read strategy in math class looks like this:

1. First Read: Notice and Wonder. Ask students what they noticed and what they're still wondering.

2. Second Read: Organize and Mathematize. Ask students which data is important and how it relates mathematically.

3. Third Read: Analyze and Interpret. Ask students what conclusions can be drawn from the problem and what conclusions mean in the given context.

While it will take a little practice for students to get comfortable close reading math problems, it will eventually lead to them feeling less overwhelmed, particularly by long problems with a lot of information. Plus, learning to slow down and take in information deliberately and systematically will be super helpful in their other classes as well.

Resources Galore!

Are you ready to bring more reading, writing, and discussion into your math class? We're here to help.

Download our guide, "When Literacy and Mathematics Collide: Supporting Reading in Your Math Class," for a sample of classroom activities that you can use to build literacy skills in your classroom.

Watch our webinar, "Utilizing Literacy Strategies to Build Equitable Access in Math Class," where I talk with other math educators about how to teach literacy alongside math!

Check out our blended core math solution for middle school and high school. It includes MATHbook, which provides a literacy feature called Language Links, which are point-of-use suggestions for clarifying the meanings of academic and contextual terms.

Math class is a place where great things happen. Ideas are shared, misconceptions are righted, and confidence grows. Why not give your students even more ways to excel by including literacy in your teaching practice?

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6 Strategies for Teaching Literacy in Your Math Class

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I'm so excited about the benefits of teaching literacy in math classes that I've recently written about it not once but twice. Reading and writing in math class engages and empowers students. It also strengthens...

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15 Powerful Ways of Integrating Literacy And Math

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15 Powerful Ways of Integrating Literacy And Math

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Integrating literacy and math is surprisingly easy.

With all of the things teachers must teach in a school day, it's necessary to find ways to cross the curriculum.

What makes reading and writing so special is that they can be paired with any subject or content area - even math.

In this article, you'll discover 12 strategies for integrating literacy and math that you can pencil into your lesson plan book this week.

Integrating Literacy and Math: Reading Ideas

1. Do Interactive Read Alouds.

Complement your math units with books.

Whichever math skill you're teaching, try to find a great picture book that lends itself well to that particular skill.

Let's say, for instance, the target reading skill for a lesson in reader's workshop is sequencing.

If you'll also be teaching about multiplication arrays in math, then choose an interactive read aloud book that focuses on multiplication arrays and also provides opportunities to focus on the sequencing skill.

The picture book One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes demonstrates this very well.

While the main objective of the book is obviously multiplication arrays, the clear sequence of events in the story targets the reading skill of sequencing almost effortlessly.

See mentor texts for reading and mentor texts for writing.

2. Encourage the Use of Reading Strategies for Solving Word Problems.

Have students utilize reading comprehension strategies to solve math problems which are essentially mini reading comprehension passages.

Here are a few strategies...

Because learners are already using these thinking strategies during literacy block, they should be able to apply them when problem solving in math.

You may have to model a few times what this looks like, but they'll get the gist of it quickly.

Integrating literacy and math becomes seamless using this strategy.

3. Incorporate Project-Based Learning.

Projects make the learning process more authentic.

Consider integrating literacy and math project ideas.

Here's how...

Divide learners into groups of 3 or 4, give each a math project idea from the menu of choices, and tell them to solve.

They will be responsible for reading all instructions, conducting the appropriate research ( more reading), and completing the actual project ( writing plus more reading).

Facilitate as needed but give no answers.

Furthermore, while learners are completing each stage of the project, observe their thinking processes as it relates to reading and writing skills/strategies.

Take anecdotal notes and use the information as informal assessment data.

4. Try Out Reader's Theaters.

Integrating literacy and math is SO easy to do with reader's theater scripts.

Take a look at the benefits of reader's theaters and decide for yourself if you'd like to give them a try for integrating math and reading.

With readers' theater scripts, kids get to learn about math (or any subject) through drama. They really love it.

Integrating Literacy and Math: Writing Ideas
Find below ideas for integrating literacy and math via writing activities that are fun plus authentic.
5. Utilize Graphic Organizers.

Graphic organizers are common to use for reading and writing lessons, but they're easily used for math, too.

A couple of examples...

For the Venn Diagram, after students complete the organizer, have them write in their math journals a short paragraph about the differences between composite and prime numbers.

Analyze key math terms using a concept map.

The uses of graphic organizers for integrating writing and math are limitless.

6. Plan an Alphabet Book Project.

Alphabet books aren't just for the lower grades.

Think of any math unit your class is learning about ... let's say measurement.

As a project, have students create an alphabet book of 27 pages - cover page + one page for each letter of the alphabet.

For each letter, they'll write a word connected with the main theme (e.g probability) along with a detailed description or definition.

It must be in their own words and based on their research/prior knowledge. Relevant sketches or symbols are a great addition to each page.

Once all the pages are complete, bind them. Now the kids have a great reference guide of key vocabulary.

7. Leave Space for a Math Word Wall.

Integrating literacy and math even involves your wall space.

Content word walls display vocabulary from a specific unit of study that aren't usually common, everyday terms.

The key to any word wall is that it needs to be interactive. Provide ample opportunities for students to use the words authentically.

8. Informally Assess Using Math Journals.

Use math journals to have learners respond to the math lesson.

Ask students to record how they arrived at an answer, to explain their thinking in solving a word problem, or to note important vocabulary.

There are lots of possibilities for using a math journal. To get started, check out these math sentence stems.

9. Take Advantage of Anchor Charts & Interactive Writing.

Well-crafted anchor charts are powerful teaching tools that help reinforce targeted skills, strategies, or steps.

The magic of them happens when students help in contributing content to the charts via interactive writing.

Interactive writing is teacher and learners "sharing the pen".

Integrating literacy and math this way encourages rich discussions about the targeted math objectives in addition to writing plus grammar rules.

10. Create Math Centers.

Students love games.

Stretch their brains by having them create math centers or games, and make writing the instructions the primary focus.

You may want to create a whole class game first so that they better understand your expectations.

11. Consider Using Story Frames.

Assess how deep students comprehend math concepts using story frames. Create each story frame with a math theme in mind.

Let's take for example, the topic of problem solving.

You make a skeleton, or frame, and then students complete it.

Integrating literacy and math example

Story frames are great for struggling readers and writers who need the extra support.

12. Don't Forget About Word Problems.

Solving word problems during math block is the norm, but go a step further and have kids write a few original story problems.

This is a great way to sharpen writing chops and critical thinking skills.

As with most lessons, model a few times so that students are clear about the process and your expectations.

13. Implement Creative Writing Activities.

With creative writing exercises, integrating literacy and math becomes so much fun.

Studying poetry?

Then have learners write haikus or cinquains about different shapes/solids.

Want them to improve their fluency and reading comprehension?

Then have students write and present reader's theater scripts based on math themes.

The possibilities are endless.

14. Respond to Math Writing Prompts.

Encourage students to answer exciting math-themed writing prompts in order to show what they know about particular math topics, express ideas, and/or improve writing skills.

Wrapping Up - Integrating Literacy and Math

Integrating literacy and math just got a bit easier. The planning and prep time you save is a just reward.

If you liked this article, you might be interested in ... fun teaching strategies students love.

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14 Powerful Ways of Integrating Literacy And Math

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Integrating literacy and math is surprisingly easy. With all of the things teachers must teach in a school day, it's necessary to find ways to cross the curriculum. What makes reading and writing so special is that they can be paired with any subject or content area - even math.

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Teaching Literacy in Your K-12 Classrooms

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Teaching Literacy in Your K-12 Classrooms

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Teaching literacy to students means that they are given the ability to communicate clearly and effectively and form the foundation of modern life. Students that can't read effectively fail to grasp important concepts, score poorly on tests and ultimately, fail to meet educational milestones. Literacy skills allow students to seek out information, explore subjects in-depth and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. When they can not read well, they become discouraged and frustrated by school, which can result in high school dropouts, poor performance on standardized tests, increased truancy ¹ and other negative reactions, all of which can have major and long-lasting repercussions. ² By teaching students to communicate effectively, you help create engaged students who learn to love the act of learning. This is why it is so important to think about your strategies for teaching literacy skills in your classroom.

Literacy Belongs in Every Class

Literacy skills may be the focus in language arts classes, but they are equally necessary for math, science, art, music, and any other course work. Students who cannot understand the material in a textbook may fall behind, which is particularly problematic in classes with information-dense textbooks like science. "Meeting the Reading Challenges of Reading Science Textbooks in Primary Grades," by Nadine Bryce, addresses this specific issue with a variety of instructional methods that incorporate reading for meaning and active literacy strategies. This helps science teachers overcome the hurdle of student achievement when blocked by low literacy levels, disorganized texts, and high-level vocabulary. The ability to absorb and understand the content is an essential skill for every student, in every class. This makes incorporating literacy skills into every classroom necessary.

When answering word problems in math class, encourage students to write long-form answers, not simply jot down a number. Children who excel at reading ³ routinely score better on math skills challenges related to problem-solving, estimation, data interpretation, and math concepts. The challenge facing teachers is incorporating literacy skills into every lesson plan in a way that makes sense. For math classes, word problems and practical math applications use literacy skills for problem-solving. In science classes, lab reports should be detail oriented and contain step-by-step processes. With art, a picture can say a thousand words, but make sure students can verbalize or write down their reactions to what they create or see. By bringing literacy into every classroom, students receive added exposure and learn that reading is an essential life skill.

Translating Speech to the Written Word

Writing plays several roles in the classroom. It helps further cement new concepts by allowing students to describe these items in their own words. It encourages logical thinking by forcing students to organize their thoughts. It also helps them learn how to tell a story, communicate ideas and record important moments. The National Writing Project is one of the longest running development programs in the U.S. It offers a variety of literacy workshops designed to help teachers incorporate writing skills in the classroom.

Keep in mind that long form essays are just a single facet of developing writing skills. In the future, students will spend much more time writing brief replies to emails or jotting down to-do lists. Be sure to incorporate those types of tasks in the classroom, so they have experience with both essays and more day-to-day writing skills.

Back to Literacy Basics

When students are engaged in literacy they are engaged in learning, but students are not prepared to dive into the written word and immediately extract all of the valuable content. They need instructional guidance on how to read critically, understand the material and implement what they have learned. As a teacher, you can provide the necessary framework using concepts such as previewing text, reading with a purpose, predicting and making connections and the use of graphic organizers.

In addition to quick literacy assignments in class, students need to develop reading stamina. Give them the practice they need by developing a classroom library. ⁴ Offering well-written texts that are not necessarily related to the class subject can encourage students to read for fun and information. For example, a biology classroom might have texts dealing with animals, but it might also have a few that relate to plants or minerals. While these are not directly related, they do have a place in the scientific nature of the class, and allow students to find information in their areas of interest.

Tips and Tricks to Create a Budding Bibliophile

As a teacher, one of your goals should be to develop a love of literacy in students. Keep in mind that the classroom library can extend to fiction, poetry, fantasy, and many other genres. Don't limit the selection to education materials. The goal of the library is to get kids reading, not limit their content strictly to material related to the current curriculum. The more reading material available to them, the more likely they are to pick up something for fun. Also, never overlook the value of magazines. Many students may not be willing to pick up a full-length novel, but they might be happy to browse through a magazine article or two.

Making Literacy Skills a Priority

While all aspects of literacy are critical to eventual success, for most students, the process starts with reading skills. These skills form the foundation for all other learning, which is a large part of the reasoning behind the wide adoption of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) curriculum programs. ⁵ These new standards put the responsibility for teaching literacy skills on the backs of all teachers, not just language arts instructors.

Master the art and science of reading education at the University of Kansas

To learn more about how to develop literacy skills at any educational level, explore the online master's degree and graduate certificate in reading education and the reading specialist licensure endorsement offered by the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at the University of Kansas School of Education and Human Sciences.

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Teaching Literacy in Your K-12 Classrooms

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Master the methods of teaching literacy in Your K-12 Classroom. Learn more here!

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TEACHING LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (The Edvocate)

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TEACHING LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (The Edvocate)

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Spread the loveChildren begin their education by learning how to read. As they get older, they read to learn. By the time they are in the sixth grade, the average child has a receptive vocabulary of 50,000 words. They've read millions of words in fiction, online, and in textbooks.

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Literacy Across the Curriculum Resources

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Literacy Across the Curriculum Resources

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Literacy Across the Curriculum Resources

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Literacy Across the Curriculum Resources

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Literacy is the foundation of all learning. Being able to read, understand what you are reading, and apply background knowledge to new situations is essential to be able to learn any subject, from mathematics to science, from geography to computing, and everything in between. These are fundamental skills that, once acquired, will open up the doors of opportunity.

But what is the best way to teach literacy in the modern-day classroom and who is responsible for teaching literacy? HINT: it's not just ELA teachers! In this article, we're exploring what literacy is and how educators can teach literacy across the curriculum, regardless of what subject you're teaching!

"Literacy is the most basic currency of the knowledge economy." - Barack Obama

Simply put, literacy is the ability to read, write, listen, and speak in a way that allows us to communicate effectively with others. In our modern world, it is indispensable and vital for navigating even the most basic tasks in daily life. Research has also shown that reading, a key element of literacy, is a strong predictor of success later in life, whether in terms of pursuing higher education, getting high-income jobs, or being better socially adapted.

Here's a few of our favorite tips to help build students' literacy skills regardless of the subject you're teaching:

#1: Start with Building Background Knowledge

When you think of a window, do you think of it as a pane of glass with shutters to allow wind and light to flowthrough, or as something that exists as a part of a house? For most people, our minds would immediately jump to the second. Why? Because context is everything.

No matter the subject area that you teach, help students contextualize new information by building on their background knowledge. Consider - What are students already familiar with? How can this new information be connected to the knowledge they already have?

Knowledge and comprehension are closely related - each reinforces the other. Students learn new knowledge which they then use to comprehend or understand information. Understanding something within a new context helps them concretize this information within their existing knowledge paradigm, and adds to it. From this perspective, giving students background knowledge to information they need to learn is key to teaching literacy.

#2: Build Real-World Connections

If literacy is important in preparing students for the real world, what better way to do that than by demonstrating to them its relevance to the real world? Too often, students get lost in the barrage of information they get at school, particularly when they cannot see how it relates to their daily lives or how they can apply it to their future careers. This makes them disengaged and unmotivated, making it difficult to build their literacy skills. Read to Lead 's learning games addresses this by building real-world connections for students to see exactly how what they learn applies to life. For example, in the series Community in Crisis , students take on the role of Director at their local community center to respond to the effects of a hurricane in the community. Students can draw parallels between their in-game experiences with real-world contexts like Hurricane Harvey (2017) and Superstorm Sandy (2012). By inviting students to be the "boss" in a virtual workplace, we can connect literacy skills to real-life applications.

#3: Check Comprehension Skills As You Go

One way to teach literacy regardless of your subject matter is to check students' comprehension skills. Getting regular feedback about how students are progressing, where they need a little extra help, and whether they are truly understanding the material is invaluable to building their literacy skills. However, juggling all of that for an entire classroom of students can be challenging.

That's where Read to Lead comes in. With real-time reporting that shows exactly how each student is faring in each learning game and which areas they struggle with, Read to Lead provides invaluable information that you can use to provide students with more support. Each interactive learning game also comes with wrap-around curricula in the form of post-game debate questions and discussion prompts to deepen students' understanding and solidify their grasp of the material. These additional resources not only reinforce reading comprehension and boost students' literacy skills but also promote thoughtful reflection about the material covered.

By using these three tips in your classroom, you'll be helping cultivate students' literacy skills and equipping them to be the next generation of readers and leaders! How do you teach literacy across your curriculum?

About Read to Lead

Read to Lead uses the power of game-based learning to empower middle school students to build literacy, life, and career skills. Teachers can sign up for a free account to get started!

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You can teach yourself almost anything if you can READ! 👉🏽 Here's how you can build literacy skills across the curriculum: