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Teaching Dilemmas and Solutions in Content-Area Literacy, Grades 6-12
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Teaching Dilemmas and Solutions in Content-Area Literacy, Grades 6-12

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August 2014 | 184 pages | Corwin

 Because literacy is not just the English teacher’s job
Think literacy is just for English teachers? Not anymore. Nor should it be when you consider that each discipline has its own unique values and means of expression. These days, it’s up to all teachers to communicate what it means to be literate in their disciplines. Here, finally, is a book ambitious enough to tackle the topic across all major subject areas. 

Engage in this cross-disciplinary conversation with seasoned teachers and university researchers, and learn how to develop curriculum and instruction that are responsive to students’ needs across English/language arts, science, social studies, mathematics, visual space, and music and drama. Peter Smagorinsky and his colleagues provide an insider’s lens on both the states of their fields and their specific literacy demands, including: 

  • Reviews of current issues and state-of-the-art research informing literacy education
  • Scenario-based activities for reflection and discussion, typifying the dilemmas and challenges faced by practicing teachers.
  • Considerations of the textual forms and conventions required in each discipline
  • Specific policy recommendations

Read this book on your own for immediate suggestions on how to improve literacy instruction within your course of study. Better yet, share it with colleagues and participate in a larger conversation about how your literacy expectations influence the ways students read and produce texts in other disciplines.


Peter Smagorinsky
Introduction
About This Book

 
How This Book is Organized

 
How to Use this Book

 
What Does it Meant to be Literate?

 
Content-Area Literacy

 
Implications for Practice

 
Policy Recommendations

 
Peter Smagorinsky and Joseph M. Flanagan
Chapter 1. Literacy in the English/Language Arts Classroom
Changing Conceptions of Literacy

 
The Growing Debate Regarding What Students Should Be Reading

 
The Transformation of Instructional Strategies for English Language Arts

 
Forging a Path for Literacy Instruction

 
Scenarios

 
Scenario 1: Language Proficiency as Literacy

 
Scenario 2: The Literature Strand of the Language Arts Curriculum

 
Scenario 3: The Writing Strand of the Language Arts Curriculum

 
Scenario 4: Promoting Literacy Through the Use of a Variety of Textual Forms

 
Scenario 5: Developing Literacy in a Technical Age

 
Chauncey Monte-Sano and Denise Miles
Chapter 2. Toward Disciplinary Reading and Writing in History
Understanding the Discipline

 
What Is the Role of Literacy in History?

 
Reading History

 
Writing History

 
Practices That Help Students Write Historical Arguments

 
Scenarios

 
Scenario 1: When Reading Is a Struggle

 
Scenario 2: Shifting the Focus in History Class to Embrace the Common Core

 
Scenario 3: Transitioning From Writing Summary to Argument

 
Scenario 4: Helping Students Use and Select “Good” Evidence

 
Scenario 5: Balancing the Coverage Mandate With Historical Inquiry

 
Kok-Sing Tang, Stephen C. Tighe, and Elizabeth Birr Moje
Chapter 3. Literacy in the Science Classroom
What Is Science Literacy and Why Does It Matter?

 
Learning Science Literacy

 
Scenarios

 
Scenario 1: Engaged in Reading of Complex Text in the Service of Inquiry

 
Scenario 2: Integrating Content Instruction and Disciplinary Literacy Standards in Science

 
Scenario 3: Foregrounding Multimodal Literacy Practices in Concept Learning

 
Scenario 4: Connecting Hands-On Experiences With Textual Practices

 
Linda Hutchison and Jennifer Edelman
Chapter 4. Literacy in the Mathematics Classroom
Texts, Mathematics, and Content Area Literacy

 
Writing and Content Area Literacy in Mathematics

 
Reading and Content Area Literacy in Mathematics

 
Literacy in Mathematics: More Than Vocabulary

 
Problem-Solving Literacy

 
Numerical Literacy

 
Number Line Literacy

 
Spatial Literacy in Mathematics

 
Graphing Literacy

 
Statistical Literacy

 
Models/Modeling Using Symbols

 
Technology

 
Proof

 
Scenarios

 
Scenario 1: A Learning Community

 
Scenario 2: Extended Responses on Standardized Tests

 
Scenario 3: Geometry and Technology—Why Do We Do Proofs?

 
Scenario 4: Evidence of Content-Area Literacy Practices

 
Karinna Riddett-Moore and Richard Siegesmund
Chapter 5. The Visual Space of Literacy in Art Education
Dewey’s Vision of Art Education

 
From Perception to the Aesthetics of Care

 
The Challenges and Possibilities of Visual Literacy

 
Scenarios

 
Scenario 1: The Pieta Is a Love Letter

 
Scenario 2: PostSecret: Finding Narrative in Image and Text

 
Scenario 3: Doodles Can Mean Something

 
Scenario 4: Shifting Control: Teaching White Girl to Dance

 
Scenario 5: A Literacy of Listening: Relational Aesthetics

 
Katherine D. Strand and Gus Weltsek
Chapter 6. Music and Drama Literacies
Music Literacy

 
Aural Discrimination and Reading Music

 
Alternate Musical Literacies

 
Scenario

 
Scenario 1: Musical Literacy With Informal Learning Practices

 
Drama Literacy

 
Why and How Does Drama Work?

 
Scenario

 
Scenario 1: Infused Drama Theatre Education Strategies as Multimodal Transmediated Literacy Practices

 

Decided to use Reading and Writing Across the Content Areas (2nd ed.) by Sejnost & Thiese.

Dr Bethany Scullin
Secondary Education Dept, Edinboro Univ Of Pennsylvania
January 30, 2015
Key features
  • Each chapter considers the questions - What sorts of literacy practices are central to each academic discipline? From class to class, what literacy practices carry over, and which are unique to particular disciplines?
  • Addresses the school experience from an academic, social, political, and affective perspective rather than simply viewing it as cognitive and knowledge-driven.
  • Discusses what teachers can learn from each other's disciplines in terms of providing wide-ranging opportunities to engage with the curriculum and make interdisciplinary connections.
  • Suitable for book club settings among faculty members from across the content areas

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