The Instructional Coaching Room: Getting Back to Literacy

As I was sifting through literacy resources on ASCD’s Educational Leadership, I came across the article Reading, Writing, and Understanding by Vicki A. Jacobs. She asks this interesting question: Why hasn't the concept of secondary reading—also known as “reading and writing across the curriculum” and “content-area reading and writing”—become better rooted in our schools?

She also discusses multiple points:

Secondary school teachers rightfully consider themselves first and foremost teachers of such content areas as science, history, and mathematics
When we ask them to integrate reading and writing in their instruction, it sounds as if we are asking them to teach additional content.
For subject teachers to implement principles and practices of secondary reading and writing, they must first recognize reading and writing as meaning-making processes that can support their instructional learning goals, particularly those related to understanding content.

This graphic further explains the interrelation among content learning goals, content reading and writing, and understanding:

Now, considering that this article was written in November of 2002, I find myself reflecting on these very same points in the year 2015. So I ask just how far have we come in recognizing reading and writing as meaning-making processes that can support our instructional learning goals? Would it be a fair assumption to make if I said that literacy has taken a back seat to the number of initiatives teachers are taking on? Well I say let’s get back to literacy. Below you will find several resources for you to use within your content areas.

Here are a few I chose to showcase:

Multiple Literacy Organizers (Copies available in the copy room)

Before, During, and After Questioning Chart

Concept Definition Matrix

Reading Actively Organizer

Content Comprehension Constructors by Cris Tovani