1. Literacy
Across the
Curriculum
Wayne

2. What is “Literacy Across the
Curriculum”?
Literacy across the curriculum means
that students are learning literacy
skills while learning other content
areas like math, science, social
studies, art, and music.
Jane

3. Why is literacy across the curriculum
important?
Learning in any subject area requires the use of
language; therefore, reading and writing are used as
tools for learning that subject area.
Connecting literacy learning to other content areas
reinforces learning in all areas.
http://mason.gmu.edu/~cwallac7/TAP/TEST/
comprehension/4.html
Isabella

4. There is no question that reading, writing, speaking,
and listening are interconnected skills that develop
synergistically. They are also the key to teaching
thinking.
The more fluent students become as readers, writers,
speakers, and listeners, the clearer, more coherent,
and more flexible their thinking will become.
Terry Roberts and Laura Billings
Thinking is Literacy, Literacy Thinking
Educational Leadership/February 2008
Isabella

5. Reading transcends the mere transmission of
information: It fosters an imaginative dialogue
between the text and the reader’s mind that actually
helps people to think.
Stratford P. Sherman, Author of “America
Won’t Win Till It Reads More”
Learning to read is critical to a child’s overall well-
being. If a youngster does not learn to read in a
literacy-driven society, hope for a fulfilling productive
life diminishes.
G.Reid Lyon, Chief of Child Development and Behavior
Branch of the National Institute of Child health and
Human Development
Paul

6. Historical View of Reading
Research Base Traditional Views New Definition of
Behaviorism Reading
Cognitive sciences
Goals of Reading Mastery of isolated facts Constructing meaning and
and skills self-regulated learning
Reading as Process Mechanically decoding An interaction among the
words; memorizing by rote reader, the text, and the
context
Learner Role/Metaphor Passive; vessel receiving Active; strategic reader,
knowledge from external effective strategy user,
sources cognitive apprentice
Figure is from Teaching Reading in the Content Areas by
Rachel Billmeyer, Ph.D. and Mary Lee Barton, M.Ed.,
page 2
Melissa & Jessica

7. Why is literacy across the curriculum
important in middle school?
Middle school students are required to read and
understand "information-heavy" textbooks,
especially in their middle school science and
social studies classes. It is important for them to
learn how to read a non-fiction book.
Wayne

8. What does an effective literacy program
look like?
Effective literacy programs are those that do
not exist in a vacuum.
Teaching reading and writing skills must not
be reserved solely for language arts
classrooms.
Students need multiple opportunities
to learn reading and writing strategies
in a variety of class settings.
Paul

9. What are the characteristics of an
effective literacy program?
● is student-centered
● responds to students' needs
● includes ongoing practice; regular
inclusion of reading and writing activities
● focuses on positive outcomes
● incorporates a variety of reading and
writing strategies
http://teachingtoday.glencoe.
com/howtoarticles/promoting-literacy-across-
Jessica
the-curriculum-in-the-middle-grades

10. Our Team/Our Theme
Children will be more motivated to learn when they are presented
with material in an authentic manner. This means that topics of
learning are connected to things that are meaningful to the students.
This can happen when topic areas are connected to experiences
that students have outside of school, as well as, inside school.
Melissa

11. Our Plans
Jen: To develop Jane &
and/or increase Jessica: To
motivation in develop
reluctant writing skills
readers in science
Melissa: To
stimulate interest
in reading and
improve reading Paul: To
comprehension develop an
by using a variety understanding
of high interest
texts, both in print
Literacy across of main idea
and media format. the Curriculum
Wayne: To Isabella: To develop
encourage more more effective
independent readers and writers.
reading through
technology (ex.
Kindles,
Glogster).
Jen

12. Jane & Jessica’s Project
Question: Can student thinking in science be deepened and can student
writing skills improve through meaningful and authentic writing
assignments?
I am placing a special focus on student writing this year through the use of
interactive science notebooks, lab reports, science literature reports, and
content writing assignments.
We are collaborating, and I am providing the technical and pedagogical
support. Our hope is to improve student writing and deepen student thinking
in science through content area writing. Students work is being graded on
content as well as grammar and usage using a Writing Across the
Curriculum checklist. Assignments are followed up with a writer’s reflection
sheet, which allows the students to analyze their finished products and the
grades they received.
The idea for this question came from http://writingfix.
com/WAC/sciencefix.htm

13. PAUL’S PROJECT
QUESTION: CAN I HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND NON-FICTION READING WITH A
CLEAR FOCUS ON MAIN IDEA?
This question came about after I realized my students were struggling with
research and text reading. It is an issue I have seen become more apparent
over the last two years. This year I decided to perform some guided readings
with a focus on main idea before we started the Foundations of Democracy
unit. I am looking to learn if student focus on the main idea of historical
documents can help them understand their meaning and importance to modern
life.

14. Isabella’s Project
Question: Will the use of reading/thinking
strategies help my students construct a better
understanding of science concepts?
Beginning with the 2010 – 2011 school year, I included
reading /thinking strategies as part of my warm up
activities. This year I am continuing to implement these
strategies on a more consistent basis. I am doing this in
an effort to improve comprehension of science text and
support students as they construct understanding of the
main concepts presented in my science class.
I would like to determine if these reading/thinking
strategies make an impact on student understanding of
science text, including the textbook, science articles, non-
fiction picture books, and excerpts from science -based
fiction books.

15. Resources for Strategies:
● But I’m Not the Reading Teacher
(Amy Benjamin)
● Strategies to Engage the Mind of the Learner
(Rachel Billmeyer)
● Teaching Reading in the Content Areas
(Rachel Billmeyer and Mary Lee Barton)
● Thinking Strategies for Science
(Sally Berman)
● The Strategic Teacher
(Harvey F. Silver, Richard W. Strong and Matthew J. Perini)

16. Jen’s Project
Question: How can I, as an effective teacher, increase and
develop motivation in reluctant readers?
I strongly feel that in today’s “texting generation”, motivating
students to read is harder than ever. With all the other forms of
media out there, it is difficult to engage students in reading without a
struggle. One of the main complexities in getting students to read is
getting them to do it without making reading a punishment. While
this may “get the job done”, it creates a disdain for reading, and thus,
negates our goal of motivating students to WANT to read.
Throughout the year, I play on focusing in on increasing students’
motivation and desire to read.

17. Jen’s Project Continued:
Throughout my research of motivating students to read, I
found two common pieces of advice:
●Provide a choice in what students read
●Motivate by example: show students that you love to read!
“Engaged readers want to choose their own books. Choice is
vital to reading engagement. As children learn to self-select their
reading materials, they become discriminating and independent
readers.”
- Susan E. Snell, Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall

18. Jen’s Project Continued:
Plans: Increasing Motivation in Reading
1. I will assign multi-genre monthly book reports (fiction, science-
fiction, mystery, Newberry Award Winner, historical fiction,
fantasy/adventure, biography/autobiography, and a “choice” book).
I feel that by assigning the students a different genre to read from
each month- it will increase the chances of each student, especially
those who “hate reading”, of finding a book or a genre that they
actually enjoy. For each genre, I will also make suggestions of my
personal favorites to show my love of reading, as well.
2. It’s all about advertising: Book Trailers! Hundreds
of best-selling young adult books have book trailer
movie clips to advertise them and motivate students
to read them. These trailers spark an interest in the
book, and create a feeling of suspense in the viewers.

19. Melissa’s and Wayne’s Project
● Through two grants, Wayne was able to purchase a total of 5 Kindles
along with a number of ebooks. The purpose is to see if we could
increase reading by reaching out to those students who are reluctant
readers. The main focus will be with students in resource rooms. Will
this new technology help to motivate reluctant students to read? Will
this motivate those students to do more reading? Students will be
asked to complete a short survey after reading a book with their
Kindle.

20. Wayne’s Project
● I am looking at different ways to promote reading in the
library. This will be through brochures, special displays
with advertisements, online technology (Glogster) http://wrush.
edu.glogster.com/science-fiction-booktrailers/, and book trailers on digital
frames. Will these ways help increase reading among
our students?

21. Melissa’s Project
Question: Can students be motivated to independently read
fiction and non-fiction by exposure to a variety of current, high
interest print text and multi-sensory media formats?
● Kindle
● High-interest Teen Magazine
● Book Trailers Using PhotoStory 3
● SmartBoard

22. Our Goal
Literacy learning throughout the middle
school curriculum is integral to producing
literate adults.
As students see that reading and writing
proficiency is valued in all
subject areas, they are
encouraged to become
life-long learners.
Jen