English Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies Literacy Q&A CCSSO knows that many high school teachers have questions about integrating literacy best practices and instructional strategies into their content area instruction. For example, which strategies work the best for math? Which work the best for social studies? And how can teachers find the time to build literacy instructional strategies into their teaching? Literacy experts in each of the core content areas of english language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies answered common questions content-area teachers have about integrating literacy instruction into their daily practice. The answers include explanations for why literacy instruction within the content areas is so important and suggestions for how teachers can embed literacy instructional practices into their content lessons. Click on one of the icons to the right to access the Q&A for that subject area. Literacy experts answered the following questions: I do not teach English, and students in my classroom already know how to read and write (or they should). Why should I focus on these things when it is not my content area? As an English teacher, I am often expected to be the expert of how to teach reading and writing skills, yet when my students struggle with reading and writing, I do not always know what to do. What is my role in supporting students’ literacy development? How do I fit literacy instruction and the use of literacy strategies into my daily instruction when I do not have enough time as it is to cover my content? What kinds of texts should students read and write in my content area? What literacy skills (or learning strategies related to literacy) are essential for students to learn in my content area? How do I differentiate instruction in my classroom when students have such a disparate range of literacy skills? What words should I focus on to teach and support in my content area? What strategies work the best? How often should I use literacy strategies in my classroom? What kinds of questions should I ask students when I teach concepts in my content area? Do I need to use different strategies for boys and girls? How does the use of literacy strategies relate to learning styles? In other words, what strategies lend themselves well to different styles of learning? On average, how much time should students read and write in a typical class in my content area? What literacy strategies work best for advanced students in my content area? What strategies or practices work best to motivate and engage students in reading and writing in my content area? What are the best and easiest strategies for assessing literacy skills in my content area? What are the best strategies for helping students comprehend visual texts (e.g. charts, maps, graphs, etc.)?

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document last updated 10/31/2007