Common Core Literacy for Math, Science, and Technical Subjects

Strategies to Deepen Content Knowledge (Grades 6-12)

Katherine S. McKnight

• Éditeur: Jossey-Bass
• Année: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781118710210
• Édition: 1
• Sujet: Education
• Sous-sujet: Education Teaching Methods

Resources and guidance for the journey of Common Core implementation

In this age of the Common Core State Standards, all content area teachers must integrate literacy standards into their curriculum. If you're like most content area educators, you're feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of addressing all the new standards, or you might just need a little extra help.

In this hands-on resource, Common Core literacy expert Katherine McKnight offers secondary teachers a clear understanding of what literacy looks like in math, science, and technical subjects. McKnight gives educators proven teaching techniques that help develop literacy skills in students. She also offers a wealth of practical strategies and ready-to-use activities that content area teachers can integrate seamlessly. Included are

• Ideas for implementing the literacy requirements of the Common Core across content areas
• A selection of activities that support literacy skills and build content knowledge in math, science, and technology classrooms
• An easy-to-use Difficulty Dial that indicates the complexity of each activity
• Robust student samples that bring the activities to life across a variety of grade levels and subjects

Common Core Literacy for Math, Science, and Technical Subjects is designed for practicality. With bonus web downloads, a literacy resource guide, and countless ideas for deepening content knowledge, this book provides excellent support for rigorous Common Core implementation.

Praise for Common Core Literacy for Math, Science, and Technical Subjects

"A realist with an incisive wit, Katie's robust pedagogy and trenchant analysis inspire all of us to incorporate the CCSS meaningfully in specific content areas. For her gifted writing, let alone her substantive and easy-to-implement ideas, this is a godsend for content area teachers. Move it to the top of the priority reading stack."
— Rick Wormeli, veteran educator, author, and teacher trainer

"McKnight eloquently dispels much of the mythology surrounding the new standards, and explains how to help students find success. You'll find this engaging book your 'go-to' resource for implementing the Common Core."
— Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., educational consultant; author, Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century

Chapter One
Why Does Content Literacy Matter?

I have a confession to make. When the Common Core State Standards were first introduced in 2010, I was skeptical. Actually, I was more than skeptical—I wanted to find every reason I could to hate the new standards.

I was coming from the point of view that the state standards developed ten years previously, during the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) movement, were reductive and that the corresponding overemphasis (and overspending) on standardized testing was horribly misguided. In the classrooms that I worked in as a literacy consultant all over the United States, I saw the same pattern during the NCLB decade: more focus on test prep and less focus on research-based teaching methods. As a career-long educator I found this terribly disheartening, and I shared my frustration with my teacher colleagues and students alike.

So when the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were first introduced, I was poised to attack and rip the CCSS to shreds; I felt certain that they were going to be yet another nail in the coffin of research-based, effective teaching methods. I had only made it to page 4 when I had a Jerry McGuire moment. I realized that the Common Core standards were nothing like the No Child Left Behind nonsense. Here's the part that “had me at hello”:

A focus on results rather than means. By emphasizing required achievements, the Standards leave room for teachers, curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should be reached and what additional topics should be addressed. Thus, the Standards do not mandate such things as a particular writing process or the full range of metacognitive strategies that students may need to monitor and direct their thinking and learning. Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards.

(CCSS 2010, p. 4)

Hallelujah! Educators were finally being acknowledged and credited for their professional knowledge. Reading this paragraph, I felt refreshed and excited that we could finally get back to what I knew, in my head and heart, great teaching and learning should look like in a middle school or high school classroom.

As I continued to read the standards, I grew increasingly “geeked out” about what this new framework could do for our students. If you've felt similarly skeptical about the Common Core State Standards, let me give you a quick overview of some CCSS basics and explain why the new standards are a great thing for our schools.

The Structure of the Common Core State Standards

For sixth through twelfth grade (at the time of press for this book) the following CCSS documents are available:

• Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
• Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

In this book, we are going to focus on the first document, Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts in Science and Technical Subjects (which include mathematics). Before we begin, I need to clarify a couple of things as they are articulated in the CCSS documents for interdisciplinary literacy. (If you need a full copy of the standards, the documents can be downloaded at www.corestandards.org.)

1. There are four strands in the English language arts (ELA) standards:
   1. Reading
   2. Writing
   3. Speaking and listening
   4. Language (including grammar and vocabulary)
2. For the literacy in science and technical subjects (and, by implication, in the mathematical standards), there are two strands: reading and writing. Although the speaking, listening, and language strands are not included in this set of standards, strategies for these literacies are included in this book, since both are necessary for students to learn new content and to express what they know and understand about that content.

The Need for Content Literacy

As many middle school and high school teachers already know, our teenagers are struggling with their reading skills, and there are very specific reasons why. You've no doubt heard many explanations in staff development workshops. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data shows that a majority of American eighth-grade students aren't proficient readers. This means that most students aren't able to comprehend grade-level texts when they enter high school. The 2006 ACT, Inc., report, Reading between the Lines, is cited by the CCSS authors as evidence that about half of high school students who took the ACT in the 2004–2005 academic year lacked the reading and literacy skills necessary for success in an introductory, credit-bearing college course (CCSS 2010, appendix A, p. 23). In fact, it is estimated that more than 40 percent of students entering college must take remedial courses in reading and writing before they are able to enroll in college credit courses.

To address this stark reality, the Common Core State Standards authors drew from research in the field of adolescent literacy as they identified the skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language that would prepare students in the twenty-first century for college and career readiness. In the introduction to the standards the authors identify what it means for students to be college and career ready.

As students advance to the grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing fullness and regularity these capacities of the literate individual.

They demonstrate independence

They build strong content knowledge.

They respond to the varying demand of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.

They comprehend as well as critique.

They value evidence.

They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.

They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.

(CCSS 2010, p. 7)

As you read through this list, I'm sure you'll agree that these literacy skills are integral to the development of content knowledge and competency.

At the sixth through twelfth grade levels, the literacy standards for English language arts are divided into two sets. There are standards that focus on English language arts classrooms, and there are interdisciplinary literacy standards. The latter were created to address the literacy needs of adolescent students in subject areas other than English. This doesn't mean that content area teachers are English teachers! It does mean that the interdisciplinary literacy standards are designed “to complement the specific content demands of the disciplines, not replace them” (CCSS 2010, p. 60).

What Does This Framework Mean for Content Area Teachers?

The ELA standards and the literacy standards for science and technical subjects share the same anchor standards in reading and writing. The ELA standards also embody anchor standards in speaking, listening, and language. This book contains strategies for speaking, listening, and language, since these are necessary for college and career readiness, although not included in the literacy in science and technical subjects standards.

Common Core State Standards

Looking at the standards from a more macro-level view, one can see that particular emphasis is placed on reading and writing in content area classes. Students are expected to develop their literacy skills as they learn content, with a particular emphasis on reading informational texts and argumentation in writing.

The emphasis on content literacy as articulated in the CCSS is not a new idea for middle school and high school teachers. The difference is that the CCSS emphasize that all content area teachers are responsible for developing student literacy skills; this effort is not the responsibility solely of English language arts teachers. Learning and integrating literacy strategies and skills in the teaching of content are pedagogies for effective instruction. This is the focus of this book: to provide specific strategies that content area teachers can use to boost students' literacy and deepen their understanding of content area material.

A Close Reading

When students read to develop content knowledge, they're often working with complex texts. In order to develop knowledge in a specific content area, students need to be able to analyze and synthesize literary and informational texts.

Reading is critical to building knowledge in history/social studies as well as in science and technical subjects. College and career ready reading in these fields requires an appreciation of the norms and conventions of each discipline, such as the kinds of evidence used in history and science; an understanding of domain specific words and phrases; an attention to precise details; and the capacity to evaluate intricate arguments, synthesize complex information, and follow detailed description of events and concepts. In history/social studies, for example, students need to be able to analyze, evaluate, and differentiate primary and secondary sources. When reading scientific and technical texts, students need to be able to gain knowledge from challenging texts t...

Table des matières

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• About the Author
• About Staff Development for Educators
• Dedication
• Preface
• Chapter One: Why Does Content Literacy Matter?
• Chapter Two: Deepening Reading Comprehension Skills and Content Knowledge
• Chapter Three: Effective Content Area Writing Strategies
• Chapter Four: Speaking and Listening in the Content Area
• Chapter Five: Developing Academic Language
• Chapter Six: Learning Centers and Student-Centered Activities
• Chapter Seven: Technology Tools for Twenty-First-Century Learning
• Chapter Eight: Helping Students Become College and Career Ready
• APPENDIX A: List of Bonus Web Downloads
• APPENDIX B: Text Circles Resource Guide
• APPENDIX C: Resources and References
• Index
• End User License Agreement