Each content area has its own set of literacies, based on the concepts, vocabulary, and text structures associated with that content. Adolescents, especially struggling readers and writers, need explicit instruction that integrates general literacy skills and strategies with those of each content area. Furthermore, the ELA Common Core State Standards now focus on reading and writing in the content areas in addition to the more traditional literature and informational text. These standards also support the use of video and other media as text type.

Here are examples from several lessons in this collection that illustrate the range of literacies students may encounter across various content areas. Click "View" on the left to read the examples.

After you review the document, explain how you think the literacy demands differ across these four disciplines.

Motivation and engagement in tasks are critical to adolescent learning and achievement. Learning is enhanced when students make connections between their own experiences and what they are learning, when they help choose reading and writing assignments, and when topics are relevant to their lives.

Watch this video to see how two students talk about the lessons they completed.

Based on what these students said, what role does their engagement play in their learning from the lesson?

Effective reading comprehension relies on a reader’s metacognition—"knowing what you know and what you don't know." Metacognitive readers are aware of when they do not understand what they are reading and know how to remedy that. This requires the use of multiple comprehension strategies to read, interpret, and respond to text before, during, and after reading:

• Monitoring for meaning – knowing what you understand, when you do not understand, and what to do when comprehension is blocked.
• Using and creating schema – using background knowledge to connect to new information.
• Asking questions – continually asking questions about the text information and the author’s purpose, and using these questions to set a focus for subsequent reading.
• Determining importance – given a purpose for reading, knowing how to determine what information is important to remember.
• Inferring – combining background knowledge with new information to arrive at an understanding.
• Visualizing – creating “pictures in the mind” while reading.
• Synthesizing – using multiple sources of information to arrive at a new understanding.

You will now look at two readings and consider which comprehension strategies would be the most important for students to use in order to answer questions about each text. Click "View" on the left to access the text. The strategies are reprinted in this document for your reference.

For each reading question, write down two to three strategies students would need to understand the text and answer the question effectively.

The more students know about a topic before reading, the better they will comprehend the material during and after reading. Teachers should determine what students already know and, if necessary, correct any misconceptions before reading. It is also important to return to this pre-reading activity after reading so students can elaborate on their knowledge and see how much they have learned.

For example, in the social studies lesson "The Story of Pocahontas," students review a story they may already be familiar with—how Pocahontas saved John Smith when her father was about to kill him. This familiarity with the story gives students a base to build on as they read historical analyses of the story. Click "View" on the left to see how prior knowledge is elicited from students before they begin the Pocahontas lesson.

Then, click "View" to see a video of students having a discussion before beginning a lesson on the pyramids of ancient Egypt.

How will these prereading activities support students as they go through each of these lessons?

Knowledge of vocabulary is a significant factor in effective reading and writing. Students need both explicit and implicit instruction to actively learn new words. Pre-teaching words before students encounter them in text will improve their understanding of the words when they come across them. You will now watch two videos that show students learning new vocabulary or reviewing their prior learning.

In the first video, a teacher introduces her class to the terms they will encounter in their upcoming lesson about how animals survive the winter. In the second video, a student from another class completes an interactive vocabulary activity about ancient Egypt. Click "View" on the left to watch each video.

For each activity featured in the videos, explain what the teacher would learn about the students' vocabulary knowledge and how she could use this information to modify her lesson.

Having a purpose for reading improves students’ focus and comprehension while reading. Without a purpose, students may have difficulty in determining what information is important to learn and understand. The ultimate goal is for students to be able to set their own purposes before reading a text.

One way to give students a purpose for reading is to provide questions to answer as they read. Here are two examples. The first is an activity in which students highlight the answers to two specific questions that set a purpose for their reading, and the second is a screen where students are given a purpose for viewing a video. Click "View" on the left to see these examples.

How did having a purpose for reading and/or viewing help students complete the "Highlight It!" activity and answer the text box question about the video? (Think about what difficulties students may have without the provided purpose.)

Discussions related to what students have read can help them develop both comprehension and composition skills related to that topic. Discussions can be either teacher facilitated or student-to-student.

You will now watch two videos to see students participating in discussions after completing the online portion of the lesson in preparation for their final writing assignment. Click "View" on the left to watch each video.

How did the discussions reinforce students' understanding of the lesson? How would the discussions also help them develop ideas for their final assignment?

Writing in response to reading supports comprehension and fosters critical thinking about a topic. Teachers can also use students’ writing for formative assessment to determine how well they are learning and what further instruction may be necessary.

Watch these videos to see two ways students are engaged in writing about what they have learned. The first shows a student answering a question during the lesson, and the second shows a student writing his final assignment after completing the lesson. Click "View" on the left to watch each video.

Then read the final assignment questions for these two lessons: Surviving Winter—Final Assignment (PDF) and Building the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt—Final Assignment (PDF). Select one question from either lesson and list three ways you would support struggling writers in your classroom as they plan and draft their written response.

Assessment of student learning is an integral part of instruction. It should include both ongoing formative assessment as well as summative assessment at the conclusion of a unit. In each of these self-paced lessons, teachers have a range of formative assessment options: short-answer text boxes, multiple-choice questions, a vocabulary matching interactive activity, a content-based interactive activity, and classroom discussions.

At the end of the lessons, teachers can evaluate what the student has learned and can apply to new situations. This summative assessment addresses whether students have achieved the goals of the lessons. It is also useful to ask students to self-assess their performance when they have completed the lesson to improve their ability to self-regulate their learning and set goals for future tasks.

Choose one of the assessments on the left. Describe two ways you could help struggling readers to complete the assessment correctly.

Computer-based instruction offers students the ability to learn at their own pace, get individualized support, and be more engaged and productive while reading and writing. Research has found that "self-paced, computer-based reading instruction helped to increase seventh- and eighth-grade students’ independent reading levels" (Kamil, 2003).

How has computer-based instruction altered your students' performance? Describe any benefits and challenges.

While these lessons are designed so that students can work independently and at their own pace, the teacher plays an important role in ensuring maximum student learning and engagement. This is based on the Gradual Release of Responsibility instructional model (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983), in which the responsibility for learning gradually shifts from the teacher to the student. The teacher decides when to provide explicit instruction, when to allow students to work with guidance, and—after students have demonstrated understanding with the support of the teacher or a peer—when to encourage independent performance. The Teacher’s Guide reflects these varying levels of support throughout each lesson: explicit instruction, guided practice, and independent application.

For example, teachers may provide explicit instruction before students begin a lesson, posing questions to access background knowledge, clarifying misconceptions, and setting a purpose for the lesson content. Key vocabulary is reviewed or explicitly taught. As students begin working on the lessons, the teacher may provide assistance, as needed, to students in reading or responding to text or video. The teacher may also pair students to work together for assistance in completing tasks. The teacher facilitates discussions during or after students complete the lesson to prepare them for the final assignment. Finally, the teacher ensures that students have adequate time to complete the final assignment independently.

Think about the level of support you provide to students as they engage in learning. Write an example of when you provide explicit instruction and when and how you provide support for guided practice. How do you determine when students are ready to move from guided practice to independent application?

Now that you have completed this lesson, you can focus on applying the research principles for best practices in teaching adolescent literacy to your own class. To begin, click "review my work" above to view and/or print your notes. Then review your notes and these research principles. Determine which principles best address the needs of your students. Then select one or both of these options to complete:

• Describe which principles are already reflected in your instruction and which are not. Then, describe how you will adjust/adapt your current instruction to meet the needs of your students and to reflect these research principles.
• Choose two to three of these research principles. Download and print the Teacher’s Guide for a self-paced lesson from the Inspiring Middle School Literacy collection. Review each section of the Teacher’s Guide and identify where these principles are evident.