This was a great article informing me of the need for content area literacy instruction begin in elementary grades instead of waiting until the child has become older and gotten into upper grades. These days elementary classrooms are so focused on "the test" that anything that is not on the test is not taught. This leaves out two important subjects in my opinion. These subjects are history and science and they are supposed to be integrated into math and reading, but are often left out. Introducing literacy instruction into these classrooms provides a great opportunity for teachers to integrate the forgotten subject and make these subjects fun for the students who would otherwise find them boring.
I find this sad to say ,but as I was reading i could not think of a time I have observed a classroom and they have read anything other than AR books or classroom texts. I began to realize how this is for the children that they are being held responsible for literacy instruction later in life, but are not being taught how to do it. I feel like this article has really opened my eyes to what children this age really need to be exposed to to better prepare them for learning when they are older.
Some questions that I have are:
If these types of texts were implemented into our classrooms, would they replace our classroom texts or go along with them?
What would be the best ways to use these types of texts if they were not implemented into our school when we begin teaching?
I have to agree with your opinion of integrating science and history. When I observed last semester at (blank) school, I was shocked to discover that these two subjects were completely left out! (Maybe they had them on different days, but I didn't see it when I was there). I understand that reading and writing are extremely important, but read some history, and write in a science journal. Integrate it!
ReplyDeleteI also, like you, do not remember seeing anything other than AR books in the classroom. Reading really does not need to be confined to books. We can use newspaper articles and magazines, as the article suggested. I know that I love reading magazines, partly because I love looking at the pictures, so how much more would kids enjoy them?
Good post!