This document provides strategies and resources for teaching literacy skills across content areas. It emphasizes that developing students' literacy is every teacher's responsibility. Before, during, and after reading strategies are outlined to help students access and understand content area texts. Some highlighted strategies include vocabulary development, note-taking with codes, graphic organizers like Venn diagrams, and writing prompts like RAFT to help students personalize and apply new concepts. The goal is to use these evidence-based strategies to accelerate learning and improve student literacy in different subject areas.

1. Welcome to
Content Area Literacy

2. If not me, then who?
Teaching literacy skills is every
teacher’s responsibility.
Ifa student is not taught the skills to access the
text within a content area, he will remain unable to
access the information within that subject. It has
very little to do with homework completion. It has
everything to do with literacy competency.

3. from Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy…
“Teachers of each content area are in the
strongest position to help student
successfully meet those challenges.
Content area teachers know their subject
matter and the standards they should be
meeting. They also understand the
literacy demands of their content; how to
read the different kinds of text, how to
write in the formats associated with each
subject, how to recognize key concepts
and vocabulary terms…”

4. Objective- To effectively use before, during, and after
reading/writing strategies within the classroom to accelerate
and improve student learning.
Before Reading Strategies
Vocabulary Development Strategies
During Reading Strategies
After Reading Strategies

5. Before Reading Strategies
The most powerful time to support reading
is BEFORE students begin to read.

6. Before Reading
 Link new information to prior knowledge
 Clarify misconceptions
 Relate new vocabulary to known concepts
 Provide information about the organization
of the content
 Generate questions about the topic
 Make predictions about what might be
learned

7. Before Reading Strategies
Anticipation Guide
Chapter Walk
ABC’s of ______________
KWL/ KNL
Below the Line

8. Anticipation Guide
1. Read each statement and place a check under agree or
disagree in the “before” column.
2. Whole group discussion on agreements and disagreements.
3. Read the text (teacher read or independently).
4. Reread each statement and place a check under the agree or
disagree in the “after” column.
5. Make a note in the box as to where the evidence can be
located to support this statement.
6. Whole group or small group discussion to collaborate on the
text based evidence.
Anticipation Guide-EXAMPLE.doc

9. Chapter Walk
 Text Features vary from textbook to textbook
 Take time periodically to point out how to use
the text - do not assume that students will
read the text the same way you read it
 Let’s try it with a generic Chapter Walk
 Text Features.doc

10. ABC’S of _______________
 Brainstorming on a certain topic
 Can be used independently, whole group, or small
groups
 Can be broken apart to adapt for students with less
prior knowledge (ex. Some students complete A-G,
others H-P and so on)
 Provides information springboard for discussion
where everyone can participate
 ABC-EXAMPLE.doc

11. BELOW THE LINE
 Individual brainstorm and then group discussion
 Students have a piece of paper with a line in the center to divide
the page
 Teacher poses a question
 Students brainstorm and list answers above the line
 Whole group - students share responses
 Check mark next to same or similar responses
 Different responses go below the line
 Discussions can occur about which responses occurred most
often and why
 Discussions can occur about the “different” responses
Below the Line-EXAMPLE.doc

12. Vocabulary Development
Hand them the words on the platter.-Jacobs, 2000
One way to ensure that students get the most
out of their reading is to focus on
vocabulary. –Robb, 2003
Spend the time working with and making sense
of the words, other than defining them. -Runkle, 2009

13. Vocabulary
 Choose the most important and essential
words for the topic of study.
 Provide direct instruction
 Make connections to prior knowledge from
previous chapters or courses
 Organize and categorize the terms in a
meaningful way

14. Vocabulary Development Strategies
Word Sorts (open and closed)
Vocabulary Circles
Magnet Summaries
Vocabulary Chart
Think Alouds

15. WORD SORTS
1. Place vocabulary terms onto small cards, one word per card.
2. Individually, or in groups, students then sort the words into
categories.
1. “Closed Sort”- categories provided by teacher
2. “Open Sort”- students create and label categories discovered of their
own making
3. Students write their list for each category with a brief
explanation of why these words are included together in that
particular category.
Completing VOCABULARY SORTS in small groups using
textbooks and class notes for reference provides
opportunities for in-depth discussion as students consider
the word from many aspects. - Billmeyer and Baron, 1998
Word Sort-EXAMPLE.doc

16. VOCABULARY CHART
 One of the best ways to learn a new word is to
associate an image with it.
Imagery-based techniques produced achievement
gains that were 37 percentile points higher than
those produced by techniques that focused on
having students continually review word
definitions.
Vocabulary Chart.doc
Vocabulary Chart- EXAMPLE.doc

17. THINK ALOUDS
 Make your thinking public
 You are the expert in your field
 Allow students to mimic your way of thinking
 You may feel “out of your comfort zone.” It gets
easier with time and practice
 Preparation is key - use post-its to prepare
http://books.heinemann.com/wordwise/

18. During Reading Strategies
All students need to have opportunities to
think critically, organize and question while
they are interacting with the text.
Instruction that encourages students to
continually summarize, visualize, connect,
predict, question, organize, infer and
monitor will increase comprehension.

19. DURING READING STRATEGIES
4 Square Reading
2 Column Note-Taking
Note-Taking with codes
Extract/React
Graphic Organizers specific to text
Venn Diagram
Cause and Effect
Cycle Organizer

20. 4 SQUARE READING
1. Divide text into 4 sections
2. Divide students into groups of 4
3. Assign each student a different role
1. Summarizer
2. Connector
3. Visualizer
4. Predictor/ Questioner
4. Students will read one section of the text in group
5. Each student completes his/her role
6. Discussion of the completed roles
7. Rotate roles
8. Repeat steps 4-7 until all boxes are complete
FOUR SQUARE.doc

21. 2 Column Note-Taking
Cornell Note-Taking
Topic with Sub-Topics
Summary at the end is key
Cornell notetaking.doc

22. Note-Taking with Codes
Finding key pieces of information from
text
Identifying personal knowledge
Coding the facts
Content notes with codes.docm

23. Graphic Organizers
Choose and use the organizer that works
best for the text and the information
Venn Diagram
Cause and Effect
Cycle Organizer
Textbook publishers often send supplemental
guides with graphic organizers.

24. After Reading Strategies
To consolidate their learning, effective
learners reflect on new information
and integrate it into previous
understandings by personalizing and
applying the new concepts.- Buehl, 2001
Have the students use the new
information in a meaningful way that
they can apply prior knowledge and
skills.- Runkle, 2009

25. After Reading Strategies
 RAFT
 Save the Last Word for Me
 Rating Scale
 3-2-1

26. RAFT Informal Writing
 Role of the writer
 (Who are you?)
 Audience for the writer
 (To whom are you writing?)
 Format of the writing
 (What form will your writing assume?)
 Topic to be addressed in the writing
 (What are you writing about?)

27. RAFT- cont.
1. Analyze the important ideas or information
you want students to learn- establish the
topic
2. Brainstorm possible roles for students to
assume
3. Decide who the audience will be for this
communication
4. Determine the format of the writing
RAFT- EXAMPLES.doc

28. Save the Last Word For Me
Printed Instructions Provided
Instructions for SAVE THE LAST WORD FOR ME
1. Students read an article independently, highlighting statements, sections, sentences, etc. that stand
out to the student for ANY REASON. (Maybe it was interesting, maybe he/she disagrees or agrees
with the statement, maybe he/she is confused, amused, saddened, angered, etc by the statement.)
2. AFTER reading the ENTIRE article, students choose 3 statements they would like to share with
group members. Using index cards, students should write each of the statements on a separate
index card. On the BACK of each index card, the students should write WHY they chose that
statement to share (here they should explain their reasoning for picking the statement.)
3. After all students are through writing their statements and reasons on the index cards, students
should get into groups (4-6 people per group is ideal.)
4. Each group chooses a person to start. This person chooses one of his statements to share with the
group. He just shares the STATEMENT ONLY at this point (NOT HIS REASONING.) After sharing
the statement with the whole group, each group member must comment on the statement, telling
what he/she thinks about the statement. It may be helpful to pass the card with the statement to
each group member to allow them to reread it before commenting.
5. AFTER ALL GROUP MEMBERS HAVE COMMENTED, the person who shared the statement gets to
share his reasoning for choosing the statement. After he speaks, there is no more discussion, thus
he gets THE LAST WORD.
6. At this point a different group member gets to share a statement. Continue this process until all
group members have shared at least once. The teacher can decide to have the group share a
second and/or third comment.
Save the Last Word for Me-form.docm

29. Rating Scale
 Students must identify important facts or
topic
 Students will then “rank” them in order of
importance – thinking critically about the
topic
 Students must then explain the rankings
Rating Scale.DOC
Rating Scale-EXAMPLE.DOC

30. 3-2-1- quick strategy for the end of any lesson, vary the response
3 - new facts that you have learned over
the past two days
2 - strategies that you will definitely use
this school year
1 - question that you still have about
content area literacy