Integrating Literacy into
Content Areas
Focus on Science
Lindsay Merritt and Pamela Wiles
Why is Integration so Important?
Time: With new Common
Core Standards, we only
have so much time to fit it
all in.
Natural correlation to
content areas.
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Fluency is a skill lacking in
most students. Routine
practice throughout all
subject areas will help build
up.
What is Literacy?
Literacy refers to the
ability to read, write,
interpret, understand,
and communicate.
Multiliteracy describes not just the “old school” printed
text but also includes all of today’s multimedia sources of
literacy: text combined with sounds, images, movies, and
many, many more.
Reader’s Theater
Reader’s Theater is an excellent way
to get students reading and actively
involved.
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A great addition to a science text that
will help students make connections,
reinforce content vocabulary, and
cement their understanding of
concepts.
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Addresses a variety of literacy skills
without forfeiting scientific content.
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Builds fluency, vocabulary, and
Anticipation Guides
Excellent for introducing a lesson.
•
Perfect for activating student’s prior knowledge.
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Can be done with the whole class, small groups,
or individually. “Before” questions can also be a
great opportunity to get students up and moving
around.
Works as a pre- and post-assessment.
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Ongoing throughout the lesson.
High School
Middle School
With technology, students are using the internet more.
Reader’s Response
Students engage with the text throughout the
reading with this graphic organizer.
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Can be completed individually, in pairs, or
small groups.
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Complete comprehension through the areas
addressed on the chart.
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Informal assessment and dissection of text.
Can be used with any text, any subject.
Prediction:
Visualize:
Question:
What do you think will happen?
What do you picture? Close your
eyes and describe
What questions do you have?
Connect:
Clarify:
Evaluate:
What connections can you make? What do you need clarified? Do you
Text, Self, World
understand what the text is saying?
Evaluate what happened and
summarize.
Students can use any type of text with Reader’s
Response.
Examples of texts that science teachers
can use for Reader’s Response
Newspaper
News Report
Picture Book
Using Picture Books
Using picture books is a great
way to incorporate literacy
into any subject.
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Article :Using Picture Books
for Middle School Minds
Integrating Literacy into
Content Areas
The Wiki