(Re)Imagining Content-Area Literacy Instruction

Book excerpt: Today’s teachers need to prepare students for a world that places increasingly higher literacy demands on its citizens. In this timely book, the authors explore content-area literacy and instruction in English, music, science, mathematics, social studies, visual arts, technology, and theatre. Each of the chapters has been written by teacher educators who are experts in their discipline. Their key recommendations reflect the aims and instructional frameworks unique to content-area learning. This resource focuses on how literacy specialists and content-area educators can combine their talents to teach all readers and writers in the middle and secondary school classroom. The text features vignettes from classroom practice with visuals to demonstrate, for example, how we read a painting or hear the discourse of a song. Additional contributors: Marta Adair, Diane L. Asay, Sharon R. Gray, Sirpa Grierson, Scott Hendrickson, Steven L. Shumway, Geoffrey A. Wright Roni Jo Draperis an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education in the David O. McKay School of Education.Paul Broomheadis associate professor and coordinator of the Music Education Division in the School of Music.Amy Petersen Jensenis an associate professor in the College of Fine Arts and Communications.Jeffery D. Nokesis an assistant professor in the History Department.Daniel Siebertis an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics Education. All editors are at Brigham Young University, Utah. “This is a must-read for educators engaged in professional development efforts aimed at improving students’ learning across the content areas. The editors and chapter authors are to be applauded for taking up the call to place content-area literacy squarely in the disciplines.” —From the Foreword byThomas W. Bean, University of Nevada, Las Vegas “A great tool for developing disciplinary literacy.” —Douglas Fisher, San Diego State University “Draper and her colleagues successfully convey the complex and subject-specific nature of effective content area literacy instruction. This book reminds us in refreshing ways that there is more to effective reading than decoding and prior knowledge.” —George G. Hruby, Executive Director, Collaborative Center for Literacy Development, University of Kentucky “From its grounding in inquiry and collaboration, to its contemporary views of literacy and text, this book is an important response to recent calls to redress century-old recommendations for teaching reading. It is exciting to recommend(Re)ImaginingContent-Area Literacy Instructionfor any course or in-service project with a focus on content-area literacy instruction.” —Kathleen Hinchman, Syracuse University, School of Education