Approaches to Content Area Literacy
REGISTER – instructions for how to self-enroll
Audience: teachers in all content areas grades 6-12
Format: five 2-hour self-paced online modules; to be used individually or with PLCs, departments or teams.
If you are a grade 6-12 teacher in any content area interested in
- familiarizing yourself–or maybe re-familiarizing yourself–with some of the basic ideas and elements of metacognition as it relates to literacy and
- learning about effective ways to help your students read more carefully and process the content in your subject area,
these modules are for you. They introduce key ideas, terms, and habits of mind that are essential to understanding how metacognition works, as well as how to help your students with apprenticeship–the practice of increasing their comprehension and engaging in discourse about important readings in your discipline.
Module activities include:
- watching presentations about metacognitive strategies,
- reading texts about metacognition and literacy,
- taking short quizzes,
- analyzing and discussing sample texts and lessons,
- adapting activities and materials for your own students, and
- designing lessons for improved literacy, more thoughtful reading, and more in-depth discourse in your classroom.
Our goal is for you to complete the course feeling inspired and energized to make greater use of metacognition and discourse as you assign and discuss readings with your students in your classroom. Our hope is that you will move from these modules to enhanced daily practice where you see you and your students directly benefit from powerful ways to make better meaning of the texts you assign.
Topics addressed:
- what metacognition is and why it matters so much while students read inside and outside your classroom;
- habits of mind that turn students from passive into active readers;
- the benefits of nurturing a culture of inquiry through discourse in your classroom;
- and several strategies you can use tomorrow for your students to read more carefully.
SCECHs: available – 10 hours
Consultant Contact: [email protected]