The Adolescent Literacy KnowledgeBase

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

The Writing Successful Grants KnowledgeBase is an online resource aiding education professionals in their pursuit of public and private grants to support local programs. Its five elements contain information and resources that assist the grant seeker with developing their project, writing the grant proposal and managing the grant upon its award.

Task 5: Integrate with Science

Guideline: Literacy plays an important part in science instruction. Middle and high school teachers can improve adolescent literacy through integrating literacy instructional concepts in science. Possessing an awareness of literacy instruction within science enables middle and high school teachers to enhance instructional strategies.

Resources

TOOLS

Adolescent Literacy Toolkit

This link to the Council of Chief State School Officers' Adolescent Literacy Toolkit provides resources for states and high school content area teachers.

Comprehension Strategies

This page at AdLit.org contains a library of comprehension strategies teachers can use in the classroom before, during, and after reading a text.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12

This link provides a listing of science trade books for students. As noted at the National Science Teachers Association website, "The books that appear in these lists were selected as outstanding children's science trade books. They were selected by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in cooperation with the Children's Book Council (CBC)."

Science Bookshelf

This link is the Ohio Resource Center website. As noted at its website, "the Science Bookshelf provides information about using science trade books for science instruction in K-5 classrooms. We have selected outstanding science trade books that align with Ohio's Science Standards and have the potential to enrich science teaching and learning." While this resource is specific to Ohio, it may be useful to teachers in other states.

GUIDELINES

Improving Reading Skills in the Science Classroom

This short article discusses three specific issues related to adolescent literacy in the science classroom.

PRACTICAL TIPS

Reading Strategies

This link to the Ohio Resource Center for Mathematics, Science and Reading offers a compilation of reading strategies aimed at the adolescent student. Though focused on the Ohio Academic Content Standards, the basic strategies may be useful to all middle and high school teachers.

REFERENCES

Bringing Literacy Strategies into Content Instruction

As noted in its introduction, this Center on Instruction document "provides research-based guidance on academic literacy instruction in the content areas." The vignettes offered provide examples of how literacy instruction can be integrated into content area instruction.

From State Policy to Classroom Practice: Improving Literacy Instruction for All Students

This National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) document addresses moving state-level literacy instruction policy to classroom practice.

Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas

This link is to the Alliance for Excellent Education's report Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas: Getting to the Core of Middle and High School Improvement. It discusses multiple aspects of adolescent literacy development from achieving basic reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills to more advanced literacy skills that will enable middle and high school students succeed in academic content areas.

Reading in the Disciplines: The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy

This link is to the Carnegie Corporation of New York's report addressing adolescent literacy in the content areas. The report discusses the following content areas: science, mathematics, literature, and history.

Science Fiction & Science Literacy

This e-newsletter from the National Science Teacher Association provides guidance for linking science fiction to science concepts taught in the classroom.