Take vocabulary for example. Textbooks in content areas are designed to present vocabulary appropriate to the concepts being taught. Concepts taught at one grade level don't always match up with the reading levels of students within the average content area classroom which usually include special education students. Content area teachers will always be teaching science terminology or the vocabulary of the roaring 20's, for example, in addition to the concepts. Primary sources are another good example. Journals, letters, and eye witness accounts aren't written with grade level in mind, but are essential to offering students authentic points of view.
In a past blog I called teaching a "team sport." I also see literacy in the same light, but it doesn't end there. As a reading teacher I pride myself on being able to bring engaging literature and activities into the classroom in an attempt to capture the attention of my students. Part of this is including elements of content areas into our daily reading class. Whether we're learning about nonfiction through firsthand accounts of the 1902 earthquake, or discussing the political environment in revolutionary America to better understand "Johnny Tremain," kids are getting a little bit of everything while in a reading class.
As a teacher and coach I see kids improve the more they repeat skills. "Practice makes perfect," the old adage goes. The more we repeat, the more kids learn vocabulary and writing as the day goes on, the better readers and writers they will be in the end. Our classrooms are only separated by walls. The more integrated our curriculum becomes the more shared responsibility we take on for producing well-rounded students. This in turn makes our students better reflective writers, critical thinkers, and decision makers. In the end isn't that what we want.
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When I was in middle school, I had a science teacher who deducted serious points for bad grammar and punctuation. I think the lesson learned from him, for me, was that there's an extreme. A solid scientist shouldn't get a lower grade than a poor scientist because the scientist didn't understand contractions. However, I remember having a science teacher who was unable to use her own language properly, and her credibility was jeopardized to me. There's a balance in literacy across the board, and I think the hard battle in incorporating ANY disciplines than your own is not going too far down the other road.
ReplyDeleteHowever, any teacher who doesn't realize that literacy in one area translates into success in another is also missing a key point, which is that communication skills are what make us the creatures we are.
I absolutely agree that teaching is a team sport; everyone needs to be good at their part, but they need to know where the other person is. When I was at Warsaw, the Math and Science and English frequently crosses over, and Science and History and English were also common couplings.