1. Why Me? Content-Area Reading
Neil Witikko
The College of St. Scholastica

2. Why Me? Content-Area Reading
Agenda:
What are students reading in our content areas?
Strategies we can all use to help students understand our content.
Differences between traditional “print text” and online reading.

3. Content-Area Reading Why the Public Is Concerned?
11% national dropout rate
Large cities – much higher – 50% in Chicago (Daniels and Zemelman, 2014)
National Assessment of Education Progress
Civics – 24% of American 8th graders and 30% of seniors scored at “proficient” level
Science – no gains for 8th graders since 1996; high school scores have dropped
Math – modest gains for 8th and 12th over last decade; recent dip for seniors
History/Geography – slightly up for 8th grade; flat for high school

4. Content-Area Reading “Why Me?” Forget the test scores!
If our students cannot understand the reading in our content areas, who will help them? 
How many of us have formal training in teaching reading? (now required at universities)
How many “specialists” do we have in our district?
Special education staff?
Forget the test scores!
Bottom line – if students can understand what I ask them to read, they can learn more in my content area

5. Dependent readers become independent readers.
Content-Area Reading
Dependent readers become independent readers.

6. Content knowledge is a critical first step.
Content-Area Reading
Content knowledge is a critical first step.

7. Content-Area Reading
Students need to read a wide range of material in all of our courses from a very early age.
Non-fiction (and textbooks are not enough)
Kelly Gallagher – “Article of the Week”
Students need content in order to “fill the gap.”
What connections can we make to the real world?
P-12 commitment

8. Content-Area Reading Okay, so that is a system-wide dream.
What can we do in our own classrooms when kids do not understand the content we ask them to read?
Some simple strategies that do not take away content time for your classroom and can help students understand our reading material at a higher level.

9. Content-Area Reading Before-reading strategies
Prepare students for the material.
During-reading strategies
Help students process/make meaning of the material as they read.
After-reading strategies
Help students understand and make sense of the material after they read.

10. Content-Area Reading Comprehension Strategies: Anticipation Guides
KWL Charts
Double-Entry Journals
Really? Strategy
Author Says/I Say
History Change Frame Graphic Organizer
History Memory Bubbles
Science Connection Overview
Story Map

11. Content-Area Reading Vocabulary Building Strategies:
Partner Knowledge Rater
Frayer Model
Word Map
Vocabulary Overview Guide
Word Family Tree
Concept Definition Map

12. Congratulations! This is the last page.
Online Reading
The End of the Internet
Congratulations! This is the last page.
Thank you for visiting the End of the Internet.
There are no more links.
You must now turn off your computer
and go do something productive.
Go read a book, for Pete’s sake.

13. Offline (Print) Reading
Differences
Offline (Print) Reading
“Linear” in approach, with, typically, a single way to proceed
Online Reading
An ability to “construct” one’s content

14. Differences
“Online reading is a more ‘cognitively complex process than print reading due to the ‘phenomenon of hyperlinking’” (Coiro and Dobler, 2007)
a greater navigation load on readers, requiring more cerebral “real estate”

15. Strategies
Online Reading Tools:
Thinking and Reading Online Activity Sheet
Team Reading Activity Sheet

16. Content-Area Reading
Why go there as content teachers?
We want our students to understand our course material.
It is our responsibility—there is no “Super Reading Teacher” who will be there to help.
“Teaching content is teaching reading.” - Willingham

17. Content-Area Reading
Strategies in Action:

18. Content-Area Reading
Resources: Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read: What teachers can do. Heinemann. Buehl, D. (2009). Classroom strategies for interactive learning. IRA. Daniels, H. & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects matter: Every teacher’s guide to content-area reading. Heinemann. Frank, C., Grossi, J. & Standfield, D. (2006). Application of reading strategies within the classroom. Pearson.