Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum, 9th Edition

Content Area Reading remains the market-leading text in content literacy and maintains the authors' original objective—to offer an ambitious, coherent, and workable exploration of content literacy. The Ninth Edition comes at a perfect time when there is an increased focus on adolescent literacy. With the point of view that students learn with texts, not necessarily from them, respected authors Rich and Jo Anne Vacca have written this book to be an active learning tool, complete with real-world examples and research-based practices. Thoroughly updated and revised to incorporate topics that touch on contemporary issues such as content standards, assessment, diversity, struggling readers, the No Child Left Behind Legislation, Reading First, and Reading Next, the book continues to provide a framework that focuses on the ability to use reading, writing, speaking, and listening processes to learn subject matter across the curriculum. Accessible and comprehensible, this text takes students through the entire reading process using simple, jargon-free terminology. The methodology presented develops a foundation that can be applied across disciplines, meeting the needs of all students.

 

A Letter to Readers from the Authors

To Our Readers:

            We published the first edition of Content Area Reading in 1981.  Some of you may be wondering --with good reason-- why did we have to revise  the same book nine times?   Has education in general and content literacy in particular changed that much in nearly thirty years to warrant nine editions of the same book?    While we have remained true to the original intent of the book throughout these years, our answer to these questions is an enthusiastic “Yes!” 

            We have witnessed dramatic changes over the past three decades in the way we think about literacy, what it means to be literate, and the ways we put literacy to use to learn, enjoy, imagine, explore the world, and  interact with others . Some of the revisions that we have made from the eighth to ninth edition alone reflect the rapidly changing landscape of content literacy specifically and education generally:

• The renewed and hotly political debate over the role of content knowledge (the “what” of teaching) and pedagogical knowledge ( the “how” of teaching);
• the development of highly qualified teachers;
• teaching, learning, and assessment  in a standards-based curriculum;
• the role and responsibility of literacy coaches in today’s schools;
• the crisis in adolescent literacy across ability levels;
• the meaning and importance of culturally responsive instruction and literacy strategies for learners who first language is other than English;
• the impact of assessment on instructional practices;
• the role of confidence, motivation, and engaged learning in literacy-related instructional practices;
• the ability to “work smart” in independent learning contexts;
• the meaning and application of “new literacies” in today’s classrooms.

Today,  one of the hottest topics in education is  adolescent literacy.   Our book  mainly emphasizes how adolescents use literacy to learn across the curriculum; how adolescents will approach reading with enthusiasm and confidence in their ability to make sense out of academic texts.  While the focus of our book has always been on instructional strategies, we underscore in this edition the ways that content area teachers can actively engage older students in learning with all kinds of texts, whether printed or digital in nature.   

Perhaps somewhere in the heavens there is a Greek god of reading who breathes into human beings an intense interest in the act of reading. Perhaps not.  The reality of reading  school-related texts for many adolescents is simply this: Many of today’s older students, regardless of ability level, would rather have root canal surgery than engage enthusiastically in academic reading tasks.  Yet we believe that teachers  are in a strategic position to make a difference in the way their students approach reading and learn with texts . The passion to use reading to learn requires more than supernatural or divine inspiration. Enthusiastic readers  in today’s classrooms are made, not born with a fervor for reading and learning.  And this is where the content area teacher will make a  decided difference in the literate lives of adolescents. 

We wish you the very best,   

Richard and Jo Anne Vacca

 

 

 

           

 

 

Contents

Preface

  

Chapter 1        Reading Matters  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Content Knowledge and Teacher Quality  

Content Knowledge vs. Pedagogical Knowledge  

Balancing Content and Pedagogical Knowledge in Content Area Classrooms  

Teaching and Learning with Texts  

Beyond Assigning and Telling  

Content Literacy and Learning  

Reading to Learn  

Reading as a Meaning-Making Process  

Reading as a Strategic Process  

Text Comprehension in Content Areas  

Developing Research-Based Comprehension Strategies  

Prior Knowledge and Comprehension: A Closer Look  

Reader Response  

Levels of Comprehension  

Questions and Questioning  

The Literacy Coach’s Role and Responsibilities  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Part Two:       Learners and Texts 

 

Chapter 2        From Struggling Readers to Striving Readers  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

The Consequences of Struggling with Texts  

box 2.1 / what about English Language Learners?  

Low Achievement  

Learned Helplessness  

Scaffolding Instruction  

BOX 2.2 / The Literacy Coach and Struggling Readers  

A Crisis in Adolescent Literacy  

The Push for Striving Readers in Middle and High Schools  

BOX 2.3 / Fifteen Elements of Effective Adolescent Literacy Programs  

Explicit Instruction in the Use of Strategies  

Metacognition and Learning  

Strategy Instruction  

box 2.4 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

Strategic Reading  

Using Think-Alouds to Model Comprehension Strategies  

Using Reciprocal Teaching to Model Comprehension Strategies  

Using Question—Answer Relationships (QARs) to Model Comprehension Strategies  

box 2.5 / Research-Based Best Practices  

Questioning the Author (QtA)  

box 2.6 / Research-Based Best Practices  

Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA)  

box 2.7 / Research-Based Best Practices  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 3        Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Culturally Responsive Instruction in Today’s Schools  

box 3.1 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

From Monocultural to Multicultural Classrooms  

BOX 3.2 / ABC’s of Cultural Understanding and Communication  

Ways of Knowing  

Funds of Knowledge  

Characteristics of Culturally Responsive Instruction  

BOX 3.3 / Drawing on Students’ Funds of Knowledge in Science and Mathematics  

BOX 3.4 / Drawing on Students’ Funds of Knowledge in the Arts  

Linguistic Differences in Today’s Schools  

Dialect Use in the Classroom  

English Learners  

BOX 3.5 / In the Spotlight: The Literacy Coach  

Sheltered Instruction for English Learners  

The SIOP Model  

BOX 3.6 / The Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP)  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 4        Assessing Students and Texts  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

High-Stakes Testing and Authentic Approaches to Assessment  

High-Stakes Testing: Some Issues and Concerns  

Federal Legislation  

State Standards and Accountability  

BOX 4.1 / State Assessment Numbers at a Glance  

BOX 4.2 / The Literacy Coach and Assessment  

Standardized Testing: What Teachers Need to Know  

Authentic Assessment: The Teacher’s Role  

Adapting Portfolios to Content Area Classes  

box 4.3 / Best Practices  

Checklists and Interviews  

Rubrics and Self-Assessments  

Assessing Text Difficulty  

Content Area Reading Inventories  

Readability  

FLIP Strategy  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 5        Developing Vocabulary Knowledge and Concepts  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Experiences, Concepts, and Words  

What are Concepts?  

Concept Relationships: An Example  

Using Graphic Organizers to Make Connections among Key Concepts  

box 5.2 / Best Practices  

A Graphic Organizer Walk-Through  

Showing Students How to Make Their Own Connections  

Activating What Students Know about Words  

Word Exploration  

Brainstorming  

List—Group—Label  

Word Sorts  

Knowledge Ratings  

Defining Words in the Context of Their Use  

Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy  

Concept of Definition Word Maps  

Reinforcing and Extending Vocabulary Knowledge and Concepts  

Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA)  

Categorization Activities  

Concept Circles  

Context- and Definition-Related Activities  

Magic Squares  

Vocabulary-Building Strategies  

Context-Related Activities  

Modified Cloze Passages  

OPIN  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 6        Activating Prior Knowledge and Interest  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Self-Efficacy and Motivation  

Arousing Curiosity  

Creating Story Impressions  

Establishing Problematic Perspectives  

box 6.1 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

box 6.2 / Best Practices  

Guided Imagery  

Making Predictions  

Anticipation Guides  

Adapting Anticipation Guides in Content Areas  

Imagine, Elaborate, Predict, and Confirm (IEPC)  

Question Generation  

Active Comprehension  

ReQuest  

box 6.3 / Best Practices  

Expectation Outlines  

Your Own Questions  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 7        Guiding Reader—Text Interactions  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Instructional Strategies  

The KWL Strategy  

box 7.1 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

Discussion Webs  

Guided Reading Procedure (GRP)  

Intra-Act  

Discussion-Based Learning  

Scaffolding Student Talk  

Purposes and Types of Discussions  

Creating an Environment for Discussion  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 8        Writing to Learn  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Integrating Reading and Writing  

Reading and Writing as Composing Processes  

Reading and Writing as Exploration, Motivation, and Clarification  

Exploratory Writing Activities  

Unsent Letters  

Biopoems  

Dialogues  

Admit Slips and Exit Slips  

Journal Writing  

Response Journals  

Double-Entry Journals (DEJs)  

Learning Logs  

Essay Writing  

RAFT Writing Assignments  

Use Discourse Forms in RAFT Assignments  

Guiding the Writing Process  

box 8.1 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

The Discovery Stage: Motivating, Generating, Planning, and Organizing  

BOX 8.2 / Best Practices  

Drafting  

Revising  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 9        Working Smart: Study Strategies and Guides  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Searching for and Using Text Structure  

External Text Structure  

box 9.1 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

Internal Text Structure  

Signal Words in Text Structure  

Graphic Organizers  

box 9.2 / Evidence-Based Best Practice  

Using Graphic Organizers to Reflect Text Patterns  

Using Questions with Graphic Organizers  

Semantic (Cognitive) Mapping  

Writing Summaries  

Using GRASP to Write a Summary  

box 9.3 / Evidence-Based Best Practice  

Polishing a Summary  

Making Notes, Taking Notes  

Text Annotations  

A Note-Taking Procedure  

Study Guides  

Three-Level Guides  

Study Guides Based on Text Patterns  

Classroom Examples  

Selective Reading Guides  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 10      Bringing Students and Texts Together  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

Sociocultural Context for Literacy and Learning  

The Reader—Text—Activity Dynamic  

Collaborative Learning Dynamic  

The Engaged Learning Dynamic  

Designing and Planning Text-Centered Lessons  

Lesson Plan Formats  

BOX 10.1 / Lesson Plan for Vietnam and the Presidential Jigsaw  

B—D—A Instructional Framework  

Some More Examples of B—D—A-Centered Lessons  

Designing and Planning Units of Study  

Components of a Well-Designed Unit  

An Inquiry/Research Emphasis in Units of Study  

box 10.2 / Evidence-Based Best Practices  

A Multiple Text Emphasis in Units of Study  

Designing and Planning Collaborative Interactions  

Cooperative Learning Groups  

Small-Group Processes Underlying Cooperative Learning  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 11      Learning with Trade Books  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

box 11.1 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

Textbook Use in Today’s Classrooms  

Reasons Teachers Use Textbooks  

Problems with Using Textbooks  

Rationale for Using Trade Books  

Learning through Literature  

Learning with Nonfiction Books  

box 11.2 / Evidence-Based Best Practice  

Learning with Picture Books  

Learning with Fiction Books  

Learning with Multicultural Books  

box 11.3 / Evidence-Based Best Practice  

Books for Struggling Readers  

Using Trade Books in the Classroom  

Creating Classroom Libraries and Text Sets  

Self-Selected Reading  

Teacher Read-Alouds  

Literature Study in Content Areas  

box 11.4 / Evidence-Based Best Practice  

Promoting Response to Literature  

Writing As a Response to Literature  

Process Drama as a Heuristic Response  

Readers Theatre  

Idea Circles  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Chapter 12      Learning with Electronic Texts  

Organizing Principle  

Chapter Overview  

Frame of Mind  

box 12.1 / what about Content Standards and Assessment?  

New Literacies in Today’s Changing Classrooms  

Rationale for Electronic Texts  

Electronic Texts in the Classroom  

Learning with the Internet  

The Internet as a Motivational Resource  

The Internet as an Information Resource  

The Internet as a Communication Resource  

Strategies for Online Learning  

Internet Workshops  

Internet Inquiries  

Internet Projects  

WebQuests  

Looking Back, Looking Forward  

Minds On  

Hands On  

eResources extra  

 

Appendix A: Affixes with Invariant Meanings  

Appendix B:  Commonly Used Prefixes with Varying Meanings  

Appendix C: Graphic Organizers with Text Frames  

Bibliography  

Name Index  

Subject Index