Conversation on Literacy

I talked to one of our English teachers who used to serve as a reading teacher. As we discussed literacy, he noted teaching literacy at high school is very different from literacy in elementary school. When he taught reading, he focused more on vocabulary development and comprehension. Many of his students were 3 or more years behind grade level and many were second language learners. There is not a explicit way to identify students who are below grade level in reading at my high school. Teachers use CSAP and MAP testing but many students do not take MAP testing seriously and we have kids who perform poorly even though they are on grade level. He pointed out his use of reading out loud in secondary classrooms. Many would argue against this practice, saying students should be silent reading; however, I agree with  the decision to continue read ing out loud in the classroom. Students need to continually build their fluency, even into high school.

Sometimes I feel English teachers at the secondary level forget about literacy skills. Too often we as teachers assume students in middle school and high school already have "literacy skills". This is not the case! Not only should English teachers reinforce literacy skills, but all content area teachers. Literacy does equal English. All teachers need to use comprehension strategies, develop vocabulary, practice fluency, incorporate writing, and provide time for language development. Students need to talk about equivalent fractions and how to make equations.