By: Crystal Flowers & Latrina Pennamon-Nash

 To give teachers the tools they need to understand literacy and effectively provide literacy across various curricula.  To provide teachers with literacy strategies to use in their classrooms.

 Gains on the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT)  Gains on the Biology, US History, American Literature, and Ninth Grade Literature & Composition EOCTs  13% gain in graduation rate

Task-based (conceptual) definition Literacy is the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential. Skills-based (operational) definition Successful use of printed material is a product of two classes of skills: word level-reading skills & higher level literacy skills.

"Content literacy can be defined as the ability to use reading and writing for the acquisition of new content in a given discipline. Such ability includes three principal cognitive components: general literacy skills, content-specific literacy skills (such as map reading in the social studies,) and prior knowledge of content.” (McKenna & Robinson, 1990)

 Not the same as content knowledge  Effectively teaching content which automatically makes students more content literate  Content specific  Implementing reading and writing as complementary tasks

 Germane to all subject areas, not just those relying heavily on printed materials  Not a requirement to instruct students in the mechanics of writing  Relative to the tasks expected of students  Has the potential to maximize content acquisition

 The CCGPS for English language arts, mathematics, and literacy in science, history/social studies, and technical subjects will ensure that all Georgia students have an equal access and opportunity to master the skills and knowledge needed for success beyond high school. (GA DOE)

 Over the last 15 years, 15 million students have graduated from high school reading at below the basic level (Bottoms, 2004).  The percentage of high school seniors performing at or above the basic level in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) decreased from 80% in 1992 to 73% in 2005 (NCES, 2007).  Over the same period, the percentage of high school seniors performing at or above the proficient level decreased from 40% to 35% (NCES, 2007).  About 70% of high school students need some form of remediation; the most common problem is that students cannot comprehend the words they read—not that they cannot read them (Biancarosa & Snow, 2004).

 The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

 What worked for us  Professional Development  Gradual Release Model  Think Aloud  Reciprocal Teaching  Pre-reading Strategies  Prior Knowledge  Anticipation Guides  During Reading Strategies  Chunking and Annotating  After Reading Strategies  Making Connections

Strategy #1: Pre-Reading Activity Examples: Anticipation Guide ABC Graffiti Strategy #2: During Reading Strategy Examples: Think Aloud Concept Map Strategy #3: After Reading Strategy Examples: Frayer Model ABC Graffiti(post) Anticipation Guide (post)

It is our hope that you walk away from this session with more confidence in your abilities as an educator to provide effective literacy strategies to your students.

Dr. Latrina Pennamon-Nash Ms. Crystal Flowers Central High School, Macon, GA

 McKenna, M. C., & Robinson, R. D. (1990). Content literacy: A definition and implications. Journal of Reading, 34(3), 184. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: ). Websites: teracystrategies/ SchoolLiteracy_000.pdf