Building Content Literacy
Strategies for the Adolescent Learner
- Roberta L. Sejnost - Loyola University Chicago, USA
- Sharon M. Thiese - Geneva High School, Geneva, IL
"Secondary teachers will find that this superb resource informs the teaching and learning of their students and provides many research-based strategies to enhance reading comprehension and written language in every area."
—Johneen Griffin, Director of Secondary Pupil Services
Olentangy Local Schools, Lewis Center, OH
"Sejnost and Thiese address the national literacy crisis with a practical guidebook that meets the needs of adolescent learners by focusing on the literacy skills needed for the 21st century. The strategies engage learners and create independence in content-area reading."
—Rusti Russow, Director of Teaching and Learning
Kankakee School District, IL
Increase adolescent learners' success in all content areas!
Responding to the challenges associated with teaching middle and high school students, this resource offers specific strategies teachers may use to incorporate reading, writing, and critical thinking throughout content instruction to increase learning.
With step-by-step instructions, a wealth of examples, and numerous student reproducibles, the book presents an approach that secondary teachers can implement across all content areas. Roberta L. Sejnost and Sharon M. Thiese focus on research-based practices that increase comprehension and learning while meeting standards, including:
- Techniques that foster the acquisition and retention of specialized and technical content vocabulary
- Processes to help students better comprehend narrative and expository texts
- Approaches to help students use writing and speaking to process their new knowledge and make it their own
- Techniques for promoting the literacies needed to effectively use various media sources
- Methods for scaffolding instruction for students with special needs
Building Content Literacy is an ideal resource for delivering developmentally appropriate learning experiences and strengthening adolescent's academic achievement in every content area.
"Secondary teachers will find this book a superb resource to inform the teaching and learning of their students, as it includes many research-based strategies to enhance reading comprehension and written language in every area."
"Sejnost and Thiese address the national literacy crisis by providing a practical guidebook that meets the needs of adolescent learners by focusing on the literacy skills needed for the 21st century. They provide educators with a book that engages the learner and creates independence in content area reading."
"Sejnost and Thiese have read the minds of teachers everywhere and have provided exactly the right book. This resource offers engaging, focused lessons that will meet the needs of a variety of students. The recommended strategies are supported by research and explained clearly, making this book informative and easy to use."
"Very useful and practical for those enrolled in teaching methods courses for secondary English and practitioners interested the latest research on reading, literacy, and writing in the content areas, as well as practical applications and model lessons. It emphasizes how adolescent learners have special needs, whether they are gifted students taking accelerated courses or those with limited skills coming from disadvantaged schools with few resources. By offering examples using multiple modalities for instruction, the book is a very welcome resource, one which I wish I had had years ago as a new high school teacher. It encourages teachers to employ collaborative learning, problem-based learning and other strategies and provides them with many templates."
"This clear and concise text does an excellent job in preparing preservice and practicing teachers to use content area strategies to teach literacy in the disciplines. The chapter on real-world literacy is especially timely and useful. We definitely plan on using this valuable resource to help us better prepare the teachers of tomorrow."
"Sejnost and Thiese provide strategies to help all adolescent students in all content areas be more successful. Based on the authors' extensive expeience and research, readers are shown the importance of developmentally appropriate learning, methods and strategies that are challenging and engaging for adolescent learners, and the motivational value that comes from data-driven feedback."
A good overview text for use in an undergraduate introductory literacy course for pre-service content area teachers.
