Summary and Key Messages

What is "reading across the content areas"?
Reading across the content areas refers to a specific type of reading, i.e., reading to learn. Reading for information demands that the reader absorb complex information. It is an analytical task, which many students find challenging and tedious. To help children learn to read effectively for information, educators need to make students aware of the differences between textbook reading and reading a novel or magazine. Once they have this self knowledge, they can make use of the many recognized strategies that have been developed to simplify the process of reading textbooks.

In addition to helping students better master textbooks, educators have also been exploring reading options other than the traditional textbook that children can use to learn content material. One of the most promising approaches is that of teaching children to learn to read and read to learn at the same time. While infusing literacy instruction into the teaching of content is an old practice, it only during the recent reform movement that it has been popularly embraced. Today, more and more teachers are adopting fiction and nonfiction tradebooks as a supplement to — or even replacement for — textbooks. By doing so, they make content information more accessible and appealing to student learners.

Viewers' Guides:

• Ten Tips for Teachers - Read our tips for Helping Children Read to Learn.
  
  
• Article - Learning to Read and Reading to Learn: Making them One , by Laura J. Colker, Ed.D.
  
  
• Related Websites - Visit these websites to find additional resources on this topic.
  
  
• Online Journal Articles - Read online articles to learn more about reading across content areas.
  
  
• Q & A with Literacy Experts - Find out how the experts fielded some of the questions posed during the program.
  
  
• Ask the Expert - During the month of March, Dr. Albright answered your questions about reading across content areas! Read more.