Content Literacy and the Common Core

• In Event: 53.032 - The Roles of Instructional Practices and Assessment in Literacy Learning

Abstract

This study uses authentic student work samples and activity theory to understand how students interact with content literacy strategies in the Common Core context. The mixed methods analysis examines three commonly used strategies: previewing, coding, and summarizing. The results suggest that the strategies were successful in guiding students towards key features of the text such as the main idea and text vocabulary but did not address a range of other Common Core literacy standards. Moreover, the work samples did not evidence students’ extension of knowledge such as the use of probing questions or specific examples. The study suggests that teachers need to build upon these content literacy strategies to accommodate the required breadth and depth of skills.

Authors

• Elizabeth Kim, Johns Hopkins University

• Marcia H. Davis, Johns Hopkins University

• Rebeca Gamez, Johns Hopkins University

• Helen Min