ALT Blog Post Why Literacy Matters in Every Subject Literacy instruction is often assumed to be limited to elementary reading classes and secondary English and language arts classes. Reading and writing is relevant for all subjects, however (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008). Consequently, chronic student underperformance on standardized measures such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading assessment has implications for student performance in a wide range of subjects, including math, science, and social studies. Difficulties encountered in reading cascade across the entirety of the curriculum, turning the school day into an extended struggle. Improving student academic outcomes requires effective general- and content-specific literacy instruction.

ALT Why Literacy Matters in Math Class Literacy in math involves skills required to solve word problems and describe steps in the problem-solving process. Recent scholarship suggests that effective instruction in word problems involves the integration of reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, language structure, and systematic problem-solving strategies designed to identify the operations (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.) specified within a problem (Aresnault & Powell, 2024). Recent approaches to word problems combine explicit vocabulary instruction and schema-based instruction, which is designed to help students recognize patterns in how problems are composed. These methods are more effective than key-word strategies and similar techniques that teach students to identify the type of operation required based on the presence of words such as “sum” or “difference.”

ALT Why Literacy Matters in Science Class In science, literacy involves the comprehension of technical vocabulary and data. Research-based strategies to enhance comprehension of scientific texts include direct, explicit instruction in vocabulary and common scientific text structures along with scaffolded strategies for interpreting passages. Additional supports such as graphic organizers can help students demonstrate scientific knowledge (Barnes et al., 2024). Why Literacy Matters in Social Studies Class Literacy in social studies involves using and understanding complex vocabulary and texts, evaluating evidence, and supporting arguments based on sources (Ciullo et al., 2020). Memory aids focused on content acquisition, graphic organizers emphasizing the structure of information, and texts supplemented by audio and video clips are associated with retention and comprehension.

ALT Emma Hylands, Principal, Clare Primary School and Paul Givan, Education Minister.

ALT Paul Givan, Education Minister; Thornfield House School choir and Mark Baker, Chief Executive, CSSC.

ALT Left to right Photo (1) Paul Givan, Education Minister; Thornfield House Special School and Mark Baker, Chief Executive, CSSC. Photo (2) Peter Martin MLA; Mark Baker, Chief Executive, CSSC; Jayne Millar, Head of Education Support, CSSC; David Brooks MLA and David Malcom, Permanent Secretary, Department of Education. Photo (3) Emma Hylands, Principal, Clare Primary School being presented an award by Paul Givan, Education Minister. Photo (4) Close up of pupils from Thornfield House Special School choir.