"Adolescent Literacy in the Era of the Common Core" Response

Before this class, I knew very little about Common Core, and before reading this article I knew even less. I was surprised that the literacy standards applied to all subject areas. Of course, literacy is a part of all aspects of life, much less all subject areas. I'm sure as an English major and a prospective English teacher I believe that more than most. But after reviewing the TEKS I was surprised at the cohesion across subject area. These standards will allow students to practice their reading, writing, and presentation skills in a variety of contexts, which is quite similar to the demands of the life after high school. In order for our students to succeed in whatever field they choose they must become literate in a variety of ways, including digital literacy. The most effective ways to accomplish this is to provide, as the article mentions, explicit and student-centered reading/writing/presentation practice. The process should be challenging yet individualized, and enrich the content of the course.

Although I think these literacy standards are a great foundation for each course in secondary education to build from, the article makes a good observation that for some courses these standards are more challenging than others. This is where the advice of the previous articles we've read could come in handy. For those teachers less prepared to teach literacy they can collaborate with ELA teachers for ideas and practice.