Collingswood-Oaklyn Cross Content Literacy
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Support with Evidence using the R.A.C.E. Method
One of the biggest issues students have with writing is supporting their thesis with evidence effectively. From using unreliable sources to struggling to connect evidence to their thesis, student issues run the gamut. The idea of supporting their claims with evidence is a skill that interweaves through each of the previous initiatives, but this year, "Support with Evidence" gets its own place, and we've found that using the R.A.C.E. method is one of the best ways for students of all grades and ability levels to be successful.
The Collingswood Literacy Committee believes that we have an obligation to better prepare our students for a world that increasingly relies on communication in all its forms. This includes not only formal public speaking and the skills that accompany that ever-feared activity, but also thoughtful reflection and listening within a group discussion.
In today's information-saturated world, it is essential that students can distinguish fact from fiction and can corroborate information they learn from multiple authoritative sources. Presenting students with multiple texts, teaching them how to distinguish the "good" from the "bad," and ensuring they can successfully analyze and synthesize information they pull from these texts will set them up for success both in and outside of school. Check out the link above for an abundance of great places to find reliable texts for your students!
One of the very first goals of the Collingswood Literacy Initiative was to get our students reading more often and with more intention. During the first year of the initiative, teachers of all grade levels and subjects made an effort to provide their students with quality relevant reading material and teach them the process of annotating a text to truly comprehend it. What we found is that annotation works and should continue to be embraced, practiced, and relied upon to strengthen reading comprehension.
