Literacy Across the Content Areas

Visible thinking refers to resources and routines that allow teaching and learning to "extend beyond the passive transmission of knowledge from teachers to students, to engage and inform learners in and outside the classroom" (Harvard Project Zero website). By using visible thinking routines to guide students through critical thinking processes, or to frame text-based discussions, teachers can create a space where students' voices are prioritized and thinking is collaborative and multilayered.

Using close reading strategies and routines helps students navigate complex tests and provides a framework for deeper analysis and critical thinking. Close reading is an investigation of a text, with "multiple readings done over multiple instructional lessons. Through text- based questions and discussion, students are guided to deeply analyze and appreciate various aspects of the text, such as key vocabulary and how its meaning is shaped by context; attention to form, tone, imagery and/or rhetorical devices; the significance of word choice and syntax; and the discovery of different levels of meaning as passages are read multiple times". (Brown & Kapps, 2012).

Adolescent students increasingly encounter academic vocabulary in print that is not part of everyday spoken language. Some of this academic vocabulary, referred to as Tier 3 by Isabel Beck, is content-specific (e.g. photosynthesis, sarcophagus, numerator) and conveys a significant share of text meaning and discipline-related concepts. More challenging to middle and high school readers are Tier 2 academic vocabulary words whose meaning shifts depending on context (e.g. analyze, function, structure). These words are often found across multiple disciplines and, without explicit teaching and practice using the word within a disciplinary context, can impede comprehension.