Content Area Literacy

The West De Pere School District has identified 10 essential literacy skills that should be modeled and practiced in classrooms. Students who acquire this skill set will achieve better comprehension and become critical thinkers. The poster to the right summarizes the essential skills that will improve student learning in all content areas.

Follow the links listed in the menu for a description of the skill, guided questions to consider, and research-based strategies identified to reinforce each skill.

Whenever teachers observe students struggling to decipher text they do not understand, having difficulty connecting to prior knowledge, or making predictions about their reading, they can quickly select an Essential Skill that will address the problem effectively. The ASCD reading strategies linked to each skill include complete instructions, classroom examples, and a template for student assignments.