Literacy Integration or Immersion?

Having a math background, it may seem as though including literacy is the extra worksheet or the challenge question at the end of a section.  When truly, everything we teach, whether intended or not, has an aspect of literacy.

 

In the initial video in the course, I so enjoyed the idea that literacy can be defined in different ways and in different contexts.  I often hear about being "computer" or "technology" literate.  Or back in the day, my mother was "keypunch literate."  (I love dating myself and my wisdom, and I don't really feel that old ;0)  The word takes on more meaning and has much depth beyond just reading and writing.  How many ways can you think of yourself being literate?

For example, just today I was tutoring a student in pre-algebra and we were covering math properties.  Whenever we look at words that we are supposed to translate into math, I take them through the process of understanding the word first.  For the word 'commutative,' we first had to talk about the pronunciation.  We then looked at the root word and discussed what 'commute' meant.  When she didn't know, I directed her to a resource that would help her find its meaning.  Then I had her give me an example of the word commute by using it in a sentence.  We then drew pictures around numbers to associate the numbers with the word and its meaning - they can move and still give the same answer.  We took the example and translated it one more time... to variables.  So, we went from words, to pictures, to numbers, to letters - full circle!  And then, we went through the same process to connect to the word 'associative!'

And to add to that, we explored the online resources that support her textook (something I think too many teachers overlook).  I showed her how to search for her book, and she was able to save the link to her homepage on her ipad.  We highlighted some of the tools I wanted her to be aware of, including the video tutorials and section quizzes for extra practice.  I also showed her mother so that she was aware of the tool and could be a resource in promoting extra practice throughout the week.  I am a big fan of video tutorials because it is one more way that students can seek out knowledge if they are struggling or need reinforcement or reminders.  So, we also explored technology literacy to support her math instruction and learning!

 

I can't say that there's one right activity or way of ensuring literacy in the classroom, because a classroom needs to be immersed in literacy regardless of content area.  All classrooms can include strategies such as organizers, text marking, pictures, peer review, paired reading, note-taking strategies, audio & visual cues, and more!  As educators, we all need to provide depth to the language we use, whether in letters or symbols.