

What to Include in Your Content Literacy Instructional Toolkit
1. Staff/Teacher Professional Development. Teachers must continue to be learners. Teachers must stay up to date with their content area and with how students learn. Teachers must willing to expand out of their own teaching comfort zones in order to reach all students.
2. Use multiple technologies. Books, online software, web-based materials (blogs, discussion groups), and literacy circles can increase student literacy.
3. Content Area Teaching. Teachers should use their own knowledge of their content area to ensure learning by all students. Instructional tools such as word walls, graphic organizers, and technology can increase a students understanding.
4. Foster a positive learning environment. Positive reinforcement, high expectations, and teacher attitude can greatly impact student learning and achievement.
5. Meet the needs of ALL children. Additional instruction time should be put in the schedule for student’s not meeting grade level expectations. Before and after school intervention programs can be put in place along with adding book clubs or lunch time reading circles.
6.The staff must work together. All teachers must be on board with increasing literacy no matter their content area.