CONTENT
AREA
LITERACY
IS
TEACHING
FOR
SOCIAL
JUSTICE:
FOCUSING
ON
UNSUCCESSFUL
READERS
Carol
Lloyd
Rozansky,
Ph.D.
Abstract
When
adolescent
students
have
difficulties
reading,
we
have
traditionally
focused
on
identifying
and
remediating
the
skills
and
strategies
they
do
not
have
and
simultaneously
place
them
in
low-‐level
academic
courses.
However,
learned
skills
and
strategies
in
remedial
reading
classes
rarely
transfer
to
academic
courses.
This
paper
suggests
a
reconceptualized
examination
and
application
of
content
area
literacy
strategies
that
are
framed
in
schema
theory,
culturally
relevant
pedagogy,
motivation
to
read,
and
liberatory
education.
Examples
from
various
content
areas
are
included.
When
adolescent
students
have
difficulties
reading,
we
have
traditionally
focused
on
identifying
and
remediating
the
skills
and
strategies
they
do
not
have.
We
have
changed
their
label
from
“struggling
readers,”
which
includes
students
in
grades
three
and
above,
to
“struggling/striving”
or
just
“striving”
readers
in
grades
four
or
above
(Cassidy
&
Cassidy,
2009;
U.S.
Department
of
Education,
2010).
We
have
noted
the
rising
complexities
of
their
textbooks,
especially
as
they
move
into
middle
and
then
high
schools,
with
an
associated
increase
in
content
area
literacy
skills
required
for
school
success
(Carnegie
Council
on
Advancing
Adolescent
Literacy,
2010).
We
have
also
looked
beyond
skills
and
strategies,
asking
important
questions
about
adolescents’
motivation
to
read
(Pitcher
et
al.
2007;
Scales,
Akers,
&
Stout,
2009).
Reading
educators
and
researchers
have
also
gained
much
awareness
of
the
relationships
betwee