Moss Article

I agree with Moss in her article concerning content literacy.  It should be introduced to students much earlier than fourth grade.  Students are having difficulty trasitioning from minimal instructionary text to large, bulky, confusing textbook materials.  Many students, myself included, tend to "shut-down" when presented with heavy reading material that they may not completely understand.  It is always much more enjoyable to read a novel over a chemistry textbook.  Students should be exposed to and taught how to decipher through content literacy.  Also, most of the state tests are dripping with content readings.  How are students expected to be able to determine what is being asked of them when they do not have any background knowledge of breaking down heavy materials? Teachers should be integrating content literacy throughout the elementary grades.  This doesn't mean to give a first grade student an algebra textbook, but simply to add to the child's schema that not all reading is done simply for pleasure and to help the child grow in deciphering how to break down textbook information.