IRA Newsletter Project-Effective Literacy Website #2

For my effective literacy website, I chose adlit.org.  

AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. Its mission is to refine literacy research and share best practices and strategies that will be beneficial to parents and educators. Its goal stems from education reform efforts that have introduced new programs designed to help struggling adolescent readers. Numerous professional associations and other national organizations have moved adolescent literacy to the top of the school reform agenda. Many of the nation's top education researchers have launched new studies into topics such as how best to teach reading in the academic content areas, how best to teach writing at the high-school level, and how best to support the literacy development of adolescent English language learners.

The site features many resources many of which are reading material to assist educators in the classrooms and parents in the homes.  The home site includes a featured strategy, glossary term, resource, and research and news of the day.  From there, viewers can explore additional features of the site.  The first feature adlit 101, highlights the growing trend of adolescent illiteracy in the nation.  It brings to light that students succeed in reading the first few years of schooling however once they reach the fourth grade, they notice a “slump” in which students become academically frustrated due to a shift from “learning to read” to “learning to learn”.  This feature also includes interesting adolescent topics to help parents and educators stay abreast with issues.  Some of those topics are reading comprehension, essential ways to improve literacy instruction in the schools, and support systems that struggling readers need to succeed in the classroom.

The second feature, Common Core Classroom, features professional development video modules and resources for English language arts and content area teachers.  Each video module includes a lesson summary, alignment to common core standards, teaching materials, classroom strategies, a teacher reflection, what the experts say, and a comments section for viewers.  This feature also includes video interviews with master teachers and experts who share their thoughts about what it takes to be an effective teacher with the new Common Core Standards.

The third feature of this site offers reading comprehension strategies to use in the home and classroom.  Strategies are categorized by its usage-before, during, and after reading.  Information such as the background, benefits, and incorporating the strategy into a lesson is provided.   This information is most especially essential for educators who are unfamiliar with a strategy and need ideas of how to implement the strategy with their students.

Overall, I’m glad to have discovered a literacy site that it is not only intended for emergent readers.  It offers many resources that both elementary and secondary teachers can use to improve the quality of instruction and promote literacy in the classroom.  I will definitely be sharing this site with my colleagues!

Information and Image Source: http://www.adlit.org/