Ecosystem: Literacy in the Content Areas

Jessica Stewart and Elisabeth Zwick

IntroductionThis chapter will emphasize how school

librarians can collaborate with and assist content area teachers. Standardized testing continues to be a major focus and stressor for the majority of public school teachers. Fortunately, studies have shown that school librarians have helped raise literacy and reading scores for students. Furthermore, they enhance a school’s overall educational climate. Yet many administrators do not understand the purpose of the school library program and the role of the school media specialist (Barack, 2012). That is why it is essential that librarians seek collaboration and evidence-based practice with collected and documented data and work samples (Buzzeo, 2010;Todd, 2003). Collaboration is especially important as more school districts begin to adopt the Common Core Learning Standards.

The Common Core Standards

The Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) cause many secondary content area educators (grades 6 and above) to feel a great deal

of pressure. Their anxiety stems from the expectation that they will teach literacy skills and strategies as an integral part of their content area instruction. Teachers in all subject areas are expected to help students engage in activities language specific to the content area, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking (Schoenbach, Greenleaf, & Hale, 2010). It is true that the literacy writing standards for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects express that students should be able to use language from discipline-specific informational texts; however, educators are likely incorporating these writing exercises into their traditional practice and curricula already (CCS, 2012). It is the reading aspect of literacy that has been left behind and the CCS reinforce discipline-specific lessons and strategies for both reading and writing.

Adapting instructional and learning strategies to meet the needs of the students is imperative. Educators should engage in discussions in the classroom with more focus on the responsibility of the students rather than the educator (Schoenbach, Greenleaf, & Hale, 2010). Students in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects need to have a better understanding of content-specific vocabulary (e.g., exponential growth), interpreting text to apply it to real-world situations (e.g., relating the exponential

IST 668: Literacy Through School Libraries

Literacy Ecosystems

spreading of a virus like the Ebola virus to historical events), to be able to explain what is expressed in text through reading and writing individually and collaboratively (e.g., writing a short paper arguing one point or another about a virus and then collaboratively adapting this with a Web 2.0 tool like GoAnimate!), as well as framing an objective argument based on text(s) (e.g., developing an argument with a graphic organizer, formulating points to argue both sides of the issue, as well as expressing these points in a research paper using resources in varied formats) (CCS, 2012).

Additionally, students need to be able to engage in these same standards with mathematics by incorporating more emphasis on reading aloud, discussions, and relating concepts to the real world (e.g., drawing a graph and writing a formula to represent the exponential growth of the Ebola virus and comparing the results in several countries). The increased focus on visible textual readings to introduce concepts and vocabulary, educators can engage their students in these discussions regarding the text and promote inquiry and problem solving in the classroom. This is especially important in mathematics where students need to understand strategies and how they can employ multiple strategies to get to the same result (Halladay & Neumann, 2012).

There is also considerable value in employing out loud reading to students. Creating visibility of the educators’ knowledge through reading aloud allows students to ask questions, make connections, and build meaning (Schoenbach, Greenleaf, & Hale, 2010). When building routines and motivation in students through reading, the school librarian has the opportunity to provide students with a variety of texts (Schoenbach, Greenleaf, & Hale, 2010). The school librarian can

also use reading to engage students in collaborative class discussions and exercises improving literacy skills and reinforcing the CCS (Schoenbach, Greenleaf, & Hale, 2010). Students need time to engage with text through reading, discussions, collaboration, and reflections (Fisher & Ivey, 2005). Instruction does not revolve around the educator; it is all about the students, just as it always has been. Only now, instructional and learning strategies must facilitate the objective to engage students as proactive learners, not passive learners (Cantrell, Burns, & Callaway, 2009).

Content Literacy at the Elementary and Secondary Levels

The school media license extends to grades K-12. Librarians may work at an elementary or secondary school, or even a small school that may serve all grade levels. Thus they need to understand how to approach content literacy at both the elementary and secondary levels. Much of the traditional literacy instruction in elementary school, especially in the primary grades (K-2), is concerned with teaching students to read and write. Elementary teachers have the advantage of some freedom in emphasizing several subjects over others. Especially in the recent past, with No Child Left Behind and an emphasis on standardized testing, this freedom has led to reading and math being stressed at the elementary level while less instructional time is spent in other content areas, like science and social studies (Franklin & Berson, 2012) (Aronson, 2007).

An important content literacy skill that librarians can help teach at the elementary level is finding “just right” books, or teaching self-selection. Classroom teachers and school librarians can work together to teach students how to select books that

are at their reading level and spark their interests (Beard & Antrim, 2010). As elementary students become more fluent readers, they will gravitate toward content and subject areas that interest them, thus helping to prepare them for content literacy approaches at the secondary level.

The discussion about reshaping education needs more focus on placing the responsibility on the students rather than the educator at the secondary level (Schoenbach, Greenleaf, & Hale, 2010). School librarians can provide a variety of complex texts in the library collection and point educators to varied formats of texts that can engage their students further. Additionally, school librarians can collaborate with educators to develop instructional strategies that “capitaliz[e] on reading and writing versus teaching reading and writing… ” (Fisher & Ivey, 2005, 3).

The idea is that educators in disciplinary fields place the responsibility on the students (Fisher & Ivey, 2005). In doing so, students can ask questions in a space where they feel comfortable expressing the challenges they have experienced in comprehending subject-related texts (2005). Students are also provided with the opportunity to collaborate and discuss texts with their peers in a supportive learning environment (2005). Students’ motivation levels are likely to increase when the school librarian and educators provide relevant texts where students can make connections to their everyday lives (2005). Lastly, providing students with time to write reflect and share will empower students (2005).

Utilizing a Variety of Resources

A newly formed approach in professional development is to encourage content area educators to start engaging their students with

varied informational texts in different formats (Peterson, 2010). Books as hands-on interactive tools elicit personal connections and responses, but they do not necessarily engage learners in inquiry-based learning (Kane, 2008). Educators must bring both the informational text and instructional activities alive with opportunities for written reflections and additional resources in varied formats (e.g., using a science fiction book to complement a physics lesson on velocity and acceleration) (Kane, 2008). Varied texts give students opportunities to infer similarities and differences through comparisons and to distinguish fact from fiction. School librarians can instructionally complement content area teachers’ lessons with varied resources, acts of storytelling, asking real world related questions, and hands-on experiences (Kane, 2008). With hands-on practice and opportunities to make these connections with varied texts, “...teaching and learning will be stimulating and rewarding...” for the students, the school librarian, and the content area educators (Kane, 2008, 264).

Varied texts in the content areas of science and math often lend themselves to non-print texts. These non-print texts may include models, demonstrations, experiments, videos, diagrams, and 3-D objects (Wilson, 2008). The school librarian can provide instruction to help students draw meaning from these non-print texts in effort to relate these to print texts. Students can make predictions and strategize to make modifications to fit the methods or results found in other resources like books and Web sites (Wilson, 2008). The school librarian can also guide students in seeking new strategies to get the same answers (Halladay & Neumann, 2012). Once students understand the concepts in non-print texts and connect these texts

to other textual forms, the school librarian can engage students in the instruction and practice of creating new textual forms based on what they have learned (Wilson, 2008). In scaffolding instruction, the school librarian can monitor the problem-solving process and guide students through the process of comprehension, making connections, and forming new creations (Halladay & Neumann, 2012). In doing so, the school librarian encourages students to not only ask questions but to learn how to ask the right questions to get the same results displayed in different textual forms.

Certain types of literature and formats of information are used more extensively in one content area versus another. For instance, graphic novels are a literature format that works well with social studies and history because of the ethical issues they often address, while their storytelling elements can be used to hone the writing and analytical skills of students in a language arts class. With this twofold appeal, graphic novels are sometimes used as the literary basis of a cross-disciplinary unit between English language arts and social studies (Downey, 2009).

The scientific databases and other informational collections on the web are highly applicable to the content areas of science and technology because they are easy to update, which is necessary when the fields of science and technology are often experiencing new breakthroughs. These digital databases and informational collections also contribute to the recent emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in education (Brisco, 2010). Several online information collections are included in the supplemental references for content literacy.

Digital resources can also affect how school librarians approach and teach writing and the content area of English Language Arts. For instance, at the elementary level, Tabitha Johnson of Columbia University advocates for the iPad apps JibJab Jr. and MeeGenius, which lend a more interactive element to storytelling (Diaz, 2011). Storybird is also an exceptionally engaging digital tool for storytelling and writing that appeals to many reluctant writers.

Literacy Strategies Across the Content Areas

School media specialists can collaborate with and assist content area teachers in several ways. One is by modeling and making literacy strategies part of their everyday instruction as teachers and librarians. Educators must keep in mind that students want interesting, meaningful literature that challenges and fuels their thinking, so they need to make diverse literature and resources available to students (Kane, 2008). Marc Aronson of School Library Journal has also advocated for the use of different genres of literature such as poetry, fiction, and especially nonfiction in the different content areas because they add context to the reading that the students complete, that they are unlikely to get from textbooks alone (2010).

Teachers and librarians, regardless of the content area they are teaching, must first be involved in collaborating in instructional planning before they can begin to teach and be successful in teaching content literacy skills. This involves identification of their goals and objectives as well as examining the demands and challenges of the content. One tool that can aid in this process is content analysis, where the educators and school librarian analyze the concepts in detail that are to

be covered in instruction. Educators must also analyze the students’ learning needs and prior knowledge before new instructional content is presented (Misulis, 2009). This can be done through anticipatory activities that engage students’ attention and curiosity and activate their prior knowledge. One such graphic organizer for this is the K-W-L chart.

Instructional teacher read-alouds have also been found helpful for enriching students’ background knowledge on a subject (Fisher & Frey, 2008). A study of sixth-grade students found that 62% of the students preferred teacher read-alouds as their favorite literacy events and also identified them as a favorite strategy for being introduced to new concepts. Another study found that teachers were comfortable with implementing the literacy strategy of read-alouds and ranked it high in terms of usefulness with students (Fisher & Frey, 2008). Librarians, especially at the elementary level, commonly use read-alouds as part of their teaching, as this strategy is significant for their instructional strategies as well.

Writing can serve as a great way to learn and demonstrate content knowledge. Furthermore, in today’s job market, written communication skills are often essential for success. Using rubrics and checklists with written assignments for students can be extremely helpful, especially in terms of clarifying criteria and having students revise and judge their own work. Checklists also clarify goals and create discussion about content (Knipper & Duggan, 2006). Brainstorms, like K-W-L charts, can invigorate students’ prior knowledge of content. Quick-write prompts are engaging and enhance students’ understanding with questions about the subject matter from the teacher. Summaries or micro-

themes are also often employed as short writing assignments and are useful for students putting key concepts into their own words, encouraging careful word selection, and providing students with a form of review (Knipper & Duggan, 2006).

A variety of graphic organizers can be utilized to teach content literacy. Graphic organizers can enhance vocabulary and clarify conceptual concepts and lead to greater student achievement and show relationships between phenomena and ideas. In a study where a large group of at-risk students at a Californian high school were surveyed, the students felt that graphic organizers help them sort through information and remember important concepts (Fisher & Frey, 2008). Graphic organizers can be part of vocabulary activities. Vocabulary is important to many content areas in terms of comprehension and literacy learning and can promote higher-level thinking. Vocabulary activities can also include word puzzles, categorizing exercises, and analogies (Misulis, 2009).

Two essential literacy strategies that are beneficial to students are reciprocal teaching and reflection. Reciprocal teaching, where students guide group discussions about reading, allows students to explore their own thought process and monitor their own reading comprehension (Reading Rockets, 2012). Studies have shown, however, that some teachers are resistant to reciprocal teaching as a literacy strategy because of their unfamiliarity with it (Fisher & Frey, 2008). Librarians could provide content teachers with more professional development incorporating this useful strategy. Reflection is also an essential literacy strategy, for teachers, librarians, and students, and leads to both academic and personal growth. It allows educators to revise and fine-tune their

teaching strategies or create new ones, particularly for individuals or groups (Misulis, 2009).

Examining Content-Specific Literacy Strategies: Science and History/Social Studies

There are also literacy skills and strategies that are emphasized in each of the content areas. An analysis of science and history/social studies provides more detailed skills and strategies, specific to the particular content area, that educators can employ to engage their students. Though the literacy strategies discussed previously can be applied across the content areas, it is important to determine those that are specific to a single content area such as science and history/social studies.

With science, literacy can improve students’ observation, classification, hypothesizing, and communication skills (Kane, 2008). Science also is a great environment for vocabulary development. Direct, hands-on experience and varied text resources are pivotal to scientific literacy and vocabulary development. Promoting student interactions by having students work together, guiding student learning through more complex concepts, and promoting lifelong learning and metacognitive skills are all part of vocabulary development and literacy learning in science that a school librarian can help teach. The learning cycle with its phases of engage, explore, develop, and apply, is a great motivational tool for enhancing vocabulary development (Spencer & Guillaume, 2006). Graphic organizers are particularly useful during the engagement phase, while reading multiple resources is crucial to the develop phase. Readers’ theatre, where students write a script about what they’ve learned and present it to their peers, can be effective during the apply stage (Spencer & Guillaume,2006).

Another important strategy utilized in teaching scientific literacy is annotation. Annotation is a structured way to mark up text so it becomes more manageable and comprehensible. Annotation teaches students to be better readers (especially in the content areas) and enhances their content comprehension and understanding (Zywica & Gomez, 2008). It also helps students analyze ideas and visualize when they read. Furthermore it will help them retain more information, which can improve exams and standardized test performance. As a literacy strategy, annotation may also help students read faster and more accurately. Annotation encourages academic debate by preparing students to discuss, analyze, and synthesize the material with their peers and thus fostering motivation and critical thinking skills. Despite its many benefits, annotation can be a lengthy process to teach with many steps, and many educators in the content areas are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with teaching it (2008). This is another literacy skill that librarians can offer in training to educators so that students can reap the many benefits of using annotation.

Perspective-taking is an important literacy skill for students in history/social studies (Kane, 2008). Perspective-taking is also part of the Common Core Learning Standards and is addressed in the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. It is addressed in the reading standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies for grades 11-12: “Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by addressing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence” (AASL, 2011). One of the many responsibilities of school librarians is teaching information literacy skills. They have knowledge of how to teach students the information literacy skills of formulating research

questions, searching for primary sources online, and interpreting resources through information and communication technology tools for comparison and analysis. The bias and personal opinions expressed in many historical primary sources give librarians the opportunity to teach their students how to evaluate the information they find based on authority, bias, validity, and timeliness (Brown & Dotson, 2007). Perspective-taking can also be employed in writing by instructing students to write as though they were part of witnessing an historical event after reading and analyzing primary sources. Another writing activity would be for students to write their perspective of a famous event that occurred during their lifetime, such as Hurricane Katrina (Urquhart & Frazee, 2012). Through this type of instruction, illustrated by examples of possible activities, school librarians can teach their students valuable information literacy and critical thinking skills.

Literacy also has an impact on students’ success and motivation to pursue content area learning. In order to make the historical and social concepts motivating for students, Marc Aronson of School Library Journal and Myra Zarnowski of Queens College advocates for using a variety of literature in history/social studies, particularly nonfiction trade books (Aronson, 2007). Interactive writing is also a great literacy strategy to use when teaching social studies at the primary level. At a young age, social studies appeals to students because it connects them to what is important in the past, present, and future. As a content area, it lends itself easily to cooperative activities and offers authentic learning opportunities (Borba, 2011). For instance, students may use interactive writing with social studies to craft a thank you letter to a farmer

who visited their class, or to create a list of classroom rules.

Interactive writing allows the educator to model important grammatical concepts, organizational ideas, and proper spelling. While all students take their turn writing, the educator is able to individualize his or her instruction - having each student write a letter, word, or phrase, according to his or her writing abilities. If done on chart paper, the interactive writing project then becomes a documented group record of literacy and social studies learning that can be referred back to by students if necessary. During independent writing, the educator can refer back to what the students learned during interactive writing and remind them to employ the same strategies while writing on their own. One challenge with interactive writing is that students may become distracted while waiting for their turn. The educator should continue to engage with all the students through discussion, focus on the next step in the interactive writing process, and perhaps use a whiteboard to help the students visualize the next word or what is being written (Borba, 2011).

Strategies for Varied LearnersInstructional strategies for varied learner

needs, like English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities, can be daunting. Educators must be aware of these students’ needs and also aware of the actions necessary to meet those needs. In other words, in the case of an ELL, an educator should provide targeted instruction with additional time added, as well as apply self-awareness of language use (i.e., enunciating words and speaking with inflections and expressions) (Watkins & Lindahl, 2010). Sharon Kane notes, “Teachers who read with enthusiasm and

expression model fluency for students” (2008, 105). When engaging students with historical or scientific texts, educators should provide visuals to elicit responses based on previous knowledge or allow students time to reflect upon text with drawing activities (Watkins & Lindahl, 2010). Instructional strategies, like “Think-Pair-Share,” encourage students to think about their prior knowledge, collaborate with another student, and reflect upon what they have learned and discussed with their partner by sharing this with the class (Watkins & Lindahl, 2010). Another valuable strategy is using reflective listening that provides both the students and the educator(s) the opportunity to feel respected, to feel that their voices matter, to clarify confusion, and to learn from group interactions (Kane, 2008). The school librarian has the opportunity to provide and collaborate with differentiated instruction for varied learner experiences through a variety of formats and languages (Small, Arnone, Stripling, & Berger, 2012).

Students are not the only ones who benefit from thinking, pairing up, and sharing with others. Collaborating with content area educators, ESL educators, and special educators before, during, and after instruction will provide teachers themselves with a higher level of motivation.. Research has shown that programs with high levels of collaboration often result in increased levels of collegiality and an inclination to instill literacy into content-area instruction (Cantrell, Burns, & Callaway, 2009). With educators exhibiting a collaborative model, students are more likely to be motivated to read, write, and collaborate in this nurturing and cooperative environment.

The Importance of Collaboration

Anyone with teaching experience will agree - collaboration is crucial to the success of a school librarian or any type of educator, and to the success of students as well. The main goal of instructional collaboration is to enhance student learning and achievement. A study done by Rutgers University’s Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries has demonstrated that the most effective school libraries exhibited exemplary cooperation, collaboration, and communication among classroom teachers, administrators, and school librarians (Barack, 2012). Research has shown that this community of collaboration and the most effective school libraries lead to an overall better educational climate in the schools and higher literacy and reading scores in standardized testing. The New Jersey Association of School Libraries (NJASL) recommends librarians foster a working relationship with administrators and keep them informed of the services and programs provided by their media centers (Barack, 2012). The New York City School Library System also recommends collaborating with classroom teachers to foster informational skills and create and implement lessons that combine “critical thinking skills, technology, and information literacy with subject area content” (Diaz, 2011).

In order to have successful collaboration, the classroom teacher and school librarian must become teaching partners - choosing a unit, theme, project, or skill to teach together. They should incorporate the multiple literacy standards of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) with the content area and Common Core Standards to see how they match up to the students’ latest testing results. The classroom teacher and librarian will focus on the skills that need improvement, and remember to document their students’ progress

and achievements (Buzzeo, 2010). One strategy for collaborative teaching that has worked for classroom teachers and librarians is readers’ theater, which gives at-risk students a light, fun atmosphere to find their voices (Buzzeo, 2010). Collaborating with educators on reading workshops is a great way to allow for more individualization of instruction and allow for intervention with struggling readers.

Collaboration is key - but it takes time, perseverance, and constant effort. Multiple approaches are needed when working with a variety of colleagues. The fictional account below demonstrates this, and how rewarding collaboration can be when it results in success for the librarian and his or her students.

Story: A First Year Librarian’s ExperienceAs a first-year school librarian at a K-8

school, Mandi’s goal was to collaborate with at least one teacher from each grade level, one special educator, and one English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. This was neither an impossible goal nor an easy one, but Mandi was determined to reach out and collaborate with as many teachers as possible. She certainly needed more experience and felt that her knowledge of 21st- century skills and resources would be valuable to the veteran teachers. Looking back, she thought this was likely one of the best goals she could have set for herself -- to make valiant efforts to connect, communicate, and collaborate with teachers as a new teacher librarian.

During her first couple of weeks, several of the special educators sought her out before she had even settled in. Most of the kindergarten, first, second, and third grade teachers followed the special educators quickly thereafter, even before

students returned from summer vacation. This was exciting as she started to plan lessons incorporating reading books aloud with question and answer time in between to allow students to analyze pictures in the books and make connections with what they knew, what they were seeing, and what they were learning from the activity. One teacher had expressed her shock when Mandi’s first instruction with the teacher’s students included Brain Pop Jr. and then an activity in the story zone where they acted out what the sounds and movements a meerkat makes like those exhibited in the non-fiction book read aloud.

Mandi also began collaboratively planning a math lesson with a fourth grade teacher to address multiplication and financial literacy. Together they discussed reading aloud from If You Made A Million by David Schwartz with discussion of jobs and money afterward. Together, Mandi and the fourth grade teacher planned to continue this lesson as part of a unit to address financial literacy further by creating teams of cities/towns. Each team would create its own currency, create its own careers and descriptions, as well as engage in a marketplace with each team’s newly created currency and careers applied. The students got so excited by the project and vocal about their city/town names and new currency that Mandi decided to make the marketplace a library event. She planned the event with several other teachers to accommodate their entire school. She was planning on inviting parents, administrators, and community members.

Though the elementary teachers had been extremely positive in their efforts to collaborate and send their students to the library, Mandi had been incredibly challenged to reach many of the teachers in grades sixth to eighth. The teachers were more interested in using the library space to

send their kids during study hall to work, check out books, or do research, but none had made any efforts to collaborate.

Having completed an internship in a middle school library before becoming a school librarian, Mandi was surprised to find these teachers so reluctant. She even sent out newsletters and emails, stopped by their classrooms to check in and see what units they were working on, and talked to many about the technological tools they were using and some of the things she could do to give the students new Web 2.0 tools to choose from. She also discussed both nonfiction and fiction books that could be exceptional complements to the teachers’ instructional strategies and goals. These efforts did lead some teachers to visit the library more often and seek further assistance and recommendations, but they still were not so keen on collaborating. After talking to some of her colleagues who were fifth grade teachers, Mandi learned that many of the sixth, seventh and eighth grade teachers were long-time veterans who were a bit protective of their curriculum plans and had difficulty deviating from those. They, too, were consistently concerned by how little time they had to plan and prepare their own lessons. She realized this meant that she really needed to work towards holding a professional development session. As a first year librarian this was incredibly intimidating, especially since she was younger than most of the teachers. Despite her fears and concerns, she knew it was the next step she needed to take to reach out to the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers.

Mandi sent out invites to each teacher’s mailbox and asked students to drop off flyers to each teacher’s classroom. She posted posters outside her doors, in the teachers’ lounge, and

brought it up at meetings she attended. She also posted it on the Web site and made sure that the objectives were clear. The professional development session would address several objectives: (1) To introduce several new Web 2.0 tools relevant to each content area, (2) To engage in planning a lesson in groups of two to three collaboratively with the use of reading aloud from a relevant book, analyzing a primary source, and engaging in discussion and reflection, and (3) To review the Common Core Standards addressed during their lesson planning.

The waiting was painstaking --some teachers she did not hear from at all while others started to stop by periodically to see what was going on at the library. That was when Mandi started marketing the professional development session in the library to focus on instruction in the content areas. She did not share more than she had to about what would be covered because she did not want teachers to assume that the topics would be targeted at elementary instruction versus middle school instruction, so she kept the description very general. In a K-8 school setting, it was apparent that the teachers and students in sixth, seventh, and eighth felt that the library was more relevant to the K-5 teachers and students.

Mandi was primarily hoping to reach out to more of the middle school teachers in effort to collaborate and market the library’s services and programs to them so their students would be able to benefit. More important, however, was her goal to help the middle school teachers, in the content areas, address literacy and the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS), while supporting their goals and their focus on their curriculum.

Twenty educators attended, which was not a bad turnout considering she did have to hold it on

a Saturday when many were either out of town or busy. There were more sixth and seventh grade teachers than eighth grade, but Mandi was still pleased by the turnout and the fact that many of the educators were excited after the first activity where they practiced using the SmartBoard with a new Web 2.0 tool (i.e., Collaborize Classroom) that incorporated several sites relating to science, math, and social studies (e.g., PhET.colorado.edu , cellsalive, ePals , historypin , etc.). She provided each teacher with the attached supplemental references for content literacy to refer to later.

It was difficult to determine whether the session was a success or not but she had created surveys as post-reports. These reports were to determine whether the teachers had felt they had learned something new and whether they would want to bring their students to the library for instruction, but most importantly whether they would want to plan to co-teach. It was not until she reviewed these post-reports that she realized most of the teachers wanted to collaborate and plan instruction, and that they felt rejuvenated and relieved to realize how they could incorporate reading and writing in new ways while addressing the Common Core Learning Standards and the material they had to cover. It was truly amazing for her to see that the teachers in the content areas simply needed the time and space to be reminded of the importance and value that literacy has in all disciplines, as well as how easy it can be to implement if one has an open mind.

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