One of the ironic facts that existed in our society is functional illiteracy. It does not mean that people cannot read or write. People know how to read and write but are unable to understand the meaning of a text they read. Thus, this research was held to answer the question of "How can students' awareness of functional literacy be…

This paper explores how Culturally Sustaining Systemic Functional Linguistics (CSSFL), a theoretical and pedagogical approach, facilitates emergent bilingual (EB) students' engagement in explicit, equitable literacy practices within the unique context of a middle school intensive reading classroom. This design-based research (DBR) study documents…

We live in a time of transition from print reading (off-line) to screen reading (on-line), where the role of the book and other literature is being taken over by different types of electronic devices (computers, tablets, smart phones). In the lives of young people, there is less and less printed media, because it is being pushed out by electronic…

Current pedagogical approaches recognize literacy as a social practice and yet school-based conceptualizations continue to dominate understandings of literacy learning of individuals with intellectual disability. Such understandings lead to local or everyday literacy practices being devalued and overlooked. Thus, for adults with intellectual…

This versatile handbook is for middle school and high school educators who need to differentiate literacy instruction for adolescent ELL students at various stages of literacy competency. Adapted from the highly successful "Differentiated Literacy Strategies for Student Growth & Achievement in Grades 7-12", the authors use brain-based strategies…

As you tailor your teaching to engage the increasing number of English language learners, the key to success is focusing on literacy. Adapted from the highly successful "Differentiated Literacy Strategies for Student Growth and Achievement in Grades K-6", this book provides a wealth of grade-specific literacy strategies that not only increase…

This article examines the educational leadership of the first African American female principal in Richmond, Virginia: Mrs. Ethel Thompson Overby. It seeks to ascertain, through a historical framework utilizing critical race theory, how this particular educational and instructional leader conceptualized academic achievement given the context of…

This article describes an unconventional method to teach un-contracted braille reading and writing skills to students who are blind and have additional disabilities. It includes a keyboarding curriculum that focuses on the whole language approach to literacy. A special feature is the keyboard that is adapted with braille symbols. Un-contracted…

Adults who cannot read are receiving help through a special program operated in New York State. This program is conducted on a volunteer basis; that is, only those who want to improve the level of their literacy are accepted as participants. (CK)

Once upon a time, Americans identified illiteracy among high school graduates as a national crisis. The solution, almost everyone agreed, was to teach every child to read by the end of third grade. If students could read well by then, the reasoning went, they would read even better in all the grades that followed. However, the 2005 results of the…

Definitions of literacy that focus solely on reading words provide too narrow a framework for many students with severe disabilities. Obtaining information from the environment may be accomplished in a variety of modes, such as visual literacy, which is the ability to discern meaning conveyed through images. A component of visual literacy is…

Considers motivations of adult illiterates involved in literacy programs, and gives examples of available programs. Describes difficulties, frustrations, and rewards for individuals completing such programs. Includes an estimate of the size of the adult literacy problem. (DHP)

A well-educated teacher equipped with diverse reading materials is the best single answer to the reading problem. (Author)

Argues that a successful adult basic education program should recognize the differences between younger students and adults, provide a setting in which adults' dignity is not threatened, carefully diagnose each adult's needs, and prescribe and implement a program to meet those needs. (FL)