Making a case and a place for effective content area literacy instruction in the elementary grades by: Barbara Moss

As I read the article by Dr. Moss, I quickly realized how our young children are cheated out of success of reading. Children learn how to read my example, listening, and teaching from home and from the classroom teacher at school. As a child I remember getting exposed to informational books around the third and fourth grade as the article stated and even then the teacher read the majority to us. We really did not have to think on our own or comprehend the text for ourselves.
The paragraph in the article that stood out the most to me was when Dr. Moss discussed the limited amount of informational text that are in basal readers, which 85% of students are required to read in early elementary grades. I do not understand why children have to read something that is not going to help them succeed throughout middle school, high school, or even college. I enjoyed the fact that she did have a study in the article stating how early exposure to informational text can help a child go further with not only school, but life. We read everyday and learn everyday, so if a child enters adulthood clueless about how to read for information, he/she is already at the end of the employment list.
In order for children to succeed in life and in this world we have to prepare them early. What that being said, I especially love the paragraph about changing terms of content area reading into content area literacy which includes reading, writing, using the internet, and comprehending what they are reading. Children will love to read if they had a freedom of choice. Most students like a challenge and will acquire an informational text, such as a magazine, journal, web quest, or internet site. When I was in elementary, I did have a choice of what and how I wanted to read during our free time and the experience helped me gain more knowledge of reading and I still enjoy reading today, just not all the time like we have to for senior block.
Dr. Moss a very important point in her article by stating that technology is vital to student’s everyday life, even young elementary children. Children are learning to use computers, cell phones, iPods, and so much more before the age of ten. As a classroom teacher, we have to be aware of what interest them in order to keep their attention and keep them motivated to learn. I would like to know how to better integrate technology into teaching reading? I also would like to know how to distinguish between teaching students how to read and read to learn?
Teaching students how to read informational text is occurring more in the classrooms as I saw as I entered the classes last semester. One of my teachers if had her first grade class keep daily journals for each subject. She taught students a few comprehension skills while I was there, but I did not get to observe them. In the near future, all students will be learning how to read informational text as they read to learn in early elementary classes due to the common core standards which is changing the curriculum and pushing the objectives up a grade level or two.