In a recent paper on Effective Literacy Instruction for Adolescents, the National Reading

Conference (NRC) responds to the complexities of reading in the relation to writing and oral
language in a new environment consisting of new technologies in the world of 21
st
century media
(Alvermann, 2001). Alverman represents the NRCs attitudes toward adolescent literacy and the
importance of designing effective literacy instruction at the secondary school level. Through our
design of the Interdisciplinary Collaboration Project (ICP), we used many of the suggestions by
Alverman, as well as incorporating other theories and ideas based on a multimodal, multiliteracy
approach. One of our aims was to teach the content knowledge along with literacy skills by
including literacy components and objectives. This allowed us to include Social Studies content
and have students develop skills of finding different point of views, writing an outline, reading a
graphic novel, participating in an online discussion, and analyzing information.
We began with developing ideas and activities that would interest adolescent students, a
key to establishing motivation and engagement for our students. Our plan includes activities that
acknowledge adolescents interests in the internet, hypermedia, and various interactive
communication technologies (Alverman). Alveraman (2001) states that these interests suggest
the need to teach youth to read with a critical eye toward how writers, illustrators, and the like
represent people and their ideas. At the same time, it suggests teaching adolescents that all texts,
including their textbooks, routinely promote or silence particular views. Our ICP responds to
this need by including a variety of texts that develop critical awareness as students explore the
assumptions and viewpoints of the person constructing the message. In addition to print, we use
other types of media, including video, pictures, cartoons, social networking, and a graphic novel.
Our plan centers around analyzing and responding to different types of media, for example,
critically reading a political cartoon to determine what is being presented and what the purpose
and or opinion of the author/illustrator might be. We believe the use of political cartoons, yellow
journalism, writing from various Muckrakers, and the graphic novel all encourage critical
literacy. As students study the texts, they will also gain an understanding of the time period
through critically viewing and responding to individuals ideas, opinions, and views, presented
through the various forms of texts and collaboration with their peers. Students will be working
together to collect and assimilate information, and reintegrate it in a way that supports their
understanding. Alverman (2001) discusses the importance of using this participatory approach to
actively engage students in their own learning and using the texts as tools for learning and
promoting higher level thinking rather than memorization.
By capitalizing on students interests and strengths in a technological environment,
students increased motivation can lead to a greater sense of competency and self-efficacy. We
used other strategies within our ICP that are also shown in the research to increase engagement
and self-efficacy. These strategies include using background knowledge such as discussion of the
effects of immigration and industrialization from the previous unit to transition into learning
about the Progressive Era, as well as discussing cartoons before analyzing a political cartoon.
The initial video will also help activate prior knowledge and introduce students to the time
period in history that follows what they already know. Students will self-monitor their
comprehension while reading a graphic novel The Jungle by Upton Sinclair through frequent
breaks for discussion. Comprehension of reading will be supported with use of graphic
organizers and guided notes. For example, while researching the major issues of the Progressive
Era, students will have an active reading guide to help them determine important concepts and
gather information in an organized fashion. Students will be guided in how to form an outline to
organize their key ideas for the dinner party environment, where students will take on rolls of
famous muckrakers and captains of industry as they present and support their ideas and opinions.
These types of assessments are seen throughout our unit and designed in such a way to promote
new learning as they demonstrate their understanding. In addition, students will be constantly
engaged in social interaction throughout the unit. As suggested by Vygotsky, all knowledge is
socially constructed, thus social interaction is essential to engagement with learning (Grisham &
Wolsey, 2006).
Within the framework of our ICP, we incorporated the seven comprehension strategies
that the Members of the National Reading Panel (NRP) concluded were effective in evidence-
based research (Alverman, D.E. 2001). Comprehension Monitoring is evident throughout the
individual lessons as the teacher checks for understanding during discussions and assists students
in reasoning through the material all throughout the unit. Cooperative Learning is seen as
students engage in problem solving activities through teacher led and peer led discussions.
Graphic and Sematic Organizers are used to help students organize their information and guide
them through some of the readings such as the active reading guide used during the first jigsaw
lesson. Answering and asking questions is done through discussions as students question one
anothers views and interpretations of the texts, and the teacher gives feedback either through
discussion, informal, or formal assessment. Use of text structure is taught when while analyzing
the structure of political cartoons as well as how a graphic novel presents information through
use of a variety of elements. Summarizing is done throughout the unit as students often discuss
what they have learned as well as integrating and synthesizing the information within an
interdisciplinary unit.
By using a multimodal approach to learning, our ICP addresses differences in abilities to
read, write, and communicate by offering choices and a variety of options in order to capitalize
on students strengths during the unit. Research suggests that practicing higher-order thinking
skills on media and popular culture texts can help students acquire strategies for effective reading
comprehension in general. (Hruby, Wood, and Mraz, 2008, p. 261). We connected to the outside
culture of adolescent students by offering texts in forms such as pictures, video, comic book, and
use of the internet and popular social media such as Facebook (Fakebook).
By including Disciplinary Literacy and Critical Literacy in our ICP, students are more
engaged, connected to the information, and go beyond learning just the class content. Students
read, write, listen, speak and think critically throughout the unit in a meaningful way. The
approach to achieve the two literacies is based on a Multiliteracies approach to instruction. The
approach begins by setting up situated practice. The students are exposed to the new material and
become immersed in it through a jigsaw activity and witnessing real examples of muckrakers
writing. They begin to learn more in-depth knowledge when they read The Jungle and focus on
political cartoons. The overt instruction begins when the students chose their own historical
figure to be and begin to focus on a specific part of the unit. Then students put their knowledge
of the historical figure in a bigger context, by connecting to other historical figures on Fakebook
and critically framing their knowledge. Through reformed practice, the students create a dinner
party discussion and see that their historical figure that they connected to is connected with other
historical figures and plays a role in the bigger context of the era. Students need to take their
research and think exactly what their historical figures view was. Then with the information,
they think about how their historical figures view would compare to the other historical figures
views. (B. Morgan, CURR 540, May 29, 2014).
Through the joint activities and sharing of information, resources, experiences, and tools that
make up our ICP, we create a rich community of practice for students to engage in and construct
meaning.