Every time you read a text you read it the same way, right? Novels, textbooks, magazine articles and Internet web pages are all the same if they are written in the same language, aren’t they? The answer to both of the questions is “not really”. Readers employ different reading strategies and prior knowledge based on the genre (type of reading) and topic of the text. For this reason it is important that teachers help students, especially those in middle and high school, learn how to “tackle” their particular content area’s texts.

What is Content Area Reading?

Simply put content area reading is the reading that a person (usually a student) needs to complete and understand in a particular subject area. The content areas typically included in this definition are science, social studies/history and math, but any area outside of English literature instruction constitutes a content area. The reading associated with content area courses reflects not only the concepts and ideas important to these subjects, but also the text structures used by those practicing the field.

How are Content Area Texts Different Than Literature?

Since most of the texts used in these subject areas are expository (informational) they require their readers to use different strategies for reading and comprehending them than they employ when reading literature. Consider the differences between a novel and a social studies textbook. Novels are usually set up so that there are distinct chapters, but each page of text looks the same. It features sentences in paragraphs. There may occasionally be a few illustrations, but they are few and far between. Now think about a textbook. While there are chapters and text in paragraphs textbooks also use sidebars, illustrations, headings, footers and colored text to “tell” their “stories”. If the reader focuses only on the components of a textbook that are like a piece of literature, she will end up missing a large portion of the information on the page.

In addition to looking different, content area texts may be written differently than literature. Literature is written in a narrative form which relies on a plot and character dialogue to convey its message to the reader. Content area texts are usually expository meaning that are written to inform, persuade, describe or explain information for the reader. There is no action to tell a story in an expository text. The reader needs to use strategies for harnessing and synthesizing the information in this type of text.

Beyond these general differences specific content areas may use particular text structures or styles of writing. For example, lab reports written by scientists (and science students) follow a certain format that their writers and readers must understand in order to convey information.

How do Readers Go About Understanding Content Area Texts?

Readers need to choose and revise their choices of reading strategies depending on the type of content area text they are reading. Each genre of text requires its readers to use a different set of strategies for accessing its information. The reader must first identify the text’s structure and use his knowledge of this genre to read the text. While reading the text, he must use general reading strategies such as questioning, making inferences and connections and activating prior knowledge and content specific strategies including drawing on subject specific information to make meaning of the text. During this process he is (hopefully) making meaning on three different levels: literal (understanding the information written on the page), inferential (reading ‘between the lines’) and evaluation (making judgments and conclusions about the information). These abilities develop from good content area reading instruction and practice.

Content area reading refers to the reading that someone needs to complete and understand in a particular subject area. The content areas typically included disciplines like science, social studies/history and math, but any area outside of English literature instruction constitutes a content area. The reading associated with content area courses reflects not only the concepts and ideas important to these subjects, but also the text structures used by those practicing the field. The following tips are a few methods for helping students develop strong content areas reading strategies.

How to improve content area reading

Text Structure Analysis

Helping students understand how particular content area texts are constructed helps them unlock the information inside them. Teachers should spend time demonstrating how texts are physically structured on the page and how the layout can aid students in understanding the piece. Text features such as illustrations, captions, bold print, footnotes and text boxes should be explored and discussed. In addition, students should become familiar and comfortable with the rhetorical modes used in content area texts. Generally most expository texts are written in the cause-effect, compare-contrast or sequencing formats.

Textbook Walk-throughs

Before students can “tackle” the information in their textbooks they have to understand how they work. This may seem like common sense to a seasoned reader, but many adolescents do not know how to use their textbooks. Teachers should spend time talking with students about how their content area textbook is laid out and where to find information. At the beginning of each unit it is worthwhile for teachers to give students opportunities to preview the chapter(s) they will be reading so that they become familiar with how information is presented and where to locate certain types of information.

Before-During and After Reading Activities

Because content area studies rely so heavily on connecting prior knowledge to new information, a good deal of time should be spent preparing students to read specific content area texts. During the “before reading” portion of a lesson students should be given opportunities to active prior knowledge, develop or understand the questions they will be expected to answer through their reading, make predictions about the text and/or set a purpose for reading. While reading a content area text, students should be encouraged to ask and answer questions and to monitor their reading comprehension. After reading they should make connections and extend their understanding of the topic that they read about.

Questioning

Often times students get so used to teachers asking questions about content after they have finished reading a text that they forget that asking one’s own questions during a reading task is one of the best strategies for ensuring comprehension. Students should be given opportunities to ask and answer their own questions about content area texts. They can generate inquiry questions before reading which they will answer while reading or can ask and answer clarifying questions as they move through a text. The goal of this activity is for students to integrate spontaneous “silent” questioning into their independent reading experiences.

Vocabulary Strategies

Vocabulary is essential for understanding content area texts. Think about all of the subject specific vocabulary words that are necessary to understand a content area textbook. For example, you could not possibly comprehend a social studies chapter on the geography of Africa if you do not know the meanings of the words “desert”, “savannah” and “rainforest”. Each content area expects its practitioners to not only have strong general vocabularies, but also an understanding subject specific words. Students should be encouraged and assisted in learning content area vocabulary words. Strategies such as word maps, collaborative glossaries (content specific dictionaries created by the class) and classification and categorization activities help students develop strong content area vocabularies.