Resources and the Four Dimensions of Literacy

This afternoon, you all had an opportunity to identify resources your future students might use as another tool for creating meaning in and beyond your classroom. In Chapter 2 of our text, Anders and Guzzetti establish four dimensions to the "evolving definition" of literacy. For tonight's posting, recall one resource you located this afternoon. Then, analyze this resource by applying your understanding of the four dimensions of literacy.

In what ways can your chosen resource be utilized by your future students for the purposes of demonstrating the four dimensions of literacy skills?


During my search of identifying resources for my future students, I found that there are many articles that would be quite sufficient in aiding my history students to create a deeper meaning in my classroom. These articles I found in magazines such as National Geographic, Time and even ones in a magazine titled Native Peoples. I realized that there are many magazines that would aide my students in creating a deeper meaning of history in the classroom. This resource could demonstrate the four dimensions of literacy skills in the following ways:
The first dimension of text – magazines such as National Geographic could assist the students with finding articles that relate to textbook reading. These will reinforce the information from the textbook with opinions and ideas from outside sources.
The second dimension of literate thinking – here they can use the magazines to “think beyond the text.” They can ask themselves why the author of the textbook writes on a certain perspective and then perhaps question the author with readings and points of view from another.
The third dimension of multiliteracies – the students can take an article and not only read it, but talk about it with others to get different opinions (not only from the author, but from their peers as well). They can use an article in correspondence with a program aired on the History Channel and compare the two with readings from a text and/or other magazines.The fourth dimension of collaboration – each student will be able to use an article and not necessarily discuss it with others, but be able to have a “dialogue” with the author through the reading. In addition, they will be able to understand and make meaning of the views of others and create meaning for themselves.