Literacy — defined by Meltzer, Smith, and Clark as the ability to read, write, speak, listen, and think effectively — enables students to learn and to communicate clearly about what they know. Being literate gives people the ability to become informed, to inform others, and to make informed decisions (2001). Literacy is synonymous with learning. The partnerships between reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing — connecting with the ever-increasing knowledge base for each content area — provide the means for thinking among and between concepts and ideas. It is an active process.
The Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Viewing Essential Concepts and Skills found in the Iowa Core Curriculum describe what students should know and be able to do in literacy at the primary (K — 2), intermediate (3 — 5), middle (6 — 8), and high school (9 — 12) levels. The essential concepts and skills described should be considered as the targets for instruction and student learning. The literacy components of Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Viewing are different from other content areas, because they are the processes that students use to learn and understand the complex world in which they live.
By its nature, literacy is social. In being effective critical members of a literacy community, students collaborate with others. Whether it be engaging the ideas of an author or actively discussing and debating issues about their lives with their peers, this collaboration helps students gain an appreciation of themselves, others, and the world. There is a cumulative advantage to the reciprocity of sharing ideas. The more students engage in literacy, the deeper their conceptual understanding and motivation to learn becomes.
The interdisciplinary nature of literacy is also an important consideration when reviewing these essential skill sets. Literacy skills need to be developed across the curriculum. Students expand their range when applying literacy skills to a variety of content areas because the academic discourses and disciplinary concepts in those require different approaches to reading, writing, speaking, viewing, and listening. It is through applying literacy skills in a number of content areas that students learn to integrate these skills and strategies in to life experience. Teachers who make literacy a priority understand that learning involves making meaning.
The purpose of the Iowa Core Curriculum for Literacy is to guide school districts in the development of effective Literacy curricula. Two fundamental concepts have guided its creation. First, literacy learning is recursive. That is, students at every grade level apply similar language arts skills and concepts as they use increasingly more complex materials. Therefore, the essential skills and concepts for each level (primary, intermediate, middle, and high school) are very similar. Their implementation at each level will vary through instructional strategies, learning materials, and assessment. In this way, students will build upon and refine their knowledge, gaining sophistication and independence as they grow in their use and application of the essential concepts and skills. Second, although listed separately, the individual strands of Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Viewing are not exclusive of the other. Each strand links to and supports the rest. At any time, or at the same time, students may read, write, and view, or speak and listen to convey meaning. To be learned and used effectively, the processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing are best taught in an integrated manner and assessed in the same way.
Strategic learners are actively engaged in using literacy strategies to process information, construction knowledge, and make judgments. Effective and efficient application of literacy strategies increases students' ability to internalize content knowledge and develop conceptual understandings.