Final Keystone Paper: Foundational Literacy and New Literaciesu

Foundational literacy and new literacies are emerging rapidly as the world of technology advances constantly.  These new ways of teaching ELA allow students to explore reading, writing and communicating through digital and media technologies.  These technologies support innovative formats, new reader expectations and new activities that teachers can bring into any subject area classroom to engage students in effective learning. 

Foundational literacy refers to the small set of skills used to comprehend information that is necessary when reading any type of text, online or on paper.  These skills include activating prior knowledge, connecting, visualizing, inferring, questioning, synthesizing.  These strategies can be taught through explicit instruction.  Research proven instructional models for teaching these strategies include Reciprocal Teaching and Questioning the Author. 

New literacies combine foundational literacy skills to put a twist on traditional literacy by including comprehension of information on the Internet.  Students will develop skills that will be valuable in their future such as discovering the effective use of search engines to locate information, evaluation of Internet sources and communication using e-mail, text and chats.  Student will also become familiar with word processing programs

New literacies and other ICT's require new social practices, skills, and strategies to be effective used.  Teachers will need to be trained in order to insure students are gaining as much as they possibly can.  New literacies and foundational literacy skills are a step in the right direction in the new education system.