The Four Resources Model
Ontario's expert panel report, Literacy for Learning (2004) incorporated Allan Luke and Peter Freebody's "Four Resource Model" into this document to emphasize the importance of teaching critical literacy concepts in the junior classroom. However, more recent studies suggest that the primary learner is capable of interacting with texts using the Four Resource Model as well. Luke and Freebody's Four Resource Model was developed to help students, become active participants and critical thinkers during the reading process. This model sees the reader, or 'literate learner,' as having four key roles to play during the reading process: Code Breaker, Meaning Maker/Text Participant, Text User, and Text Analyzer. This model can be used to structure your Balanced Literacy program and guide activities with any text, and for any age group. Critical literacy strategies need to be taught explicitly, yet should not be taught sequentially or in isolation from one another.
The Four Dimensions of Critical Literacy
1. Disrupting a common situation or understanding: seeking to understand the text or situation, reading to gain perspective.
2. Interrogating multiple viewpoint: standing in the shoes of others or thinking about texts from perspectives of different characters or from perspectives not present in the text.
3. Focusing on sociopolitical issues: thinking about power in relationships between and among people and exploring how power relationships shape perceptions, responses, and actions.
4. Taking action and promoting social justice: reflecting and acting to change an inappropriate, unequal power relationship between people
Identified by Lewiston, Flint and Sluys, 2002
1. Disrupting a common situation or understanding: seeking to understand the text or situation, reading to gain perspective.
2. Interrogating multiple viewpoint: standing in the shoes of others or thinking about texts from perspectives of different characters or from perspectives not present in the text.
3. Focusing on sociopolitical issues: thinking about power in relationships between and among people and exploring how power relationships shape perceptions, responses, and actions.
4. Taking action and promoting social justice: reflecting and acting to change an inappropriate, unequal power relationship between people
Identified by Lewiston, Flint and Sluys, 2002
Critical Literacy Strategies
There are many different strategies that will help students develop as, "strategic, motivated, and independent readers, writers, talkers, listeners in all subjects." (Effective Guide, 2006). The strategies listed below will help foster critical literacy in every classroom.
1. Problem Posing - Just as texts position us to think of ourselves in a certain way, so that we feel compelled to buy a product or identify with a character in a film, we as readers or viewers can problematize texts. Problem- posing requires that we ask students questions such as the following:
• How might others understand this text differently?
• How has the message of the text been constructed or crafted?
• Who is the intended audience?
• How has this text coloured your view of reality?
• What lifestyles, values and points of view are represented or have been omitted?
• Who created this text and why?
• Who benefits if this “message” is accepted? Who may be disadvantaged?
• What techniques and stylistic elements have been used and why?
2. Juxtaposing - The intent of this strategy is to have students come to an understanding of point of view. Two texts on a similar topic (e.g., editorials) are set side by side so that students can compare author’s bias, perspective and intent as well as strategies used to influence the reader/viewer .
3. Switching - This is an effective strategy for getting students to consider the impact of alternative perspectives and to identify which voices are present and which voices are missing from a text. Some examples of switching are:
a. gender switch - students replace key characters with characters of the other gender
b. setting switch - students set the story in a different time or place or switch the social class of characters
c. emotion switch - students have characters exhibit a different emotional tone (McLaughlin, M.& DeVoogd, 2004)
4. Testing - Testing texts against predictions to expose the assumptions informing those predictions, e.g., predicting a “fairy tale ending” for The Paperbag Princess
5. Examining- Examining or creating alternative endings in order to highlight their implicit values and societal expectations, e.g., comparing the two endings of Great Expectations or a popular fairy tale.
6. Using Examples – Using examples of texts from everyday life, such as toy advertisements and legal contracts to show that these “are not innocuous, neutral text(s) requiring simple decoding and response. They are key moments where social identity and power relations are established and negotiated.” (Luke, O’Brien and Comber, 2001)
There are many different strategies that will help students develop as, "strategic, motivated, and independent readers, writers, talkers, listeners in all subjects." (Effective Guide, 2006). The strategies listed below will help foster critical literacy in every classroom.
1. Problem Posing - Just as texts position us to think of ourselves in a certain way, so that we feel compelled to buy a product or identify with a character in a film, we as readers or viewers can problematize texts. Problem- posing requires that we ask students questions such as the following:
• How might others understand this text differently?
• How has the message of the text been constructed or crafted?
• Who is the intended audience?
• How has this text coloured your view of reality?
• What lifestyles, values and points of view are represented or have been omitted?
• Who created this text and why?
• Who benefits if this “message” is accepted? Who may be disadvantaged?
• What techniques and stylistic elements have been used and why?
2. Juxtaposing - The intent of this strategy is to have students come to an understanding of point of view. Two texts on a similar topic (e.g., editorials) are set side by side so that students can compare author’s bias, perspective and intent as well as strategies used to influence the reader/viewer .
3. Switching - This is an effective strategy for getting students to consider the impact of alternative perspectives and to identify which voices are present and which voices are missing from a text. Some examples of switching are:
a. gender switch - students replace key characters with characters of the other gender
b. setting switch - students set the story in a different time or place or switch the social class of characters
c. emotion switch - students have characters exhibit a different emotional tone (McLaughlin, M.& DeVoogd, 2004)
4. Testing - Testing texts against predictions to expose the assumptions informing those predictions, e.g., predicting a “fairy tale ending” for The Paperbag Princess
5. Examining- Examining or creating alternative endings in order to highlight their implicit values and societal expectations, e.g., comparing the two endings of Great Expectations or a popular fairy tale.
6. Using Examples – Using examples of texts from everyday life, such as toy advertisements and legal contracts to show that these “are not innocuous, neutral text(s) requiring simple decoding and response. They are key moments where social identity and power relations are established and negotiated.” (Luke, O’Brien and Comber, 2001)
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The Critical Literacy classroom works best when rich talk about text, otherwise known as Accountable Talk or purposeful talk, is valued and given time to develop. These listening and speaking strategies need to be practiced daily through the use of anchor charts and modelled and scaffolded conversations. Over time, the teacher's role shifts from that of a discussion director to discussion facilitator, to participant in the discussion as students gain greater confidence and independence contributing to meaningful conversations, both as a participant and a contributor. To be successful, Grand Conversations about Big Ideas and real-world issues, require a safe and inclusive classroom environment that can support students in freely expressing their ideas and opinions and collaboratively constructing meaning. (Capacity Building Series: Grand Conversations in the Primary Classroom, 2011)
Work Cited
Ontario Ministry of Education. Literacy for Learning: The Report of the Expert Panel on Literacy in Grades 4 to 6 in Ontario. (2004) Toronto, ON: Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades 4 to 6. Volume 1: Foundations of Literacy Instruction for the Junior Learner. (2006) Toronto, ON: Queen's Printer for Ontario
McLaughlin, M., & DeVoogd. Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students' Comprehension of Text. (2004) New York: Sholastic
Lewiston, M., Flint, A., and Sluys, K. Taking on Critical Literacy: The Journey of the Newcomers and Novices. Language Arts: Vol. 79. 5 (May 2002)
Luke, A., O'Brien J., & Comber, B. Making Community Texts Objects of Study. Critical Literacy: A Collection of Articles from the Australian Literacy Educators Association (2001) in H. Fehring & P. Green (Eds), pp.112-123
Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. “Critical Literacy”. Capacity Building Series. August 2009. Web. Feb. 3, 2014
Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. "Grand Conversations." Capacity Building Series. 2011
https://sites.google.com/site/criticalliteracyeduc5765/home
Work Cited
Ontario Ministry of Education. Literacy for Learning: The Report of the Expert Panel on Literacy in Grades 4 to 6 in Ontario. (2004) Toronto, ON: Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades 4 to 6. Volume 1: Foundations of Literacy Instruction for the Junior Learner. (2006) Toronto, ON: Queen's Printer for Ontario
McLaughlin, M., & DeVoogd. Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students' Comprehension of Text. (2004) New York: Sholastic
Lewiston, M., Flint, A., and Sluys, K. Taking on Critical Literacy: The Journey of the Newcomers and Novices. Language Arts: Vol. 79. 5 (May 2002)
Luke, A., O'Brien J., & Comber, B. Making Community Texts Objects of Study. Critical Literacy: A Collection of Articles from the Australian Literacy Educators Association (2001) in H. Fehring & P. Green (Eds), pp.112-123
Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. “Critical Literacy”. Capacity Building Series. August 2009. Web. Feb. 3, 2014
Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. "Grand Conversations." Capacity Building Series. 2011
https://sites.google.com/site/criticalliteracyeduc5765/home
Below
is a link to what Critical Literacy might look like in the primary classroom
https://sites.google.com/site/criticalliteracyeduc5765/what-does-critical-literacy-look-like-in-the-classroom
https://sites.google.com/site/criticalliteracyeduc5765/what-does-critical-literacy-look-like-in-the-classroom
Other
Resources to help Implement Critical Literacy in the Classroom
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/critical_literacy.pdf
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/arts/songs.html
http://faculty.uoit.ca/hughes/Contexts/CriticalLiteracy.html- This site uses fairy tales for grounding critical literacy in known texts, using alternative versions to introduce the ideas of point of view (present and missing), voice, and big ideas)
http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesLIT/CoreResources/Critical_Literacy_Guide.pdf
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/cbs_grand_conversations.pdf- This is a fantastic read and ties in so nicely to Critical Literacy
http://www.curriculum.org/secretariat/files/Nov29CriticalLiteracy.pdf
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/critical_literacy.pdf
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/arts/songs.html
http://faculty.uoit.ca/hughes/Contexts/CriticalLiteracy.html- This site uses fairy tales for grounding critical literacy in known texts, using alternative versions to introduce the ideas of point of view (present and missing), voice, and big ideas)
http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesLIT/CoreResources/Critical_Literacy_Guide.pdf
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/cbs_grand_conversations.pdf- This is a fantastic read and ties in so nicely to Critical Literacy
http://www.curriculum.org/secretariat/files/Nov29CriticalLiteracy.pdf
A collection of Critical Literacy Lesson Plans
Go To - https://sites.google.com/site/criticalliteracyeduc5765/home , then click on Resources and Articles for Critical Literacy
http://www.curriculum.org/secretariat/files/Nov29LessonPlans.pdf
Go To - https://sites.google.com/site/criticalliteracyeduc5765/home , then click on Resources and Articles for Critical Literacy
http://www.curriculum.org/secretariat/files/Nov29LessonPlans.pdf