Narrowing the "method" gap

Many teachers who have been trained to teach reading do not seem to transfer these skills to the other areas of the curriculum. It is suggested that teachers should approach the content areas using a total lesson approach. This approach adapts the directed reading activity method to content area instruction. This article includes a brief discussion of the adaptation of the directed reading activity method. Included is an explanation of each of the six steps as they might apply to the content area. The goals of the directed reading activity and those of the content areas have much in common. These include vocabulary building, various levels of comprehension, as well as "skimming and scanning." Encouraging teachers to apply this method can help to "close the gap" in methodology.