Blog Post Two

Interdisciplinary learning offers a promising approach to reversing declining reading trends, particularly as recent NAEP data shows a 2-point score decline for both 4th and 8th graders in 2024, with 33% of 8th graders and 40% of 4th graders now classified as "below basic" readers. By integrating disciplines like social studies and science with ELA, students engage in inquiry-based close reading, critical analysis of multiple sources, and authentic writing tasks that deepen comprehension and retention.

Two key benefits emerge:
*Critical Thinking Development: Interdisciplinary methods require students to synthesize perspectives across subjects, fostering analytical skills to evaluate complex texts—a vital tool for struggling readers facing ambiguous or advanced material.

*Real-World Relevance: Connecting literacy to topics like historical events or scientific phenomena increases motivation, as students see reading as a means to explore personally meaningful, multifaceted issues.

This interdisciplinary learning approach addresses both skill gaps and engagement barriers, offering a dual-pronged solution to literacy declines.