Article 1: Effectiveness of literacy programs balancing reading and writing instruction: A meta-analysis.
Writing and reading are critical in regards to the level of a student’s success both in school and every aspect of life after school (Graham et al., 2018). The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine if balancing reading and writing instructions in literacy programs strengthen students’ performance in writing and reading. Reading is essential in analyzing and understanding the information presented in any form of writing. On the other hand, writing is the tool that sharpens and promotes learning and assessment of what students know.
Reading and writing are essential in all types of jobs as it serves multiple purposes, including an essential aspect of an organization which is communication. Together with the improvement of students’ performance, the meta-analysis also aimed at finding out if there exists a relation between ESs and reviewed studies’ features. (Graham et al., 2018).
I agree with the findings of the meta-analysis; a literacy program that is balanced in writing and reading improves students’ performance in writing and reading and that it is most profitable when literacy skills are learned in balance. I also agree with the existence of a relationship between features of reviewed studies and those of ESs’ literacy.
Article 2: Teaching digital literary literacies in secondary English language arts.
This article entails teaching students specialized ways to participate within and across discourse communities as the discipline evolves with different and advanced tools and technologies being made available and the continuous development. Digital tools, spaces, and texts offer new and a wide range of possibilities that benefit both the methods and questions of analyzing literacy. With the evolving time and development, digital tools are increasingly part of literacy participation (Rainey & Storm, 2017).
I agree with the article that digital tools offer young people plentiful opportunities to participate in the evolving community and not just digitally but also disciplinary and critical literacies. It also advances a more diversified and inclusive community of literacy as the young individual learning practices that shape norms, assumptions, and practices, and knowledge.
Reference
Graham, S., Liu, X., Aitken, A., Ng, C., Bartlett, B., Harris, K. R., & Holzapfel, J. (2018). Effectiveness of literacy programs balancing reading and writing instruction: A meta‐analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 53(3), 279-304.
Rainey, E. C., & Storm, S. (2017). Teaching digital literary literacies in secondary English language arts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 61(2), 203-207.