The content area literacy movement is based on the assumption that all students can be taught to read better. Students increase their abilities to internalize the content of courses and develop a conceptual understanding of subject matters. After third grade, students read more content area material and they need the necessary skills to use reading and writing to learn course content. This can best be accomplished by integrating content literacy strategies into traditional instruction.
Strategies for increasing literacy development focus not only on the improvement of reading skills, but also on developing higher-order thinking skills that enable students to comprehend, analyze, and communicate ideas. Well-designed literacy programs provide students with frequent opportunities to use language – reading, writing, listening, speaking – for varied and authentic purposes.
This defines 21st-century literacy.