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This department column is a venue for thoughtful discussions of contemporary issues dealing with policy and practice, remixed in ways that generate new insights into enduring dilemmas, debates, and controversies.

Over a century of research on postsecondary learning has documented that students often struggle with the academic literacy demands of college. Academic literacy tasks are the subset of all academic tasks that involve reading and writing and are rooted within larger cultural practices. These demands are challenging, complex, and varied, so students need help preparing before they enter college. Although there are many reasons why preparing students for academic literacy tasks is difficult, there are some ways that educators can help. The author discusses the academic literacy demands in college by examining some of the reasons why it is difficult to fully prepare students and several ways that educators can help students on the path toward college readiness.

Even though student-led small-group book discussions about fiction have been a curricular staple, teachers still contend with surface-level discussions and students who have difficulty with creating meaning together. Based on their previous findings, the authors explore building a foundation for discussions (for teachers new to literature study) and scaffolding deeper discussions (for teachers working on deeper, dialogic discussions). Suggestions emphasize scaffolding students to expand their perspectives, become more metacognitive, and use transmediation to communicate the abstract. The activities/strategies taken together demonstrate that teachers have a dual responsibility in their classrooms: teaching students how to engage in deeper conversations and helping students value what can be accomplished through them. When teachers commit to this dual responsibility, students are more able to learn deeply.

Expanding definitions of literacy requires classroom instruction that provides multiple pathways for students to demonstrate their understanding of the content and communicate knowledge. Privileging the use of visual and multimodal texts as valued school communication may create equitable practices for students who are new to English or struggle with literacy for a variety of reasons. The authors explore the roles that the Talking Drawings strategy played in supporting students’ content and literacy learning and in their ability to reflect on their new understandings. In seven upper elementary classrooms, students drew pictures before and after focused instruction about a topic and added written reflections about the differences between the two drawings. The results of this study demonstrate how Talking Drawings provided a multimodal pathway for students to access the curriculum, communicate new content knowledge, redirect their content misconceptions, and reflect on their learning.

Literacy instruction does not just happen during the language arts block, as students can learn more about reading and writing during science, social studies, and mathematics. This department features examples of how teachers can teach literacy across various content areas.

To increase reading volume and help students access challenging texts, the authors propose a four‐dimensional framework for text sets. The quad text set framework is designed around a target text: a challenging content area text, such as a canonical literary work, research article, or historical primary source document. The three remaining dimensions include visual texts (e.g., a video, pictures), informational texts to build students’ background knowledge and vocabulary, and an accessible young adult novel or current events article to help students engage with the topic. Working together, these texts can build students’ background knowledge, make the target text accessible to students, and also allow them to synthesize information across sources. The authors suggest that quad text sets are useful in English, science, and social studies classrooms.

This article provides classroom examples of how interactive read‐alouds of informational texts facilitate collaborative and respectful discussions that promote literacy learning. Several specific considerations for making interactive read‐alouds engaging and successful are presented in an effort to support educators in capitalizing on this effective instructional practice.

The authors explored the ways in which students drew on their individual theories of knowledge and knowing, or personal epistemologies, to identify and learn from multiple informational sources found on the internet. Analysis of students’ think‐aloud reports (during reading) and their written questions (after reading) indicated that students’ personal epistemologies came into play as they were accessing, evaluating, and using diverse sources, which was reflected in their critical questioning in multiple ways. These results have implications for rethinking classroom literacy tasks in which students are asked to conduct online research to explore multiple pathways to understanding, questioning, and learning. The authors provide suggestions and instructional tools to support the development and use of students’ beliefs about knowledge in complex, multisource literacy task environments.

With increasing expectations on students regarding written communication, the promotion of student agency in writing is more important now than ever. Teachers must find ways to engage and empower all learners throughout the writing process so they can produce authentic and meaningful writing independently. To promote such agency, educators must allow students to do more of the work, even while scaffolding for students who need more support. Supporting students in ways that promote metacognition, using their own voice and ideas, pinpointing their individual needs, and encouraging student leadership throughout the writing process kindle students’ capacity and inclination to take initiative for their own achievement. The author presents strategies that teachers can use to promote student metacognition and agency during the writing processes while allowing students to keep their own writing identity and build independence.

Eye‐tracking studies have indicated that there are different kinds of silent reading. Simply having eyes on text does not always result in adequate comprehension. Understanding common eye‐tracking measures that distinguish productive reading behaviors can help teachers promote better reading habits among students. This research synthesis highlights the need to focus on reading goals and mindful reading, rather than merely promoting eyes or time on text. The authors provide several instructional options for promoting mindful reading based on eye‐tracking research and suggest ways to coach a more metacognitive approach to comprehension.