There is much debate on how to solve the decline of literacy in America. As a future ELA teacher this is a personal topic to me because it is my job to teach students how to communicate and obtain information effectively. E.D. Hirsch Jr. is one professional who has taken on the challenge. In the 1980’s, he created the list “What Literate Americans Know” in response to the decline of literate knowledge or background knolwege. The list is a compilation of words and phrases that Hirsch believes Americans should know in order to be literate. The following YouTube® is visual interpretation of Hirsch list: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LadSZ-tB_A&feature=related. I found that the visuals jogged my memory on some of the terms on the list I was unfamiliar with. To be honest, Hirsch would probably classify me as illiterate because there were several terms I was unfamiliar or unsure about. Despite that I did not know every term on the list, I am confident that I am literate (I am an avid reader and future English teacher). Overall, I have to agree his list has terms Americans should know, but some terms were dated or insignificant.
It is clear from Hirsch’s work that he believes there needs to be a common content knowledge to have a national literacy. The proof is in his list which consists of vocabulary from all the major subjects that are taught in schools. In his words, “The function of national literacy is to foster effective nationwide communication. Our chief instrument of communication over time and space is the standard national language” (Hirsch,1988, p. 2). As someone who believes in cross curriculum and attends a liberal arts college, I agree with Hirsch that there has to be a shared knowledge. If we just have knowledge on our specific content then we limit who we are able to communicate with. However, I do not believe that content knowledge is the only factor that makes for effective communication. There are factors such as basic reading and writing skills that come into play when classifying someone as literate or illiterate.
Branching of Hirsch’s idea of creating a list, I have created a list of what I feel Americans need to know in order to communicate with each other. The list will never be perfect because the world is constantly changing. Also, no list will ever satisfy everyone because everyone has a different opinion on what is worth knowing. If I were creating the list at a school that I was working at then I would ask teachers of all the subjects to work with me to compile the list so that all the major concepts of the subjects would be represented. Then I would hang the list up in the school. This would promote the idea of a nationwide literacy instead of segregating the disciplines. I think if every teacher took the responsibility of enforcing concepts and vocabulary than students would be more likely to remember them long term. That is, if a student was learning about the structure of Venice in science class, the history of Venice in social studies, and reading “Death in Venice” in ELA then they would be able to make multiple connections with the term “Venice” as well as communicate about it with others from all disciplines or backgrounds. I have classified the terms based on subject, but they are all of equal importance. I did my best to choose terms that everyone needs to know to communicate in their daily lives. Also, the terms are subject to change based on what is relevant in the future. This list is a work in progress as you will notice after reading it. Feel free to make suggestions!
My List of What is Worth Knowing
English
(The terms below people should know in order to understand references made in written works about universal themes)
The Bible
William Shakespeare
Mark Twain
(Other prominent American Authors and works)
Jane Austen
(Other prominent British Authors and works)
Greek Mythology (The list would extend to the names of the gods and major myths)
The Odyssey
The Iliad
Literary Elements (People should know literary elements in order to understand the full meaning of what is communicated to them)
Metaphor
Simile
Hyperbole
(More literary elements)
Social Studies
(The terms below people should know to be an active citizen)
Federal
States
DC
Capital
Constitution (including members who signed it)
Bill of Rights
Amendments
The Presidents
The Three Branches of Government (Executive, Judicial, and Legislative)
The Pledge of Allegiance
Revolutionary War
Civil War
WWI
WWII
Cold War
Civil Rights
Immigration
The Great Depression
Economics
Checkbook
Credit card
Consumer
Social security
Civics
Vote
Science
(Below are some terms people should know to communicate about the environment)
Global Warming
Energy
Weather
Tornado
Earthquake
Ecosystems
(Below are terms people should know to communicate about health issues)
Biology
The organs
Immune system
Virus
Bacterial infection
Circulatory system (and other body systems)
HIV/ Sexual Transmitted diseases
(Below are terms people should know to communicate about our solar system)
Season
Revolution
Sun
Earth
Math
(Below are terms people should know to communicate about math done in our daily lives)
Percent
Fraction
Multiplication
Division
Addition
Subtraction
Average/mean
Data
Graph
Factor
Horizontal
Parallel
Ratio
Scale
Technology
Computer
Internet
Website
E-mail
Blog
Twitter®
Facebook®/ social network
YouTube®
Secure/ password
Scanner
Printer
Download
Mp3
External hardrive/ memory stick
Word Processer
Hirsch states, “The more specialized and technical our civilization becomes, the harder it is for nonspecialists to participate in decisions that deeply affect their lives. If we do not achieve a literate society, the technicians, with their arcane specialties, will not be able to communicate with us nor we with them” (1988, p. 31). To put it differently, Hirsch claims there needs to be a nationwide literacy so that every citizen can communicate with each other. As educators it is our job to teach students how to be literate in our nation. This means stepping out of the bounds of our specialized subject areas and working together to promote common literate knowledge. I do not agree with everything on Hirsch’s list and I think creating a perfect list of what is worth knowing is impossible, but I do believe Hirsch’s point that content knowledge is important to being a literate American.
Bibliography
Hirsch, E.D., Jr. (1988). Cultural literacy: What every American needs to know. New York: Vintage Books
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