Content and Process

The difference between content and process is critical to literacy,  
but it is really a simple idea.

Content is what you're teaching.

Process is how and why you are teaching it.

For example

A book on World War II (WWII) has content that discusses equipment, troop movements, important battles, and living conditions.  Lots and lots of information in a very short book is WHAT you are teaching them.

If you're using the think aloud and reading aloud exercises from the Comprehension page, then we're teaching the child HOW to understand the content about WWII, or the process. This includes vocabulary words that are new and new ideas that the child may not be familiar with.

If you are showing the child a book about WWII, then you want them to understand WHY it's important to know this information and how it relates to their prior knowledge and what is important to them.  Using different exercises will help them understand the process of learning the content.

By teaching what, how, and why using the same book, the child will remember more about that topic for a longer period of time.

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Strategies for Home

Content

• Use books that are different levels.
• Listen to books on tape.
• Identify confusing words as you read and discuss them.
• Let the child illustrate what they think the text is telling them.
• Use the whole family and have them talk about their ideas, opinions, and experiences.

Process

• Ask questions out loud as you read. 
• Stop when you have a question and discuss possible answers.
• Encourage others to answer questions in their own way to support/challenge ideas.
• If the child is interested in a topic let them exhaust that topic before moving on.
• Ask the child what they want to read about and why.
• Don't 'set' times.  Vary the length of the task by difficulty.
• Figure out what means 'success' to you before you approach the child.

Products 

• Give you child options for expressing their learning!  They can draw, rap, sing, dance, write a song, create a mural with labels.  They can create a website, a blog, a wiki, or they can just talk to you.  Use whatever works with your child.

Successful Environment

• Make sure the room doesn't have distractions or create a 'reading spot.'
• Make it easy for the child to talk to you, friends, and family about what they're reading.
• Provide books that show diversity.
• Provide reference materials within reach of reading spot. 
• Set clear expectations of what you want from the child.  Kindly.  This takes time and it's hard.
• Develop a routine and strategies for helping themselves if you or the teacher isn't available immediately.
• Help your child understand that EVERYONE learns differently.  Everyone.  No exceptions.  

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Tomlinson, C. (2000, August). What Is differentiated instruction? Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction

Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. L., & Mraz, M. (2014). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.