Using Cultural Literacy to Improve Comprehension

Erin Delaney

November 21, 2011

Imagine you are in the year 1800…

English-speaking Literate

Objective

You will be able to recognize the definition of cultural literacy

Cultural Literacy

Common body of shared knowledge

Historical Background

Knowing the historical

context of the reading

or image

Symbolism

Understanding common

cultural symbols

Idioms/Sayings

Knowing the meaning of common words and phrases I’m going to quit smoking cold turkeyYou should take the bull by the horns

Allusions

Knowing common literary or cultural referencesHe’s such a RomeoThat Scrooge didn’t even leave a tip

What would a viewer need to know to understand this ad?

Check for Understanding

What does cultural literacy mean?a. The information that well-educated people

know

b. A common body of shared knowledge

c. The ability to read works in multiple languages

d. Knowing who Snooki is

Closure

Cultural literacy helps us understand texts better