Written by Kimberly Falk, Experienced English Teacher and Tutor

ANSWER THESE TEN QUESTIONS TO FIND OUT

Why do we celebrate the 4th of July?
What is the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution?
Did you REALLY understand every word and historical reference in Hamilton?
How many planes were hijacked on 9/11, and what locations did they hit?
Where is New England?
Minnesota is the land of _________________.
List the following events in order: Vietnam Conflict, WWII, Korean War, Gulf War, Bay of Pigs Invasion.
What is a Nor’easter?
Where is the Mason-Dixon line?
List the presidents elected in the 21st Century.

What is Cultural Literacy and Why Does it Matter?

Cultural literacy is about understanding what a typical member of a specific group, workplace, city, state, or country would be expected to know. This common knowledge drives our ability to read, write, speak, and listen appropriately in a variety of settings and decision-making situations.

Excellent reading comprehension and writing skills are based on one’s ability to recognize and apply historical references, allusions, imagery, and tone when reading challenging texts or writing college essays. For our middle and high school students, cultural literacy (or lack thereof) impacts reading and writing more than you know. IT MATTERS.

Decades of waning educational standards combined with the learning lost during the COVID shut down has left our students with serious gaps in knowledge and cultural/historical context. Students must be able to determine accuracy and validity in a variety of literature and media, follow a simple weather forecast on television, and understand political rhetoric, so that they can avoid making inaccurate or embarrassing statements in college essays.

So How Can We Fill the Gap?

Today, students would rather watch a movie than read a book, and carefully selected MOVIES, worthy of literary merit, can cover a large amount of information in short order.

Books are not the enemy, but students today are often visual and auditory learners with shorter attention spans. Learning to think critically in a shorter time span is vital. Streaming services offer a plethora of movies and shows with exceptional writing quality. Binge watching a high-quality series or movie, with instructional guidance from a teacher, almost replicates reading a text while addressing the visual and auditory learning styles.

With visual references in place, students can quickly develop working historical timelines and settings to improve memory recall, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and writing skills.