Connections between critical literacy and content literacyCritical literacy is the ability to read and write in a way that results in deeper understanding. Critical literacy is an approach that teaches students “to exercise their critical faculties to filter what they understand and what they are asked to believe from texts” (Temple, Ogle, Crawford, & Freppon). Content area literacy “emphasizes two ideas: 1) the importance of reading for learning and 2) the importance of teaching students to become more competent and effective readers of content area texts.” (Swafford and Kallus). In essence, critical literacy serves as the foundation for content literacy. The ultimate goal of critical literacy and content literacy is to enable students to be able to analyze and evaluate text. These skills allow students to look for bias in the text and evaluate what the author's purpose is in order to determine their own thoughts on the topic. Understanding critical literacy and content literacy makes it possible to see the theoretical connections between the two. A connection that exists between critical literacy and content area literacy is that learning is an active process and requires the student to be engaged and involved in the learning process and material. Another connection is the idea that students can use background knowledge and combine it with what they are learning to gain new knowledge and understanding. The relationship that critical literacy and content literacy have with the constructivist method is another theoretical connection. In the constructivist method, the roles of students and teachers change compared to those of the traditional learning method. In the traditional model, the teacher is the expert who provides students with all the information. Critical literacy and content area literacy revolve around the ideas that students must learn to learn. not only understand the text but also be able to analyze and evaluate it. The goal is to create students who are active members of their education, students who can participate in their learning and become influential members of our society. Works Cited English Learning Area. (2006, 110). Critical literacy. Retrieved from English Learning Area: http://www.education.tas.gov.au/english.critlit.htmSwafford, J., & Kallus, M. (2002). Content literacy: a journey into the past, present and future. Journal of Content Area Reading, 7-27.Temple, C., Ogle, D., Crawford, A., & Freppon, P. (2010). Understanding and responding to literature. In All Children Read: Teaching Literacy in Today's Diverse Classrooms (pp. 213-214). Boston: Pearson.