Abstract
Literacy is a continuum of skills—including reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, visually representing, and critical thinking—applied in a social context to enable a person to function effectively in a particular group and community. In this sense, literacy goes far beyond the classroom walls. Creating interest and fostering positive attitudes in literacy learners is an important part of motivating them. A motivated reader is an engaged reader; student motivation and engagement with reading can impact reading achievement, and a lack of motivation stands in the way of reading success. To promote lifelong literacy skills, provide students with authentic reasons for engaging in literacy activities, help them develop media literacy skills, connect literacy to popular culture, and participate in out-of-school book clubs. Lifelong literacy also includes developing the skills to be discriminating media users. Food labels are an environmental artifact that can provide an authentic literacy task related to an important life skill.