The development of literacy at an early stage in the education of young learners turns crucial in order for them to manage, analyze, critique and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information. The degree to which students can make use of language to read and understand texts in all formats (books, on-line newspapers, pictures, videos, etc) is a key indicator of their ability to make and communicate meaning.

Partiendo del concepto de literacidad en el siglo XXI y la importancia de desarrollar la capacidad del pensamiento crítico en los estudiantes tanto de primaria como de secundaria, este capítulo argumenta a favor de la competencia literaria como clave de la educación integral.