1. Literacy in the Disciplines: What, Why, When, & How? Elizabeth Birr Moje January 28, 2010

2. HELPING YOUTH NAVIGATE FROM EVERYDAY TO DISCIPLINARY LITERACY PRACTICES... Or...... Or...

3. WHAT IS DISCIPLINARY LITERACY? Question 1

4. What is Disciplinary Literacy? Uncovering, teaching, and practicing the tools of knowledge production and critique, whether rooted in the disciplines or in everyday life. Uncovering, teaching, and practicing the tools of knowledge production and critique, whether rooted in the disciplines or in everyday life. “History is layered, and the teaching of it, like other subjects, involves not only a process of acquiring the stuff of the discipline but acquiring a particular rhetorical stance toward it.” (Leinhardt, 1994, p. 218) “History is layered, and the teaching of it, like other subjects, involves not only a process of acquiring the stuff of the discipline but acquiring a particular rhetorical stance toward it.” (Leinhardt, 1994, p. 218)

5. Discipline-Specific Literacy Teaching Practices/Strategies How do members of your discipline use language (oral or written) on a daily basis? How do members of your discipline use language (oral or written) on a daily basis? What kinds of texts do they turn to or produce as part of their work? What kinds of texts do they turn to or produce as part of their work? Why and when do they turn to or produce such texts? Why and when do they turn to or produce such texts? What do they do with texts when they use or produce them? What do they do with texts when they use or produce them? How are interactions with members of the discipline shaped (or even governed by) texts? How are interactions with members of the discipline shaped (or even governed by) texts? Who are the primary audiences for written work in your discipline? Who are the primary audiences for written work in your discipline?

6. Discipline-Specific Literacy Teaching Practices/Strategies What are the standards for warrant demanded by those audiences? What are the standards for warrant demanded by those audiences? Are there words or phrases that are demanded by or taboo in your discipline? Are there words or phrases that are demanded by or taboo in your discipline? Are there writing styles that are demanded by or taboo in your discipline? Are there writing styles that are demanded by or taboo in your discipline? What is unique about your discipline in terms of reading, writing, speaking, and listening? What is unique about your discipline in terms of reading, writing, speaking, and listening?

7. For example, historians... Frame historical problems Frame historical problems Locate and use residues/evidence from past Locate and use residues/evidence from past Analyze and use evidence through interconnected practices of "sourcing, corroborating and contextualizing“ Analyze and use evidence through interconnected practices of "sourcing, corroborating and contextualizing“ Determine significance of evidence and events Determine significance of evidence and events Look for patterns in welter of facts and events and "colligate“ to create a concept that imposes sense on that welter of events (e.g. “Renaissance”) Periodize and/or use the periodization schemes of others Read others’ historical accounts Produce historical accounts Present/publish historical accounts (adapted from R. B. Bain, 2007)

8. For example, mathematicians: Ask natural questions” in a given mathematical context Ask natural questions” in a given mathematical context Explore and experiment with the context Explore and experiment with the context Represent the context and examine the representation Represent the context and examine the representation Look for organizing structure or pattern Look for organizing structure or pattern Consult with colleagues orally or in the literature Consult with colleagues orally or in the literature Look for connections as a result of consultation Look for connections as a result of consultation Seek proofs or disproofs Follow opportunities Write finished exposition of a proof Analyze proofs (proof analysis) Present/publish proofs Use appropriate conventions to produce aesthetically pleasing results (Adapted from H. Bass, 2007)

9. What is the relationship between disciplinary and generic literacy? Key “Generic” Literacy Skills/Strategies Key “Generic” Literacy Skills/Strategies Predicting Predicting Previewing Previewing Questioning Questioning Monitoring Monitoring Visualizing Visualizing Summarizing Summarizing Most “strategy instruction” attempts to develop these strategies/skills in readers Most “strategy instruction” attempts to develop these strategies/skills in readers

10. Discipline-Specific Literacy Teaching Practices/Strategies Previewing like a historian Previewing like a historian Who is the author? Who is the author? When was this written? When was this written? What is the context? What is the context? Previewing like a biologist Previewing like a biologist What is the problem/phenomenon I’m studying? What is the problem/phenomenon I’m studying? What do I know about this phenomenon? What do I know about this phenomenon? What do I predict/hypothesize about the phenomenon? What do I predict/hypothesize about the phenomenon?

11. Now it’s your turn... Previewing like a mathematician? Previewing like a mathematician? ?? ?? Previewing like a literary theorist or textual critic? Previewing like a literary theorist or textual critic? ?? ??

12. Differences across Content Areas: The Persuasive Essay Letter to the Editor Essay or Poem for English Class Social Science Essay Personal opinion or personal experience; may include argumentation; clear stance; language used to indicate personal opinion Personal opinion or experiences AND logical reasoning or illustrative imagery; language used to argue a point or to convey images and experiences Distanced stance, evidence to support stance, logical reasoning to tie evidence to claim; language used to convey distance and objectivity

13. WHY/WHEN DISCIPLINARY LITERACY? Questions 2 and 3

14. Why Disciplinary Literacy? Disciplinary slicing of middle school, high school, and university into subject-areas leads to: Disciplinary slicing of middle school, high school, and university into subject-areas leads to: Masking of the role that disciplinary practices play in knowledge production Masking of the role that disciplinary practices play in knowledge production Reification of disciplinary differences Reification of disciplinary differences Challenges to coherence for the learner Challenges to coherence for the learner

15. Access and Opportunity Explicit attention to navigation across multiple discourse communities provides greater access to more young people Explicit attention to navigation across multiple discourse communities provides greater access to more young people In the service of enhancing subject-matter learning (i.e., to develop deep subject-matter proficiency) In the service of enhancing subject-matter learning (i.e., to develop deep subject-matter proficiency) Builds critical literacy skills for an educated citizenry Builds critical literacy skills for an educated citizenry

16. HOW TO TEACH DISCIPLINARY LITERACY? Question 4

17. Four Areas of Work to Be Done Disciplinary practices Disciplinary practices Disciplinary Reading Disciplinary Reading Disciplinary Writing Disciplinary Writing Synthesizing Across Texts Synthesizing Across Texts

18. Academic Reading

19. Text Analysis Analysis of Nature of the Text: Structure and tone of this text? Structure and tone of this text? Syntactic (i.e., sentence structure, organization) complexity Syntactic (i.e., sentence structure, organization) complexity Semantic complexity Semantic complexity Cohesion Cohesion Organization and flow of ideas Organization and flow of ideas Density of ideas Density of ideas Key ideas or concepts Key ideas or concepts Key words or technical terms Key words or technical terms Density of vocabulary Density of vocabulary Texts within text? Texts within text? Role of images, charts, or graphs Role of images, charts, or graphs Reading demands of images Reading demands of images Reading demands in making meaning across the images, other forms, and print Reading demands in making meaning across the images, other forms, and print

20. Text Analysis Analysis of Relationship between Text and Reader: Assumed knowledge Assumed knowledge Challenges to an adult reader with relatively deep knowledge of this subject Challenges to an adult reader with relatively deep knowledge of this subject Challenges to adolescent readers of this text Challenges to adolescent readers of this text Necessary scaffolding Necessary scaffolding Scaffolding necessary for STRUGGLING readers? Scaffolding necessary for STRUGGLING readers? Cultural, racial/ethnic, or gendered connections Cultural, racial/ethnic, or gendered connections

21. Text Analysis Analyzing and Planning for Relationships Across Texts: How would you select other texts to accompany this one? How would you select other texts to accompany this one? What connections might you imagine students making across texts? What connections might you imagine students making across texts? What connections would you try to help students see across the texts? What connections would you try to help students see across the texts?

22. What do you need to address in the text and with your students? Vocabulary? Vocabulary? Conceptual defining Conceptual defining Vocabulary concept cards Vocabulary concept cards Concept of Definition maps Concept of Definition maps Distinguishing Distinguishing Semantic Feature Analysis Semantic Feature Analysis Morphological analysis Morphological analysis Simple defining! Simple defining! Text Structure? Text Structure? Text structuring strategies Text structuring strategies Graphic or relational organizing Graphic or relational organizing Prior Knowledge? Prior Knowledge? Brainstorming Brainstorming Previewing Previewing Preview Guides Preview Guides Advance Organizers Advance Organizers Predicting Predicting POE POE Anticipation/Reaction Guides Anticipation/Reaction Guides Visualizing Visualizing Lack of coherence? Purpose setting Graphic organizers Comprehension monitoring Notetaking Disciplinary reading strategies? Previewing/predicting Evaluating data warrant Critiquing Synthesizing Applying to investigations or activities

23. History Previewing Example: A Nation of Immigrants If I told you to that we were reading a chapter from the book, A Nation of Immigrants, what do you expect it would be about? If I told you to that we were reading a chapter from the book, A Nation of Immigrants, what do you expect it would be about? LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR HANDOUTS LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR HANDOUTS

24. Academic Writing

25. State Social Studies Writing Rubric LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR HANDOUTS LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FOR HANDOUTS

26. Task Analysis What does the task assume about youth and/or ask them to do as thinkers? What does the task assume about youth and/or ask them to do as thinkers? What do youth need to know to meet the task demands? What do youth need to know to meet the task demands? What kind of text does the task ask youth to produce? What kind of text does the task ask youth to produce? What do we need to do instructionally to scaffold young people’s thinking before they even begin to write? What do we need to do instructionally to scaffold young people’s thinking before they even begin to write?

27. Scientific Explanation Writing: An Iterative Practice Examination of explanations written by others Examination of explanations written by others Classroom-based, whole-group generation of rubric using models (i.e., comes from the students; see next slide) Classroom-based, whole-group generation of rubric using models (i.e., comes from the students; see next slide) Engagement in scientific investigations Engagement in scientific investigations Writing to explain one’s own investigations Writing to explain one’s own investigations Peer review (e.g., poster displays, museum walks) Peer review (e.g., poster displays, museum walks) Revision of explanations Revision of explanations New investigations, new explanations, more peer review New investigations, new explanations, more peer review And the cycle continues.... And the cycle continues....

28. Synthesizing Across Texts

29. Synthesis Journals Primary Source 1 Primary Source 3 Primary Source 2 Primary Source 4 Analysis across texts (i.e., a history)

30. Summarizing From and Synthesizing Across Texts: Questions Into Paragraphs Sub-Questions Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 SUMMARY Adapted from: McLaughlin, E. M. (1986). QuIP: A writing strategy to improve comprehension of expository structure. The Reading Teacher. 1. What are the sources of this material? 2. What are the effects of this material in the air? 3. How much of this material is typically found in air? SUMMARY: Driving Question: What affects the quality of air in my community? Learning Set Question: Is material X a pollutant?

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