Disciplinary Literacy

Brought to you by….

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• A message about Disciplinary Literacy from the DPI

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DPI Overview Jigsaw

• What is Disciplinary Literacy?

• Why is Disciplinary Literacy important?

• 4 Foundations of Disciplinary Literacy

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Disciplines Listed by DPIAgriculture and Natural Resources

Marketing, Management & Entrepreneurship

Art and Design Education Mathematics

Business and Information Technology

Music

Dance Nutrition

Early Learning Standards Physical Education

English Language Arts School Counseling

Environmental Education Science

Family & Consumer Sciences

Social Studies

Fine Arts Technology & Engineering

Health Education Theatre

Health Science Occupations

World Languages

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Turn and Talk

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Consider…

“Content-area teachers use reading and writing in ways peculiar to their subject matter. Their goals are content achievement and student success.”

Harry Stein

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And…

“. . . each academic discipline or content-area presupposes specific kinds of background knowledge about how to read texts in that area, and often also requires a particular type of reading.”

Lee & Spratley, 2010, p. 2

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Official Wisconsin Definition

“In Wisconsin, disciplinary literacy is defined as the confluence of content knowledge, experiences, and skills merged with the ability to read, write, listen, speak, think critically and perform in a way that is meaningful within the context of a given field.”

WI Department of Public Instruction,document on disciplinary literacy, May

2011

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Disciplinary Literacy: CCSS Literacy Standards

Intermediate Literacy

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His

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Soci

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Basic Literacy

Doug Buehl, Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines, 2011, p.13

Disciplinary Literacy

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Directions:• Working independently or with a

partner from your table, complete the graphic organizer to solidify your thinking about disciplinary literacy

Disciplinary Literacy, Activity # 1:Defining Disciplinary Literacy

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Disciplinary Conventions“. . . appreciation of the norms and

conventions of each discipline. . .”

• History / Social Studies– Kinds of evidence used and valued– Understanding of domain-specific words– Analyze, evaluate ,and differentiate primary and

secondary sources

• Science / Technical Subjects– Kinds of evidence used and valued– Understanding of domain-specific words– Gain knowledge of from challenging texts that

use diagrams and data to convey information

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Disciplinary ConventionsDeveloping an “insider perspective”• Ability to “read, write, and think in ways

that are characteristic of discrete academic disciplines” (Buehl, p. 10)– Access communications in particular subject

area through reading and listening– Communicate (through writing and speaking)

in ways that “insiders” do• Leads to full participation in the discipline

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Disciplinary Literacy, Activity # 2:Disciplinary Conventions

Directions:• Think about the discipline you most

closely identify with. Complete the chart with information about “your” discipline.

• Talk with a colleague about his/her discipline. Share information from the chart below in a brief conversation. Record information about the conversation.

• Continue talking with different colleagues to learn about several disciplines.

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Disciplinary Literacy

Reading Writing

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College & Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards for Reading

CCR Categories• Key Ideas and

Details• Craft and Structure• Integration of

Knowledge and Ideas

• Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Specific Standards are

Provided in Each Category by

Grade Level/Band

Major Organizing Structure

Throughout the Reading

Standards

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2 Sets of Reading Standards for 6-12

• History/Social Sciences• Science and Technical Subjects

1 Set of Reading Standards for K-5

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•Understand explicit ideas and make inferences

•Determine central ideas and themes; summarize

•Analyze development of ideas

Key Ideas and Details

•Interpret words and phrases

•Analyze structure of a text

•Assess how point of view and purpose shape text

Craft and Structure

•Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse formats

•Delineate and evaluate arguments and claims

•Analyze how two or more texts address a theme or topic

Integration of

Knowledge and Ideas

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity (10)

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Jigsaw

• Find the category you are assigned in both sets of standards in grades 6-12

• Consider how they are alike and different depending upon the subject area.

• Complete the Venn diagram and be prepared to report to the group.

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Jigsaw Part Two

• Now look at the K-5 Standards for Informational Text for your same category

• Consider how these are alike and different depending upon the subject area

• Complete the Venn diagram and be prepared to report to the group.

College & Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards for Writing

CCR Categories • Text Types and

Purposes• Production and

Distribution of Writing

• Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• Range of Writing

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Specific Standards are

Provided in Each Category by

Grade Level/Band

Major Organizing Structure

Throughout the Writing

Standards

•Write arguments to support claims

•Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas

•Write narratives to develop real or imagined experience

Text Types and Purposes

•Produce clear and coherent writing

•Planning, revising, editing, rewriting

•Use technology to produce, publish, interact and collaborate

Production and Distribution of

Writing

•Conduct short/sustained research projects

•Gather information from multiple sources

•Draw evidence from literary/informational texts

Research to Build and Present

Knowledge

21Range of Writing: Write routinely for

range of tasks, purposes, and audiences

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What About Disciplinary Writing?

• Select a grade level at K-5 and also 6-12. Look at the first category “Text Types and Purposes” in both sets of Standards.

• What do you see as areas of focus for younger children?

• Continue through the reset of the categories

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Considering Text Complexity

• Dr. Tim Shanahan Intro to Text Complexity

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Text complexity is defined by:

Qua

litat

ive

2. Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader.

Quantitative

1. Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software.

Reader and Task3. Reader and Task considerations –

background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional judgment.

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Measures such as:• Word length• Word frequency• Word difficulty• Sentence length• Text length• Text cohesion

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

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Quantitative Measures Continued

Remember, however, that the quantitative measures is only the first of three “legs” of the text complexity triangle.

Your final recommendation may be validated, influenced, or even over-ruled by your examination of qualitative measures and the reader and task considerations.

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Step 2: Qualitative Measures

Measures such as:• Levels of meaning• Levels of purpose• Structure• Organization• Language conventionality• Language clarity• Prior knowledge demands

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Step 3: Reader and Task

Considerations such as:• Motivation• Knowledge and experience• Purpose for reading• Complexity of task

assigned regarding text• Complexity of questions

asked regarding text

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Turn and Talk

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What is Meant by Text?

Text refers broadly to any communication product:

• Oral (e.g. speeches, conversations, and audiotapes)

• Written (e.g. essays, stories, articles, novels, and poems)

• Visual (e.g. illustrations, films, or computer displays)

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Informational Text

• Literary Nonfiction• Historical, Scientific, and Technical TextsBoth Found in Many formats (print &

digital):– biographies and autobiographies– books about history, social studies,

science, and the arts – technical texts, including directions, forms– information displayed in graphs, charts, or

maps

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Informational Text: Literary Nonfiction

• Type of informational text important in the discipline of English language arts

• Also called:– Creative nonfiction– Narrative nonfiction– Fact-based narrative

• Communicates information in a way that reads like fiction

• Biographies, political and personal essays, character sketches are examples

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Informational Text:Historical, Scientific,

Technical Texts• Type of nonfiction• Share information about the natural or social

world• Various graphical devices

– Charts, graphs, tables– Photographs– Captions

• Various formats (print and digital) and lengths

Nell Duke, Reading and Writing Informational Texts in the Primary Grades

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Turn and Talk

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Activity 3Examining Text

Complexity• Examine the books you have been

given.

• Create a chart like the example in your bag. Discuss and fill it in.

• Be ready to show and share.

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Activity #3Was This Helpful?

• How might you use this information?

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Comments?

Concerns

?Questions?

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Today’s material was compiled and adapted from:

Common Core State Standards Initiative Deeper Study, CESA #7

WI Department of Public Instruction

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Sherri Torkelson

Billie Finco