Justin Rygiel

Disciplinary Literacy Paper

Content area literacy is when students learn literacy techniques that can be used across all

disciplines. Teachers model these practices for student understanding of the content and allow them to

apply these practices in class or in a small group setting. This helps students understand the challenging

curriculum, which helps text comprehension. (Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy, Literacy

Leadership Brief: Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks

(literacyworldwide.org)). In content area literacy, students can ask questions to clarify text for full

understanding. This is the case for all disciplines, and this helps students get a grasp on specific literacy

text. Many times educators will chunk down text for comprehension or provide vocabulary regarding key

terms for student understanding (Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy, Literacy Leadership Brief:

Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks (literacyworldwide.org)). For

Instance, in history one could provide a vocabulary list of key terms used in the text so students can

understand the content. Another practice educators may highlight key dates and events that are crucial for

text comprehension.

Another great strategy for content area literacy is to have students organize ideas or brainstorm

predictions of text in a visual format. The students can then break up into small groups and present such

material to their peers to get feedback and help learn discipline specific content. Students can also write

evidence down that they feel will back up claims. This will help students learn the information and

understand the text that is presented (Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy, Literacy Leadership Brief:

Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks (literacyworldwide.org)). Students

can also highlight evidence used in the paragraph which will help for full understanding regarding the
task at hand. Breaking up students into small groups and presenting the material to their peers will help

cement key evidence to support their claims.

In Disciplinary Literacy, students practice specific skills that are unique to each discipline.

Moreover, students will get in the discipline specific mindset when reading discipline specific literature.

(Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy, Literacy Leadership Brief: Content Area and Disciplinary

Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks (literacyworldwide.org)).For example, in history students would

need to understand the context of the literacy to be able to learn the curriculum presented. This means

students would have to understand what was going on during a specific time period and jump inside the

mind of the historian to learn the text. In history students will use nominalization with key terms to

understand cause-effect relationships in the discipline specific content (Engagement and Adolescent

Literacy, Engagement and Adolescent Literacy (literacyworldwide.org)). An introductory paragraph

explaining the context and outlining key points will help students learn the curriculum. Providing an

overall breakdown of pivotal events and content will help students relate to the material, which provides

opportunities to transfer information from the short-term memory bank into the long-term memory bank.

Students are exposed to multiple different media sources and can access information at the palm

of their hand. Critically thinking in history is a necessity and a skill that students must master so they may

engage the discipline specific content. Students need to be able to sort through various texts to decipher

what sources are legitimate evidence to back up their claims (Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age,

Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age - NCTE). Thinking critically comes in to play when deciding

what source to use and when to use it. For example, students can use their critical thinking skills in

deciphering a primary source from a secondary source. Furthermore, students will have to consider the

context and decide if the source is biased or has been altered over time to ensure the correct evidence is

presented when backing up their claims. This helps students determine the validity of each source when

reading historical literacy. It is also important for educators to relate the literature to past experiences or

previously learned curriculum so students can transfer the information to their long-term memory bank.
These discipline specific processes are crucial for success when teaching history in the classroom.

Combing both strategies will provide students the optimal opportunity for full understanding of the given

curriculum. Educators need to apply these processes to ensure the best practices for all students to learn

regarding discipline specific literacy.

References:

International Literacy Association, 2017. Literacy Leadership Brief: Content Area and Disciplinary

Literacy Strategies and Frameworks. Retrieved From: Literacy Leadership Brief: Content Area

and Disciplinary Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks (literacyworldwide.org)

International Literacy Association, 2019. Position Statement and Research Brief: Engagement and

Adolescent Literacy. Retrieved From: Engagement and Adolescent Literacy

(literacyworldwide.org)

National Councils of Teachers of English, 2019. Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age. Retrieved From:

Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age - NCTE