Disciplinary Literacy is the intersection of content knowledge, experiences, and skills demonstrated through the ability to read, write, communicate, and think critically using approaches unique to a specific discipline.
Ok, what does that mean for the social studies? Well, think about this: what does it mean to be able to read and write like a historian, or a geographer, economist, or political scientist?
First, watch this short video:
Hopefully, the video gave you a glimpse at the importance of disciplinary literacy in helping students to be successful readers in the elementary classroom. The next chapter looks at how a fictional story can be read through both a language arts lens and a social studies lens.
Reading informational texts in different disciplinary domains is very complex. There are unique disciplinary skills that experts use to read texts. There are several readings that will help you understand these differences. As you read these materials, consider how informational texts will need to be read differently in each of the social studies disciplines. There are ways of knowing specific to each discipline that manifest in how we read and understand informational texts. Reading is guided by specific disciplinary questions that follow lines of inquiry.
Read: Lee, C. D., & Spratley, A. (2010). Reading in the disciplines: The challenges of adolescent literacy.
Read: Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: Rethinking content-area literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40-59.
View: Teaching History https://teachinghistory.org/
Read: VanSledright, B. (2004). What does it mean to think historically… and how do you teach it. Social Education, 68(3), 230-233.
Read: Wineburg, S. (2007). Unnatural and essential: The nature of historical thinking. Teaching History 129, 06.
Source: Reading Disciplinary Texts from the National Council for the Social Studies https://www.socialstudies.org/meeting-common-core-state-standards-ela-part-two-reading-informational-text
1. Reading in the Social Studies Classroom
Disciplinary Literacy is the intersection of content knowledge, experiences, and skills demonstrated through the ability to read, write, communicate, and think critically using approaches unique to a specific discipline.
Ok, what does that mean for the social studies? Well, think about this: what does it mean to be able to read and write like a historian, or a geographer, economist, or political scientist?
First, watch this short video:
Hopefully, the video gave you a glimpse at the importance of disciplinary literacy in helping students to be successful readers in the elementary classroom. The next chapter looks at how a fictional story can be read through both a language arts lens and a social studies lens.
Reading informational texts in different disciplinary domains is very complex. There are unique disciplinary skills that experts use to read texts. There are several readings that will help you understand these differences. As you read these materials, consider how informational texts will need to be read differently in each of the social studies disciplines. There are ways of knowing specific to each discipline that manifest in how we read and understand informational texts. Reading is guided by specific disciplinary questions that follow lines of inquiry.
Read: Lee, C. D., & Spratley, A. (2010). Reading in the disciplines: The challenges of adolescent literacy.
Read: Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: Rethinking content-area literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40-59.
View: Teaching History
Read: VanSledright, B. (2004). What does it mean to think historically… and how do you teach it. Social Education, 68(3), 230-233.
Read: Wineburg, S. (2007). Unnatural and essential: The nature of historical thinking. Teaching History 129, 06.
Reflect:
- How do you envision disciplinary literacy in social studies helping your students with reading comprehension?
- What are some strategies that you might employ to intentionally bring social studies into your classroom?
Source: Reading Disciplinary Texts from the National Council for the Social Studies