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Literacy Across Disciplines in Grades 4-12
Disciplinary literacy is based on the idea that reading and other literacy components such as vocabulary, writing and critical thinking are specialized based on the specific discipline (history, chemistry, mathematics, etc.). Each academic discipline requires unique content that is nuanced to the individual discipline. The texts used in each discipline vary significantly. Students must have in place foundational strategies that cut across content areas before they can access the discipline-specific strategies. Discipline-specific (literacy content) strategies are necessary to support students’ understanding. At its core, disciplinary literacy encompasses the discipline-specific skills needed to read, write, and think about a particular discipline.
Supporting English Learners Across Disciplines
Teachers across the disciplines must build English learners’ English language skills, as well as teach the material in the disciplinary area. English learners need targeted support across all reading components, and additional support in disciplinary classrooms specific to vocabulary and comprehension, including support in understanding academic language.
Teachers should consider themselves as oral language models for the use of English in their classrooms. They should provide many and varied opportunities for English learners to talk about the texts being read during class. English learners also benefit from the use of “frontloading” to reduce the language load and make the information in the text more accessible. Frontloading involves several potential strategies before reading the text, such as teaching important vocabulary, activating or building prior knowledge, and using visual aids or media.
Baker, et. al (2014) in Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School offers four recommendations for helping English learners in classrooms:
- Teach a set of academic vocabulary words intensively across several days using a variety of instructional activities.
- Integrate oral and written English language instruction into content-area teaching.
- Provide regular, structured opportunities to develop written language skills.
- Provide small-group instructional intervention to students struggling in areas of literacy and English language development.