Understanding Disciplinary Literacy

1. Understanding Disciplinary Literacy “. . .experts read their respective texts quite differently.” Shanahan & Shanahan Lisa Arneson and Pamela Hilleshiem Setz, CESA 5 Summer 2012

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

3. The Future of Work • WHY FOCUS ON DISCIPLINARY LITERACY IN CTE or Other Subjects? • YouTube: THE FUTURE OF WORK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JNzAmWG2Fs&feature=related

4. WHY Focus on DL ? • Small Group Discussion: • Discuss 4-5 reasons WHY we should FOCUS on Disciplinary Literacy in CTE & other subjects • Be Prepared to introduce yourself & share 2 reasons with the group

5. If DL is Critical for Student Success… What could you do to incorporate more literacy into one unit or one lesson that you are teaching?

6. SIMPLY PUT… Disciplinary Literacy is applying authentic reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking skills in a meaningful way to your discipline!

7. AUTHENTIC… Give an example of the types of reading & writing that PROFESSIONAL S in your field do in business and/or industry. • Authentic Reading and Writing is reading/writing a variety of text for real purposes, most like that which occurs in everyday life and are related to your content area! • See “State Supt’s Adolescent Literacy Plan”

8. Authentic Reading… • Is Meaningful, relevant, and useful; • Supports a print-rich environment; • Provides choice within a variety of forms and genres; • Focuses on communicating ideas or shared understandings; • Provides authentic meaning-making learning experiences.

9. Authentic Writing … “Popcorn” out 15-20 examples of authentic reading or writing that is done in your classroom and does NOT involve a text book. • Is Meaningful, relevant and useful; • Supports a print-rich environment; • Provides choice within a variety of forms and genres; • Understands/Applies the writing process; • Interacts with others in response to text.

10. Describe Examples used in your field… • AUTHENTIC Speaking/Listening Skills • AUTHENTIC Language (Vocabulary) Skills • AUTHENTIC Critical Thinking Skills • www.criticalthinking.net See HO: Components/Definitions of a Comprehensive K-12 Literacy Model & 21 Strategies/Tactics for Teaching Critical Thinking Brainstorm Authentic examples of how you apply these 3 areas in your classroom. Group #1 – S/L/L Group #2- CT

11. YOUR READER’S PROFILE What do your students SEE you read? What’s your DL look like?

12. Teaching & Learning • Wisconsin’s has established “Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning”.. Are these similar to your belief statements? 1. Every student has the right to learn 2. Instruction must be rigorous & relevant 3. Assessment drives instruction 4. Learning is a collaborative responsibility 5. Students bring strengths & experiences to learning 6. Responsive environments engage learners See Resource: Literacy in All Subjects, Page 13

13. WI Foundations… See Resource: Literacy in All Subjects, Page 25

14. DL is NOT “Reading/ Writing Across the Content” The following 3 factors make Disciplinary Literacy unique to what YOU teach : • Types of Text • Text Features • Text Structures

15. TYPES OF TEXT A Text is ANYTHINGstudents are asked to read, including articles, internet sites, books, textbooks, workbooks, magazines, journals, etc… • Narrative Text …tells about real incidents, must have a clearly defined setting, characters, plot and point of view. • Expository Text…gives information about a specific topic. • Technical Text…explains a topicin detail using specific terminology related to the field. • Persuasive Text…convinces the reader of the validity of their opinion. • http://www.ehow.com/info_12033608_types-text-narrative-expository-technical-persuasive.html

16. TEXT FEATURES • Authors use text features to bring attention to important details. Using text features make students more successful and efficient in their reading: • Fiction Features: Title , Chapter Index , Bold Print, Illustrations, Paragraphing, Dialogue, Continuous Text • Informational (Nonfiction) Features: Title , Table of Contents , Index, Photos, Captions, Diagrams, Glossary , Date line (periodicals), Bold Print , Headings, Sub-titles • www.cia.indiana.edu/files/ITRI_3_TF.pdf

17. TEXT STRUCTURE • Text structure refers to the ways that authors organize information in text. Recognizing the structure of content-area texts can help students focus attention on key concepts and relationships, anticipate what’s to come, and monitor their comprehension as they read. • Fiction: Story Elements, Characters, Setting, Problem/Solution, Plot • Informational (Non-fiction): Cause and Effect, Sequence, Problem/Solution, Description, Compare and Contrast • http://home.roadrunner.com/~EXCELLENCE1/Text%20Structure%20Text%20Features.htm

18. “Pre-Teaching” Be prepared to share your thoughts with the whole group. • Looking at the textbook, workbook or another resources from a class you teach… • Describe the Text Features and Text Structures of your resource to a partner…How would you “pre-teach” your students to use this resource?

19. College & Career Readiness Standards See Resource: Literacy in All Subjects, Page 60 • It is critical that CTE and other subjects KNOW the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading and Writing • A New Foundation for Student Success You Tube Video

20. Common Core State Standards… CCSS adopted by WI on June 2, 2010. Stay 1 step ahead of the game… “The CCSS insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility within the school.” www.corestandards.org

21. CCSS - A New Focus… Jig Saw the standards: Read your standard for grades 6-12 and summarize to the group. Is there a component of the standards that is a surprise to you? • It is critical that CTE KNOW the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading and Writing and the Reading and Writing Standards for Literacy in Technical Subjects • What are the key concepts of the standards for CTE & Other Subjects?

22. Your CHARGE in DL… Learn the Standards, Apply the Standards, & Assess the Standards in… • Authentic Language and Vocabulary • Types of text to comprehend • Ways of communicating in writing

23. DPI Google Site has DL Resources • https://sites.google.com/a/dpi.wi.gov/wibitliteracy/ • Sample: Wisconsin Business & Information Technology Disciplinary Literacy • B&IT Content Specific Texts and Other Resources • Business & Info Tech Vocabulary (Essential Terms) • Documents • Math Literacy Standards • Reading Literacy Standards • Writing Literacy Standards

24. MIKE SCHMOKER in “FOCUS” “If we choose to take just a few well-known, straight-forward actions, in every subject area, we can make swift, dramatic improvements in schools”. Mike Schmoker

25. Schmoker’s Call to Action Conversation: Evaluate your department on these three points. Are they in place ? Improve Student Achievement with… • Focused, coherent curriculum (what we teach) • Clear, Prioritized lessons (how we teach) • Purposeful reading and writing/ “authentic literacy” in every lesson

26. Summary Activity:Next Steps • Reflecting back on one unit/ lesson you teach… • 1. …Identify one way you could integrate more authentic reading, writing, speaking/ listening or language ? • 2. …Identify one literacy CCSS you could concentrate more on.