Disciplinary Literacy in Action

How to Create and Sustain a School-Wide Culture of Deep Reading, Writing, and Thinking
ReLeah Cossett Lent - ReLeah Lent Educational Consulting
Disciplinary Literacy in Action
August 2018 | 368 pages | Corwin
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Description

“Much of the professional literature has focused on what disciplinary literacy entails; this valuable contribution explores how it can be implemented in complex school settings.”

—Doug Buehl, Author of Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines

 
What happens when middle and high school teachers who know their content very well are told they should be teaching reading and writing too? Is there a bit of resistance? A decrease in self-efficacy? An overturning of curricula? In Disciplinary Literacy in Action, ReLeah Cossett Lent and Marsha Voigt show us a better way.

 

In this sequel to ReLeah’s bestselling This Is Disciplinary Literacy, the authors provide educators with what they’ve wanted all along: a framework that keeps their subjects at the center and shows them how to pool strengths with colleagues in ongoing communities of professional learning (PL) around content-specific literacy.

 

In each chapter, and with a blend of lively disciplinary literacy teaching ideas and razor-sharp insights on developing teacher efficacy and leadership, ReLeah and Marsha take educators through a powerful PL cycle they can replicate in their school. The authors know it works not just because the research says so, but also because they have spent years refining the model in schools, districts, and regions. With this book, you will be ready for

  • Collaborative learning that preserves discipline-specific content yet keeps innovative daily practices of reading, writing, thinking, and doing at the forefront
  • Planning by autonomous literacy leadership teams with administrative support
  • Implementation augmented by peer and disciplinary literacy coaching
  • Reflection that leads to ongoing collective problem solving

In the end, it all comes back to how content teachers can best help students use literacy in all its forms to learn more deeply. With Disciplinary Literacy in Action, you have a proven framework for doing just that. This is the resource to lean on as you work to ensure all students use literacy as a tool to think, create, and communicate in any endeavor.

Contents

List of Figures

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

INTRODUCTION

  • What to Expect From This Book
  • CHAPTER 1: DISCIPLINARY LITERACY AND COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: A PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS
  • Literacy Initiatives and PLCs: What Went Wrong?
  • Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Learning: A Story of Success
  • Meet Our Disciplinary Literacy Learning Community
  • Benefits of Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Professional Learning
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 2: UNLOCKING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
  • What Is Literacy in the 21st Century?
  • Content Area Literacy Versus Disciplinary Literacy
  • Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in Action
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning

HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY

  • CHAPTER 3: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY READING
  • Why Read in Every Discipline?
  • Wide Reading in All Disciplines: There’s No Downside
  • Reading Strategies: When and How
  • Vocabulary: The Key to All Content Reading
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 4: CREATING A SCHOOLWIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY WRITING
  • Exploring Disciplinary Writing
  • Writing to Learn in the Discipline Areas
  • Following the Pros: Disciplinary Mentor Texts
  • Feedback: From Master to Apprentice
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 5: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY THINKING
  • Learning to Think in Disciplinary Ways
  • Curiosity Drives Disciplinary Thinking
  • Students and Teachers: Thinking Like Insiders Together
  • Making Disciplinary Thinking Visible
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning

HOW TO SUSTAIN A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY

  • CHAPTER 6: BUILDING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITIES
  • The Problem With PLCs
  • Fixing the Problem Through DL Learning Communities
  • Tips for Creating Interdisciplinary
  • Common Subject Literacy Learning Communities
  • The All-Important First Meeting
  • Supporting DL Learning Communities
  • Moving Toward Collective Efficacy
  • Sustaining DL Learning Communities
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 7: WHAT MATTERS MOST IN A DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITY
  • Collective Inquiry
  • Autonomy and Authority
  • Meaningful Collaboration
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 8: FROM TEACHER LEARNER TO TEACHER LEADER
  • Disciplinary Literacy Develops Deep Leadership
  • Disciplinary Literacy Leadership Roles
  • The Power of Disciplinary Literacy Leadership
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 9: LEADING THE DISCIPLINARY LITERACY CHARGE
  • Administrative Leaders as Learners
  • Disciplinary Literacy Coaching: The Glue That Holds It All Together
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning

Coda

Coda

Appendix A: Disciplinary Literacy in English Language Arts

Appendix A: Disciplinary Literacy in English Language Arts

Appendix B: Disciplinary Literacy in Math

Appendix B: Disciplinary Literacy in Math

Appendix C: Disciplinary Literacy in Science

Appendix C: Disciplinary Literacy in Science

Appendix D: Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies

Appendix D: Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies

Appendix E: Disciplinary Literacy in Art

Appendix E: Disciplinary Literacy in Art

Appendix F: Disciplinary Literacy in a World Language

Appendix F: Disciplinary Literacy in a World Language

Appendix G: Disciplinary Literacy in Health

Appendix G: Disciplinary Literacy in Health

Appendix H: Disciplinary Literacy in Music

Appendix H: Disciplinary Literacy in Music

Appendix I: Technology or Digital Literacy

Appendix I: Technology or Digital Literacy

Appendix J: Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education

Appendix J: Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education

References

References

Index

Index

Description

“Much of the professional literature has focused on what disciplinary literacy entails; this valuable contribution explores how it can be implemented in complex school settings.”

—Doug Buehl, Author of Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines

 
What happens when middle and high school teachers who know their content very well are told they should be teaching reading and writing too? Is there a bit of resistance? A decrease in self-efficacy? An overturning of curricula? In Disciplinary Literacy in Action, ReLeah Cossett Lent and Marsha Voigt show us a better way.

 

In this sequel to ReLeah’s bestselling This Is Disciplinary Literacy, the authors provide educators with what they’ve wanted all along: a framework that keeps their subjects at the center and shows them how to pool strengths with colleagues in ongoing communities of professional learning (PL) around content-specific literacy.

 

In each chapter, and with a blend of lively disciplinary literacy teaching ideas and razor-sharp insights on developing teacher efficacy and leadership, ReLeah and Marsha take educators through a powerful PL cycle they can replicate in their school. The authors know it works not just because the research says so, but also because they have spent years refining the model in schools, districts, and regions. With this book, you will be ready for

  • Collaborative learning that preserves discipline-specific content yet keeps innovative daily practices of reading, writing, thinking, and doing at the forefront
  • Planning by autonomous literacy leadership teams with administrative support
  • Implementation augmented by peer and disciplinary literacy coaching
  • Reflection that leads to ongoing collective problem solving

In the end, it all comes back to how content teachers can best help students use literacy in all its forms to learn more deeply. With Disciplinary Literacy in Action, you have a proven framework for doing just that. This is the resource to lean on as you work to ensure all students use literacy as a tool to think, create, and communicate in any endeavor.

Contents

List of Figures

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

INTRODUCTION

  • What to Expect From This Book
  • CHAPTER 1: DISCIPLINARY LITERACY AND COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: A PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS
  • Literacy Initiatives and PLCs: What Went Wrong?
  • Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Learning: A Story of Success
  • Meet Our Disciplinary Literacy Learning Community
  • Benefits of Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Professional Learning
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 2: UNLOCKING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
  • What Is Literacy in the 21st Century?
  • Content Area Literacy Versus Disciplinary Literacy
  • Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in Action
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning

HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY

  • CHAPTER 3: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY READING
  • Why Read in Every Discipline?
  • Wide Reading in All Disciplines: There’s No Downside
  • Reading Strategies: When and How
  • Vocabulary: The Key to All Content Reading
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 4: CREATING A SCHOOLWIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY WRITING
  • Exploring Disciplinary Writing
  • Writing to Learn in the Discipline Areas
  • Following the Pros: Disciplinary Mentor Texts
  • Feedback: From Master to Apprentice
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 5: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY THINKING
  • Learning to Think in Disciplinary Ways
  • Curiosity Drives Disciplinary Thinking
  • Students and Teachers: Thinking Like Insiders Together
  • Making Disciplinary Thinking Visible
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning

HOW TO SUSTAIN A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY

  • CHAPTER 6: BUILDING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITIES
  • The Problem With PLCs
  • Fixing the Problem Through DL Learning Communities
  • Tips for Creating Interdisciplinary
  • Common Subject Literacy Learning Communities
  • The All-Important First Meeting
  • Supporting DL Learning Communities
  • Moving Toward Collective Efficacy
  • Sustaining DL Learning Communities
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 7: WHAT MATTERS MOST IN A DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITY
  • Collective Inquiry
  • Autonomy and Authority
  • Meaningful Collaboration
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 8: FROM TEACHER LEARNER TO TEACHER LEADER
  • Disciplinary Literacy Develops Deep Leadership
  • Disciplinary Literacy Leadership Roles
  • The Power of Disciplinary Literacy Leadership
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 9: LEADING THE DISCIPLINARY LITERACY CHARGE
  • Administrative Leaders as Learners
  • Disciplinary Literacy Coaching: The Glue That Holds It All Together
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning

Coda

Coda

Appendix A: Disciplinary Literacy in English Language Arts

Appendix A: Disciplinary Literacy in English Language Arts

Appendix B: Disciplinary Literacy in Math

Appendix B: Disciplinary Literacy in Math

Appendix C: Disciplinary Literacy in Science

Appendix C: Disciplinary Literacy in Science

Appendix D: Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies

Appendix D: Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies

Appendix E: Disciplinary Literacy in Art

Appendix E: Disciplinary Literacy in Art

Appendix F: Disciplinary Literacy in a World Language

Appendix F: Disciplinary Literacy in a World Language

Appendix G: Disciplinary Literacy in Health

Appendix G: Disciplinary Literacy in Health

Appendix H: Disciplinary Literacy in Music

Appendix H: Disciplinary Literacy in Music

Appendix I: Technology or Digital Literacy

Appendix I: Technology or Digital Literacy

Appendix J: Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education

Appendix J: Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education

References

References

Index

Index

SAGE Publishing Logo

Disciplinary Literacy in Action

How to Create and Sustain a School-Wide Culture of Deep Reading, Writing, and Thinking


August 2018 | 368 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/01/2025 9781544317472 $40.95
Lifetime 01/01/2025 9781544317465 $37.00

“Much of the professional literature has focused on what disciplinary literacy entails; this valuable contribution explores how it can be implemented in complex school settings.”

—Doug Buehl, Author of Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines

 
What happens when middle and high school teachers who know their content very well are told they should be teaching reading and writing too? Is there a bit of resistance? A decrease in self-efficacy? An overturning of curricula? In Disciplinary Literacy in Action, ReLeah Cossett Lent and Marsha Voigt show us a better way.

 

In this sequel to ReLeah’s bestselling This Is Disciplinary Literacy, the authors provide educators with what they’ve wanted all along: a framework that keeps their subjects at the center and shows them how to pool strengths with colleagues in ongoing communities of professional learning (PL) around content-specific literacy.

 

In each chapter, and with a blend of lively disciplinary literacy teaching ideas and razor-sharp insights on developing teacher efficacy and leadership, ReLeah and Marsha take educators through a powerful PL cycle they can replicate in their school. The authors know it works not just because the research says so, but also because they have spent years refining the model in schools, districts, and regions. With this book, you will be ready for

  • Collaborative learning that preserves discipline-specific content yet keeps innovative daily practices of reading, writing, thinking, and doing at the forefront
  • Planning by autonomous literacy leadership teams with administrative support
  • Implementation augmented by peer and disciplinary literacy coaching
  • Reflection that leads to ongoing collective problem solving

In the end, it all comes back to how content teachers can best help students use literacy in all its forms to learn more deeply. With Disciplinary Literacy in Action, you have a proven framework for doing just that. This is the resource to lean on as you work to ensure all students use literacy as a tool to think, create, and communicate in any endeavor.


Table Of Contents:

  • List of Figures
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Authors
  • INTRODUCTION
  • What to Expect From This Book
  • CHAPTER 1: DISCIPLINARY LITERACY AND COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: A PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS
  • Literacy Initiatives and PLCs: What Went Wrong?
  • Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Learning: A Story of Success
  • Meet Our Disciplinary Literacy Learning Community
  • Benefits of Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Professional Learning
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 2: UNLOCKING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
  • What Is Literacy in the 21st Century?
  • Content Area Literacy Versus Disciplinary Literacy
  • Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in Action
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
  • CHAPTER 3: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY READING
  • Why Read in Every Discipline?
  • Wide Reading in All Disciplines: There’s No Downside
  • Reading Strategies: When and How
  • Vocabulary: The Key to All Content Reading
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 4: CREATING A SCHOOLWIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY WRITING
  • Exploring Disciplinary Writing
  • Writing to Learn in the Discipline Areas
  • Following the Pros: Disciplinary Mentor Texts
  • Feedback: From Master to Apprentice
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 5: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY THINKING
  • Learning to Think in Disciplinary Ways
  • Curiosity Drives Disciplinary Thinking
  • Students and Teachers: Thinking Like Insiders Together
  • Making Disciplinary Thinking Visible
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • HOW TO SUSTAIN A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY
  • CHAPTER 6: BUILDING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITIES
  • The Problem With PLCs
  • Fixing the Problem Through DL Learning Communities
  • Tips for Creating Interdisciplinary
  • Common Subject Literacy Learning Communities
  • The All-Important First Meeting
  • Supporting DL Learning Communities
  • Moving Toward Collective Efficacy
  • Sustaining DL Learning Communities
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 7: WHAT MATTERS MOST IN A DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITY
  • Collective Inquiry
  • Autonomy and Authority
  • Meaningful Collaboration
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 8: FROM TEACHER LEARNER TO TEACHER LEADER
  • Disciplinary Literacy Develops Deep Leadership
  • Disciplinary Literacy Leadership Roles
  • The Power of Disciplinary Literacy Leadership
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • CHAPTER 9: LEADING THE DISCIPLINARY LITERACY CHARGE
  • Administrative Leaders as Learners
  • Disciplinary Literacy Coaching: The Glue That Holds It All Together
  • Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue
  • Resources for Continued Learning
  • Coda
  • Appendix A: Disciplinary Literacy in English Language Arts
  • Appendix B: Disciplinary Literacy in Math
  • Appendix C: Disciplinary Literacy in Science
  • Appendix D: Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies
  • Appendix E: Disciplinary Literacy in Art
  • Appendix F: Disciplinary Literacy in a World Language
  • Appendix G: Disciplinary Literacy in Health
  • Appendix H: Disciplinary Literacy in Music
  • Appendix I: Technology or Digital Literacy
  • Appendix J: Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

“Lent and Voight’s Disciplinary Literacy in Action is an invigorating tonic for all educators interested in improving instruction and learning. By highlighting the intersectionality of disciplinary learning, literacy acquisition, and professional learning, the authors provide readers with a critical framework to improve instruction that serves as a foundation to prepare students for college, career, and citizenship. Peppered with visual and narrative examples of effective and efficient learning environments, the text can easily be employed to support the professional learning experiences of pre-service, novice, and experienced teachers.”
Enrique A. Puig, Ed.D., Director of the Morgridge International Reading Center and President-Elect of the Florida Literacy Association
“Disciplinary literacy, argue Lent and Voigt, is a process rather than a product. You don't check disciplinary literacy off your to-do list -- you engage in it daily, pursuing its paths toward the long-term flourishing of all of our kids. If there is more important work than this, I can't think of what it is. I can't imagine a better or more capable guide for the deep and practical exploration of this work than Disciplinary Literacy in Action. Each page shines with wisdom and research, and every chapter is rooted in what actually goes on in schools. I expect that teachers, teams, and administrators will turn this into a well-worn text.”
Dave Stuart, Jr., Author of These 6 Things: How to Focus Your Instruction on What Matters Most
“Disciplinary Literacy in Action is a ‘must have’ resource for all Junior and Senior High Schools. Rich with suggestions, this ‘how–to’ for implementing disciplinary literacy immerses the reader in teacher experiences that paint a picture of how transformative this approach can be. With their call to action that “it is no longer enough for students to memorize material and call it learning”, this book offers guidance on how to sustain a disciplinary literacy culture within an entire school and district. The authors deliver an open invitation to teacher to engage students in content learning as experts do.”
Kim Tackaberry, Designer of Professional Learning, Calgary Regional Consortium
“Much of the professional literature has focused on what disciplinary literacy entails; this valuable contribution explores how it can be implemented in complex school settings. The authors articulate a fresh examination of disciplinary literacy through the lens of professional learning communities. They bring an experienced and savvy perspective to the promises and pitfalls of PLCs and especially appreciated are the teacher voices interspersed throughout the discussion that illuminate collective inquiry and meaningful collaboration in action. This book is a welcome resource that will resonate with teachers and school literacy leaders.”
Doug Buehl, Author of Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines
“In the book This Is Disciplinary Literacy, ReLeah Lent supported English teachers and content area teachers alike with strong rationale and concrete practices for reading, writing, inquiry, and collaboration across the disciplines. Lent’s new book with Marsha Voigt, Disciplinary Literacy in Action, is the next step. This book can serve as manual for individuals and school teams who want to gain even more traction and build a culture of literacy learning and leadership. Learning from hours on site with leaders, teachers, and students who have developed communities of literacy learning, Lent and Voigt share moves that can serve as an apprenticeship for practitioners.”
Lynn Angus Ramos, English Language Arts Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator, DeKalb County School District

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