Disciplinary literacy is based upon the idea that literacy and text are specialized, and even unique, across the disciplines. Historians engage in very different approaches to reading than mathematicians do, for instance.
Danny decides to spend the summer after his freshman year in college working with his estranged Dad at a resort town in Maine. Danny doesn’t know until he gets to Ogunquit that the restaurant he’s working in had largely gay staff and clientele. Danny doesn’t mind, but it’s strange being one of the only straight guys in town.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US entered World War II in December 1941 with only 44 Naval submarines — many of them dating from the 1920s. With the Pacific battleship fleet decimated after Pearl Harbor, it was up to the feisty and heroic sailors aboard the US submarines to stop the Japanese invasion across the Pacific.
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
Kids need diverse books — places where they can find themselves, see reflections of themselves, and see worlds different from their own. Browse our collection of books and resources for families and schools.
Moje, E. B. (2015). Doing and teaching disciplinary literacy with adolescent learners: A social and cultural enterprise. Harvard Educational Review, 85, 254-278.
What would you be willing to trade if you could have all of the knowledge and power in the world? Would you be willing to sell your soul to the devil? That’s what Dr. Faustus does in exchange for 24 years of service from a devil named Mephistopheles. With his help, Faustus is able to perform unbelievable magic tricks and feats, impressing famous dignitaries and exploiting others as he demonstrates his great power. But as the time approaches when Lucifer will take his soul to Hell, Dr. Faustus reconsiders his choice.
I want kids to be close readers … I think teachers should strive to accomplish the standards their states have established. But take a gimlet-eyed look at what it is that you are teaching. Is it really close reading?
In grades 3-8, homework has a fairly consistent impact on achievement — and the payoff tends to increase as students advance through the grades (but so does the amount of homework time needed — more on that later).
