Rocky Manzanet

RDG 323

November 23, 2020

Philosophy of Disciplinary Literacy

At this school, students to me need to know literacy to be fully developed into the

content. Without the context and prior knowledge of historical vocabulary, students will not

grasp its importance. I plan to have students grow through vocabulary mostly to develop these

skills.

Here is one example of a strategy I will incorporate to help my students. In this activity,

we will act, draw, and speak on vocabulary concepts in history. We would start with a

vocabulary word that has a large meaning like, “Consumerism.” In pairs, students will work

together to describe and define the word after having already heard it in a lesson. They will be

specifically teamed so that students of diverse English proficiencies work together efficiently.

Next, they would individually draw an image that helps them remember their definition. For a

word such as “consumerism” I would walk around asking students why they choose to draw

certain imagery. Last, as a class we would act out a scenario where we could all watch and

participate in how the word works in a historical context.

Some of my takeaways about literacy in the classroom is that it is a lot of work to

incorporate these skills into lessons. However, I see the value in them as review for study

sessions and when working on big concept work.

In the future I know I will use these tips in world history because the vocabulary is

crucial. I want to infuse the language in these students because it is what will really guide them

for an AP test. I will use the resources for breaking down concepts in my classroom. I really love
visual guides, so I will surely use the visual representation assignment. I love using Canva as a

resource that students can use for organizing information. The source also includes templates for

Venn Diagrams and word maps which I can use for these vocabulary skills as well.

Overall, thinking about literacy is not my favorite piece of history. I realize that

implementing it in ways that do not feel so literacy specific will guide me through its

importance. I love using acting and pair-share strategies so that students are creating the

reflections with simply my guidance.