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Running Head: DISCIPLINARY LITERACY: SCIENCE

Disciplinary Literacy: Science

Kegan Sherman

Arizona State University

RDG 323

Professor Trombley

January 24, 2021

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DISCIPLINARY LITERACY: SCIENCE
What is Literacy and Why Does it Matter?

When I thought of literacy, I only ever thought of reading books. It wasn’t until recently

did I learn that literacy pertains to several different topics: reading, writing, media, digital,

speaking, listening, performing, thinking (Best, 2014). Each of these concepts play significant

roles in literacy, and each matter a great deal when it comes to living in society. Literacy

matters because it’s all around us; you can’t go anywhere without seeing a form of literacy. We

see it in advertisements, on city streets, in books, on social media, on the internet, in music,

and so on. We are exposed to all forms of literacy most, if not all, of the time.

We begin teaching the basic concepts of literacy at an early age: infancy. We speak to

our children and introduce language the moment they enter this world. We later teach literacy

through reading to our children, and it just continues to progress from there. Our society has

become so advanced in technological literacy, that we have introduced using computers and

computer applications at an early age, as well. As students get older, we begin to teach them

more complicated forms of literacy to prepare them for college and jobs they will eventually

uphold. Literacy plays a significant role in their lives, so it’s especially prevalent to teach our

students literacy and how we use it in everyday life.

What is Disciplinary Literacy?

I’ll be honest, up until I began school to become a teacher, I didn’t know what

disciplinary literacy was. When I heard the phrase, I associated it with content area literacy,

which is fairly common. The difference between content area literacy and disciplinary literacy is

that “Content area literacy focuses on study skills that can be used to help students learn from

subject matter specific texts. Disciplinary literacy, in contrast, is an emphasis on the knowledge
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DISCIPLINARY LITERACY: SCIENCE
and abilities possessed by those who create, communicate, and use knowledge within the

disciplines,” (Shanahan and Shanahan, 2012, p. 8). The easiest comparison of the two would be

that content area literacy is the techniques used to teach the content and disciplinary literacy is

the tools used to engage in the work of that discipline.

Each discipline has their own unique way of teaching both content and literacy. The way

that I would teach my science textbooks and how to read and create lab reports is not the same

way that an English teacher would read their texts nor read or write their essays. In science, we

use precise language when writing, pay very close attention to details when reading, and we

consider new hypotheses or evidence when thinking.

How Can We Apply Disciplinary Literacy to Science?

In all honesty, science textbooks are often underused in the classroom typically because

of the language used, and because science is an empirical subject, meaning it’s a subject based

on observation and study or experience. However, disciplinary literacy can still be easily taught

in the science classroom. “One way to involved students in reading and learning from science

trade books is to form book discussion groups, with membership changing once every quarter,”

(Fang, 2014, p. 275). Through group discussion, students can engage with one another and

discuss what they’ve learned from the text and how they can apply what they’ve learned to a

lab assignment. When in groups, students can assign themselves to a specific role to help

conversation continue, giving everyone a specific job connecting to their reading.

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DISCIPLINARY LITERACY: SCIENCE
Works Cited

Best, J. (2021, January 11). What is Literacy and Why is it Important? Retrieved January 25,
2021, from https://www.3plearning.com/blog/literacy-important/

Fang, Z. (2014). Disciplinary Literacy in Science. Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://www-
jstor-org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/stable/24034680?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Lent, R. (2017). Literacy in the Disciplines. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from
https://web.kamihq.com/web/viewer.html?state=%7B%22ids%22%3A%5B
%221b9PY9THn5Qg6N6NMz8tK0e7tFuL4YMmn%22%5D%2C%22action%22%3A%22open
%22%7D&kami_user_id=23501478

Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2012). What Is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does It Matter?
Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://crlp.ucsc.edu/resources/downloads/Shanahan
%20What%20is%20Disciplinary%20Literacy.pdf