Engaging Adolescents in Disciplinary Literacy

Delano Schools
December 15, 2021
 MackinLearning.com | mackinlearning@mackin.com
Jen McCarty Plucker, Ed.D.
@Jenplucker
© Jen McCarty Plucker
 Opening
Individually read through your
colleagues “I hope”
statements.

As a PLC, discuss:
➔ Themes you see
➔ Surprises
➔ Wonderings
➔ Possibilities I hope. . .
https://bit.ly/Ihopeliteracy

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 Today’s Goals

Examine the Consider

principles practical ways
Explore practical to be “all in”
outlined in the
application for together for
science for
each discipline. literacy across
student
engagement. the students’
day.

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 Let’s Talk “Classroom Management”. . . .

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 Let’s talk about an “Engaged Classroom”. . .

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 Manage

to handle or direct

to make compliant

to alter for a purpose

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Engage
 Compliance or Productive Struggle?

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 What does Daniel Pink say?

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 PLC Discussion

Autonomy Mastery Purpose

What else does Daniel Pink Say?

How do you experience

How do you help your
autonomy, mastery, and students feel autonomy,
purpose in your life/work? mastery, and purpose in
your classes?

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 Students’ Motivations

1. Meaning is Motivating
2. Control and Choice
3. Reading & Learning are Social
4. Self-Efficacy
5. Interest in Reading & Learning
From Guthrie, 2006

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 Meaning and Mastery are Motivating
● Provide mastery goals
● Make tasks relevant
○ answer the WHY?
○ Relevance vs. Entertainment
● Use hands-on activities
● Provide opportunities to try again
(ABC Do it over)

© Jen McCarty Plucker

© Jen McCarty Plucker
 Meaning and Mastery are Motivating
Consider:
➔ Allowing for text corrections.
➔ Increasing the white space on
exams for students to record
their thinking.
● Next to a multiple choice
that doesn’t seem to
have their answer as a
choice.
● A place for students to
answer: What did you
learn that wasn’t asked
on this exam?

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 Control & Choice

Use INQUIRY as a
Vehicle for Student
Ownership!

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 The Case for Choice Reading
"Promoting pleasure reading is a civil rights
issue. Data from major longitudinal studies
show that pleasure reading in youth is the
most explanatory factor of both cognitive
progress and social mobility over time
(e.g., Sullivan & Brown, 2013 ; Guthrie, et al,
2001; and Kirsch, et al, 2002). Pleasure reading
is a more powerful predictor than even
parental socioeconomic status and educational
attainment."                        ~Dr. Jeffrey Wilhelm

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 Provide time for academic reading & writing
during class too!

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 Reading is Social

Creating Conditions for

Students to Collaborate
is Critical to Student
Motivation &
Engagement.

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 PLC Discussion: How do we engage learners in the
actual learning?

➔ Take a look at the resources

provided in the folder.
➔ As a team discuss how these
might support your quest to
answer the PLC question:
◆ How do we know our
students are learning?
◆ What do we do when they
aren’t, YET?
◆ What do we do when they
already know?

© Jen McCarty Plucker

 Self-Efficacy

“I CAN BECAUSE I THINK I CAN”

--Bandura

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 Promote Self-Efficacy by Building Confidence for
Learning--help students translate learning process from hobbies
to new opportunities

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 Interest in Reading & Learning

Redefine Literacy Redefine Text

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 Interest in Reading & Learning

Literacy is Thinking!

Redefine Literacy

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 Interest in Reading & Learning

Spark Curiosity with

Essential Questions.

Redefine Literacy

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 Interest in Reading & Learning through Text

How do you
define text?
How do your
students define
text?
Redefine Text

© Jen McCarty Plucker

© Jen McCarty Plucker
 Literacy is Thinking
Toolkit

Provide supports for students

in their efforts to:
❏ Get INTO the text
❏ Stay engaged THROUGH
the text
❏ Think BEYOND the text
https://bit.ly/121521Delano
In the PLC folder

© Jen McCarty Plucker

Please take a moment to give some feedback!

https://bit.ly/121521Survey
 MackinLearning.com | mackinlearning@mackin.com

© Jen McCarty Plucker