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Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago www.shanahanonliteracy.com

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Page 1: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and

Teaching Disciplinary Literacy

Timothy Shanahan

Cynthia Shanahan

University of Illinois at Chicago

www.shanahanonliteracy.com

Page 2: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Two Problems

PROBLEM I

Significant numbers of students read so poorly that they are unlikely to have access to full participation in American society

Page 3: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Lack of Literacy

25% of 8th and 12th graders read at below basic levels

(NAEP, 2005) 1.2 million students drop out of high school each year

(AEE, 2007) High school dropouts earn an average of $17,299 per

year (U.S. Census, 2005) Less than 10% of African Americans read at proficient or

higher levels (NAEP, 2005)

Page 4: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Two Problems (cont.)

PROBLEM II

Significant numbers of students who are deemed literate are not sufficiently literate to succeed in college or career

Page 5: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Insufficient Literacy Attainment

A college degree is now the single greatest factor in determining access to better job opportunities and higher earnings (Children's Defense Fund, 2000)

36% of college students require remedial classes at a cost of $3.7 billion annually (U.S. Department of Education, 2011)—that’s 36% of the 70% who start college

Only about 50% of students entering college are equipped to handle the reading assignments of beginning college classes (ACT, 2006)

Page 6: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Some Solutions

Enhancements to early literacy instruction--According to NAEP, there have been clear reading

improvements among fourth-graders since 1992

--And yet, middle school students are reading no

better than then (and high schoolers appear to

have fallen)

Page 7: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Some Solutions (cont.)

Avoiding text --Since 1990 there have been content (knowledge)

standards in history, science, mathematics,

English language arts

--Teachers have found ways of getting info to

students without texts (e.g., Powerpoint, video)

--But ACT has found that amount of text reading

between 7th and 12th grades was the best

preparation of later success

Page 8: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Some Solutions (cont.)

Reducing Text Difficulty--Low readability textbooks a staple (educators have

lowered readability levels of textbooks for more

than 70 years)

--Research has documented correlation between

lowered textbook difficulty and lowered SAT

performances

--ACT study found not only was amount of in class

reading significant, but that this reading had to be

implemented with hard text (not easy text)

Page 9: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Some Solutions (cont.)

Increasing remedial classes--But this will only impact those who are not going to

college

--IES studies and funding streams (e.g., Striving

Readers) suggest that at best remedial classes in

high school will raise reading achievement only

about 2 mos.

Page 10: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Some Solutions (cont.)

Elevating literacy and literacy instruction up through through the grades

--ACT found that state standards did not take

specific reading standards through high school

--Common core changes that for 45 states

--Specific to content area classes (literature,

science, social studies)

Page 11: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Two Approaches to Secondary Literacy Instruction Content area reading Disciplinary literacy

Page 12: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Content Area Reading

Has long history in education Many secondary teachers have preparation

in content area reading Lots of books and resources for teachers

Page 13: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

But…

Disciplinary literacy is the approach that the common core has taken

The purpose of the first part of this talk is to explore the dimensions of disciplinary literacy and to distinguish the widely known concept (content area reading) from the newer and quite different concept (disciplinary literacy)

Page 14: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary literacy?

Page 15: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary Reading Instruction Not the hip new name for content area reading Each discipline possesses its own language, purposes,

and ways of using text that students should be inducted into

There are special skills and strategies needed for students to make complete sense of texts from the disciplines

As students begin to confront these kinds of texts (especially in middle school and high school), instruction must facilitate their understanding of what it means to read disciplinary texts

Page 16: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Comparing Content Area Reading and Disciplinary LiteracyContent Area Reading Disciplinary Literacy

Source Reading experts since 1920s

Wider range of experts since 1980s

Page 17: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Sources of Content Area Reading In 1920s, the idea of “every teacher a teacher of reading”

first raised Rhetoric is good, but fundamental idea is that reading

experts know the necessary reading skills and that those should be taught across the curriculum

Leads to the development of lots of general study skills approaches: SQ3R, KWL, three-level guides, etc.

Research focuses on effectiveness of these instructional routines (accordingly, content reading approaches are pedagogical in nature)

Page 18: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Sources of Disciplinary Literacy Studies that compare expert readers with novices

(Bazerman, 1985; Geisler, 1994; Wineburg, 1991, etc.) Functional linguistics analyses of the unique practices in

creating, disseminating, evaluating knowledge (Fang, 2004; Halliday, 1998; Schleppegrell, 2004, etc.)

Page 19: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

History Reading (Wineburg) Sourcing: considering the author and author

perspective Contextualizing: placing the document/info within its

historical period and place Corroboration: evaluating information across sources

Page 20: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Comparing Content Area Reading and Disciplinary LiteracyContent Area Reading Disciplinary Literacy

Source Reading experts since 1920s

Wider range of experts since 1990s

Nature of skills Generalizable Specialized

Page 21: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Content area reading Generalizable skills and activities that can be

used in all or most reading:

KWL Summarization

SQ3R Previewing

Word maps Brainstorming

Frayer model Notetaking

3-level guides QAR

DR-TA I-Charts

Morphological analysis Reciprocal teaching

Page 22: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary reading

Specialized skills and activities Idea is to consider the learning demands of a subject

matter Example: textbook use

Science - Essential

History - Antithetical

Literature - Irrelevant

Page 23: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Chemistry Note-taking

Substances Properties Processes InteractionsAtomic Expression

Page 24: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Content area reading: Vocabulary Focus is on memorization techniques: make connections

among concepts, construct graphic organizers, brainstorm, semantic maps, word sorts, rate knowledge of words, analyze semantic features of words, categorize or map words, develop synonym webs,

Page 25: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary literacy: Vocabulary Focus is on specialized nature of vocabulary of the

subjects Science: Greek and Latin roots (precise, dense, stable

meanings that are recoverable) History: metaphorical terms, words/terms with a political

point of view

Page 26: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary Literacy

Intermediate Literacy

Basic Literacy

Increasing Specialization of Literacy

Page 27: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Comparing Content Area Reading and Disciplinary LiteracyContent Area Reading Disciplinary Literacy

Source Reading experts since 1920s

Wider range of experts since 1990s

Nature of skills Generalizable Specialized

Focus Use of reading and writing to study/learn information

How literacy is used to make meaning within a discipline

Page 28: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Content area reading

The focus is on learning from text The idea is not to read like a chemist, but to know how to

study books (including chemistry books) Emphasis on literacy learning tools:

Exit notes Advanced organizers

Response journals Dictionary

Internet Readability analysis

Page 29: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary reading The focus is on the specialized problems of a subject

area Disciplines represent cultural differences in how

information is used, the nature of language, demands for precision, etc.

Page 30: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Math Reading

Goal: arrive at “truth” Importance of “close reading” an intensive

consideration of every word in the text Rereading a major strategy Heavy emphasis on error detection Precision of understanding essential

Page 31: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Chemistry Reading

Text provides knowledge that allows prediction of how the world works

Full understanding needed of experiments or processes

Close connections among prose, graphs, charts, formulas (alternative representations of constructs an essential aspect of chemistry text)

Major reading strategies include corroboration and transformation

Page 32: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

History Reading History is interpretative, and authors and sourcing

are central in interpretation (consideration of bias and perspective)

Often seems narrative without purpose and argument without explicit claims (need to see history as argument based on partial evidence; narratives are more than facts)

Single texts are problematic (no corroboration)

Page 33: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Comparing Content Area Reading and Disciplinary LiteracyContent Area Reading Disciplinary Literacy

Source Reading experts since 1920s

Wider range of experts since 1990s

Nature of skills Generalizable Specialized

Focus Use of reading and writing to study/learn information

How literacy is used to make meaning within a discipline

Students Remedial Whole distribution

Page 34: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Content area reading

Content area reading is promoted for all students But the strategies that are taught tend to work best with

younger and lower level readers – with little evident benefit for average and higher readers

Teachers often won’t use approaches that don’t have a wider impact than that

Page 35: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary reading

Effectiveness has, for the most part, not yet been tested However, the nature of the activities that have been

developed so far suggest a wider range of learning benefits

Page 36: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Character Change Chart

What is main character like at the beginning of the story?

What is the main character like at the end of the story? How has he or she changed?

Crisis

Given this character change, what do you think the author wanted you to learn? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Page 37: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

History Events ChartTEXT WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?

1

Relation:

2

Relation:

3

Relation

4

Main point:

Page 38: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Comparing Content Area Reading and Disciplinary LiteracyContent Area Reading Disciplinary Literacy

Source Reading experts since 1920s

Wider range of experts since 1990s

Nature of skills Generalizable Specialized

Focus Use of reading and writing to study/learn information

How literacy is used to make meaning within a discipline

Students Remedial Whole distribution

Texts Often encourages use of literary text

Only focuses on disciplinary text

Page 39: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Content Area Reading

Often promotes reading of plays, short stories, novels, poems for math, science, and history

Thematic units and integrated curriculum (focused on the non-disciplinary use of disciplinary information)

Page 40: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary Literacy

Language differs across disciplines, so it is critical that readers confront the language of their discipline

The Friendly Textbook Dilemma

Page 41: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

History Reading (Fang & Schleppergrell) History text constructs time and causation Attributes agency (readers need to focus on the reasons

for actions and the outcomes of those actions—cause/effect)

Presents judgment and interpretation (argument) Often narratives with lack of clear connections to thesis

Page 42: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

History Reading (Fang & Schleppergrell) History texts construct meaning about time, place,

manner through “grammatical circumstances” Thus, in history, many clauses begin with grammatical

circumstances realized in prepositional phrases and adverbs

Over the next decade events led to war. They gathered in Philadelphia. They made enemies by their harsh stands

Page 43: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

History Reading (Fang & Schleppergrell)

History also constructs participants/actors and the processes that they engaged in to move towards their goals.

Page 44: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

History Reading (Fang & Schleppergrel)

Clause Circumstance Actor Process Goal Circum.

1 Over the next decade,

further events

steadily led to war

2 Some colonial leaders, such as Samuel Adams

favored independ-ence from Britain.

3 They encour-aged

conflict withBritish authorities.

4 At the same time,

George II and his ministers

made enemies of many moderate Colonists

by their harsh stands

Page 45: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Science Reading (Fang & Schleppergrell) Technical, abstract, dense, tightly knit language (that

contrasts with interactive, interpersonal style of other texts or ordinary language)

Nominalization (turning processes into nouns) Suppresses agency (readers need to focus on causation

not intention)

Page 46: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Science Reading (Fang & Schleppergrell) Sentence density: unpacking complex nouns Experimental verification of Einstein’s explanation of the

photoelectric effect was made 11 years later by the American physicist Robert Millikan. Every aspect of Einstein’s interpretation was confirmed, including the direct proportionality of photon energy to frequency.

Page 47: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Comparing Content Area Reading and Disciplinary LiteracyContent Area Reading Disciplinary Literacy

Source Reading experts since 1920s

Wider range of experts since 1990s

Nature of skills Generalizable Specialized

Focus Use of reading and writing to study/learn information

How literacy is used to make meaning within a discipline

Students Remedial Whole distribution

Texts Often encourages use of literary text

Only focuses on disciplinary text

Role of graphics Ignored or taught generally

Specific to the discipline

Page 48: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Content Area Reading

Graphics as adjuncts Interpretive skills are general for pictures, tables, charts,

etc. No differences across disciplines

Page 49: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Disciplinary Literacy

Need for translation skills in sciences Pictures differ in their role (describing/defining nouns,

verbs (processes), relationships) Difference between technical drawing and other photos

or drawings? Is the information: Descriptive?

Sequential? Relational/hierarchical? Causal?

Page 50: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Conclusion

Clearly, we need to improve literacy practices within the disciplines

Making sure students have opportunities to engage in the challenging reading and writing of the disciplines in ways that are appropriate to the disciplines

The leverage to do that is the common core standards…. so knowing about the foundations of disciplinary literacy is not enough, you need to know the challenges of the common core as well…

Page 51: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

An important outcome of this workCOMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR

English Language Arts And Literacy in History/Social Studies &

Science/Technical subjects

Page 52: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Common Core State Standards• In 2009, the National Governors Association, Council of

Chief State School Officers, and the Gates Foundation developed a set of core standards for the English Language Arts and Mathematics

• Since then 45 states and DC have adopted these standards (about 85% of teachers and students in the U.S.)

• In 2014-2015, current state tests will be replaced by one of two exams that will be taken by students in about half the states

Page 53: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Standards changes are hard, but they are especially hard in this case…

These standards are at a higher level than previous standards

These standards have a different style and organizational structure that makes them more challenging for schools to work with

Common core standards are based on different theories (reading comprehension, writing, differentiated instruction) than past standards, so they are qualitatively different in several ways

Page 54: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Next…

• We will give you insights into how and why these standards are different

• And familiarize you with some of the major challenges of teaching with the common core state standards

Page 55: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

1. Backmapping

• Traditional standards started with kindergarten and then added years of work on top of those (and have focused heavily on existing curricula and notions of development)

• The common standards began with college and career readiness standards and then backmapped from there

• This means that the standards demand growth aimed at ensuring students reach graduation targets (rather than depending so heavily on what we have done in the past)

• This makes these standards more challenging than past standards

Page 56: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

1. Backmapping (Cont.)

Implications: • The common core standards are markedly harder than

past standards since they are designed to ensure that students reach graduation targets (rather than depending so heavily on what we have done in the past)

• Larger percentages of students likely to fail to meet these standards

Page 57: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

2. Coordinated structure

Standards are usually not much more than random lists of skills, knowledge, and strategies

But the common core state standards have very strong progressions and an organization that requires attention

Reading comprehension is divided into 2 and 4 lists of standards (each list has 10 standards and these standards are analogous, meaning that it is worthwhile to consider all of the #1s, #2s, etc.)

Strong connections across comprehension, oral language, and writing

Page 58: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

2. Coordinated structure (cont.) Implications:• Read through the themes or numbered items across

grade levels to figure out what items mean and what the progression looks like

• Look to the writing, speaking/listening, or language items to gain insights into what the reading standards mean

Page 59: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

3. Challenging Text

• Theory of standards in the past: schools needed to focus on cognitive skills and text was largely irrelevant or uncontrolled

• Theory of the common core: Text difficulty is central and all cognitive skills have to be executed with texts of a specified difficulty range

• Item #10 in all of the reading comprehension lists focus on text difficulty and specify the Lexile range that has to be the target

Page 60: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

3. Challenging Text (Cont.) Implications:• Students will likely be taught from texts that are more

challenging in the past• Less emphasis on “guided reading” • Greater emphasis on stretching students to meet the

demands of reading harder text (rather than on placing students in the leveled reader according to instructional level or in using low readability textbooks)

• Need to learn how to scaffold challenging reading (without reading it to students or telling them what it says)

Page 61: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

4. Disciplinary literacy

• Past standards have not made a big deal out of reading in history/social studies or science

• Past emphasis was on learning how to read (and the idea was that students could apply these skills to content area textbooks)

• However, research is revealing unique reading demands of the various disciplines (reading history is not the same thing as reading literature, etc.)

• The common core state standards requires specialized reading emphasis for history/social studies and science/technical subjects

Page 62: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

4. Disciplinary literacy (cont.) Implications• The ELA standards should be shared by the science and

history departments• It is essential that literature, science, and history include

texts in their instructional routines• Content teachers will need to emphasize aspects of

literacy that they have not in the past (these are disciplinary standards, not content area reading standards—the idea is not how to apply reading skills and strategies to content subjects but how to teach the unique uses of literacy required by the disciplines)

Page 63: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Literacy in History/Social Studies (6-8, 9-10, 11-12) – Key Ideas/DetailsCite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Determine the main ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; summarize the source, basing the summary on information in the text rather than on prior knowledge or opinions.

Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

Determine the main ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; summarize how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text and the causes that link the events; distinguish whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

Determine the main ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide a summary that makes clear the relationships between the key details and ideas.

Analyze how ideas and beliefs emerge, develop, and influence events, based on evidence in the text .

Page 64: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Literacy in History/Social Studies (6-8, 9-10, 11-12) – Craft & StructureDetermine the meaning of words and phrases in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains

related to history/social studies.

Identify how a history/social studies text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text, including the vocabulary describing political, economic, or social aspects of history.

Explain how an author chooses to structure information or an explanation in a text to emphasize key points or advance a point of view.

Compare the point of view of two or more authors by comparing how they treat the same or similar historical topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Interpret the meaning of words and phrases in a text, including how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10 and No. 51).

Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.

Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, evidence, and reasoning.

Page 65: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Literacy in History/Social Studies (6-8, 9-10, 11-12) – IntegrationIntegrate graphical information (e.g., pictures, videos, maps, time lines) with other information in a

print or digital text.

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a historical account.

Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Integrate quantitative or technical information presented in maps, time lines, and videos with other information in a print or digital text.

Assess the extent to which the evidence n a text supports the author’s claims.

Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

Synthesize ideas and data presented graphically and determine their relationship to the rest of a print or digital text, noting discrepancies between the graphics and other information in the text.

Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other sources of information.

Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Page 66: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Literacy in History/Social Studies (6-8, 9-10, 11-12) – IntegrationIntegrate graphical information (e.g., pictures, videos, maps, time lines) with other information in a

print or digital text.

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a historical account.

Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Integrate quantitative or technical information presented in maps, time lines, and videos with other information in a print or digital text.

Assess the extent to which the evidence n a text supports the author’s claims.

Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

Synthesize ideas and data presented graphically and determine their relationship to the rest of a print or digital text, noting discrepancies between the graphics and other information in the text.

Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other sources of information.

Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Page 67: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

5. Informational text

• Past standards have usually emphasized both literary and informational texts

• However, this emphasis left the distribution of this emphasis to the teachers

• The common core standards requires the teaching of comprehension within both informational and literary texts

• These new standards emphasize informational texts equally with literary texts (in Grades K-5) and literature falls to 25% after that

Page 68: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

5. Informational text (Cont.)

Implications• Text selections are going to need to shift greatly

(textbooks and leveled books)• Primary grade teachers are going to need to raise their

comfort level for working with informational text (informational text will get a great emphasis in upper grades, too, but this is not as big a change for these grades)

• Need to guard against informational text being taken over by literary treatments of factual information (such as biography)

Page 69: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

6. Close Reading

• Past standards have been based largely upon theories of reading comprehension drawn from cognitive science

• These theories have emphasized procedures or strategies that readers could use to guide their reading (e.g., summarization, questioning, monitoring, visualizing)

• The common core standards are also based upon theory, but literary theory not psychological theory

• These standards depend heavily upon “New Criticism”

Page 70: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

6. Close Reading (cont.)

Implications• Students will need to engage to a greater extent in deep

analysis of the text and its meaning and implications• Less emphasis on reader’s background information,

comprehension strategies, picture walks, etc. (though these still can be brought in by teachers)

• Greater emphasis on careful reading of a text, weighing of author’s diction, grammar, and organization to make sense of the text (more attention to how text works)

• Rereading will play a greater role in teaching reading• Each discipline has its own definition of close reading

Page 71: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

7. Multiple texts

• Past standards have emphasized the reading of single texts: students had to learn how to make sense of a story, article or book (with perhaps an occasional emphasis on multiple texts)

• The common core state standards emphasize the interpretation of multiple texts throughout (at all grade levels, and in reading, writing, and oral language)

• Students will still have to be able to interpret single texts, but much more extensive emphasis on reading and using multiple texts (about 10% of the ELA standards mention multiple texts)

Page 72: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

7. Multiple Texts (cont.)

Implications• There will be a greater need for combinations of texts

that can be used together• Need for greater emphasis on text synthesis (how to

combine the information from multiple sources into one’s own text or presentation)

• Need for greater emphasis on comparative evaluation and analysis

• Need for a consideration of non-text sources (e.g., video, experiments)

Page 73: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

8. Writing about text

• Past standards have emphasized writing as a free-standing subject or skill

• Students have been expected to be able to write texts requiring low information (or only the use of widely available background knowledge)

• The common core puts greater emphasis on the use of evidence in writing

• Thus, the major emphasis shifts from writing stories or opinion pieces to writing about the ideas in text

Page 74: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

8. Writing about Text (cont.)Implications• Writing will need to be more closely integrated with

reading comprehension instruction• The amount of writing about what students read will

need to increase• Greater emphasis on synthesis of information and critical

essays than in the past

Page 75: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

9. Argumentation

• Past standards have tended to treat text as being just a form of neutral information

• The common core state standards begin with the theoretical premise that texts (and other forms of language) are a form of argument

• Arguments depend upon the use of evidence and reason• Given the emphasis on argument, critical reading (and

writing) take center stage in the new common core standards

Page 76: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

9. Argumentation (cont.)

Implications• Teachers will be expected to teach students to discern

the arguments underlying a text or presentation• Need for a greater emphasis on trying to figure out

author perspective, tone, position• Much greater emphasis on the use of evidence • Greater emphasis on making one’s own arguments

(persuasion is only one aspect of this)

Page 77: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

10. Technology

• The emphasis on technology has been minimal in past English language arts standards

• Again, the idea has been that students would learn generalizable reading and writing skills and then they could apply these within any context or technology

• The common core state standards reflect a much heavier emphasis on how to take advantage of the affordances provided by technology

Page 78: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

10. Technology (cont.)

Implications• Students are going to need to know how to search, read,

and use information drawn from the Internet• Students are going to need to know how to use word

processors and other technological supports in their writing

• Students are going to need to know how to use presentation software in their oral presentations

• Students are going to need to know how to use various online references

Page 79: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Conclusion

• The common core state standards are based upon very different theories and conceptions of teaching than our current standards are

• Teacher preparation and textbook design are largely based upon theories and approaches that are (somewhat) inconsistent with those supporting the common core standards

• Changing instructional practices to better support the standards will require a major professional development and materials transformation

Page 80: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Valuable Resources

http://www.corestandards.org/

http://www.achieve.org/PARCC

http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/

Page 81: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Some resources

Shanahan & Shanahan. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents. Harvard Educational Review, 78, 40-59.

Shanahan, Shanahan, & Misichia (2011). Analysis of expert readers in three disciplines: History, mathematics, and chemistry. Journal of Literacy Research, 43, 393-429.

Fang & Schleppegrell. (2008). Reading in second content areas: A language-based pedagogy. University of Michigan Press.

Brozo & Simpson. (2003). Teachers and learners: Expanding literacy across the content areas. Merrill, Prentice-Hall.

Page 82: Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy Timothy Shanahan Cynthia Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

Teaching Literacy in the Disciplines and

Teaching Disciplinary Literacy

Timothy Shanahan

Cynthia Shanahan

University of Illinois at Chicago

www.shanahanonliteracy.com