Disciplinary Literacy and Vocabulary

Disciplinary Literacy and Vocabulary


Defining Disciplinary Literacy -

Disciplinary Literacy includes specific skills and strategies used to comprehend subject area text, such as Science, Social Studies, Math, and even English Language Arts. There are specific skills vocabulary needs required to become successful at deciphering these texts. 

The infographic at the beginning of this post lists Tier 1, 2, and 3 level words as an important

part of vocabulary learning. What do each of these levels include?

  • Tier 1 includes basic words used in many contexts and in the spoken English language. 

  • Tier 2 words have multiple meanings and appear often in a variety of texts.

  • Tier 3 words are subject or disciplinary related.

Educators of early elementary and primary aged students should consider Tier two words when

planning for, and teaching vocabulary skills. By expanding background knowledge of these

multiple meaning words, students will be more prepared for Tier 3 words as they are slowly

introduced in the upper elementary grades. Yes, upper elementary grades is where these

should be introduced.


When should educators begin teaching disciplinary vocabulary and literacy practices?


“Further, early exposure to ideas and common features of

academic vocabulary is important in laying a foundation for

later vocabulary in school” (Colwell, et. al 2020)

Digitally Supported Disciplinary Literacy for Diverse K-5 Classrooms

Research supports early exposure and building of background knowledge in regards to academic vocabulary. Not to mention, middle and high school teachers will be eternally grateful. Also, the more word conscious students become, the more interested or engaged they become with texts they read. “Progress is evident when students spontaneously identify morphemes during shared reading: Look! There’s bio- again!” (Ebbers, 2013). I can’t even begin to explain how many times I’ve seen students excited or shout out that they noticed a word, either while I was reading, or they were, about running into something they recognize. Building background knowledge, word consciousness, and intrinsic motivation are best literacy practices that should be implemented in every classroom!


What is a vocabulary focus for each discipline?


“I began to understand that teachers need to teach not only the

target vocabulary suggested by the textbook but also all the terms

associated with the concept.” (Picot, 2017)

How should we determine what words to use alongside suggested vocabulary terms in textbooks?

Well, Academic Word Lists (synonymous for Tier 3 words) can be found for each of the subject

areas. The table below includes ultimate goals we have for using specialized vocabulary and what

we want students to understand. They come from Digitally Supported Disciplinary Literacy for

Diverse K-5 Classrooms regarding what teachers should consider when planning:

English Language Arts

  • Figurative Language

  • Composition

  • Analysis

  • Discussion

Mathematics

  • Communicate Mathematical Problems

  • Ideas/Claims

  • Responses or Solutions

Science

  • Roots of Words

  • Communication of Topics or Reasoning

  • Engagement with Words and Concepts

Social Studies

  • Multiple Sources

  • Analysis of Events and Author Bias

  • Being a Responsible Citizen


 
(Quinnell, J. 2014)


What effects does a focus on disciplinary literacy have on students?


When students receive instruction in different disciplines, they begin to see how different types of

texts should be read. Over the years there have been developmental studies completed over

vocabulary interventions. While there has been substantial growth in vocabulary knowledge, there

have only been modest gains in reading comprehension (Uccelli, et. al, 2015). This seems to

support that including vocabulary in conjunction with disciplinary literacy practices will have

positive effects on comprehension of various texts. Exposing students to disciplinary texts at an

early age will provide them with background knowledge of how to decipher and communicate

what they take away from each one. This will set students up for success in middle and high

school. It also teaches them how to think as a professional in the designated field for which they

are reading.


In conclusion, disciplinary literacy with a focus on vocabulary will provide students with beneficial

background knowledge to their future educational and career paths. Comprehension of multiple

kinds of texts will be affected in positive ways when we merge disciplinary vocabulary and literacy

practices. These are intentional practices educators should implement to ensure student success.

We should also consider the effect incidental vocabulary learning has on students, which will be

discussed in the next post...

References:

Colwell, J., Hutchison, A., Woodward, L., & Bean, T. (2020). Digitally supported disciplinary literacy for diverse K-5 classrooms. Teachers College Press. 

Ebbers, S. M. (2013, November 07). Linking the Language: A Cross-Disciplinary Vocabulary Approach. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/linking-language-cross-disciplinary-vocabulary-approach

Picot, C. J. (2017). Using Academic Word Lists to Support Disciplinary Literacy Development. The Reading Teacher, 71(2), 215–220. 

Uccelli, P., Galloway, E. P., Barr, C. D., Meneses, A., & Dobbs, C. L. (2015). Beyond Vocabulary: Exploring Cross-Disciplinary Academic-Language Proficiency and Its Association With Reading Comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 50(3), 337–356. 

Comments

  1. Sally BeachOctober 19, 2020 at 3:22 PM

    thanks for the chart of types of vocab for each discipline. Love the wordle!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 3, 2020 at 6:23 AM

    Jenny,
    I liked your last question in your blog post about the effects of vocabulary in disciplinary literacy. When I taught kindergarten, I would let my students know we read in every area of our lives! It was always rewarding to see them make connections between different academic domains.

    ReplyDelete

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