Disciplinary Literacy

Catalog description

This course prepares secondary teachers to develop and implement content-area and disciplinary literacy instruction grounded in scientifically based reading research (SBRR) and responsive to adolescent students' literacy needs and strengths. Through literature circle activities, participants will plan, facilitate, and assess collaborative, text-based discussions that integrate evidence-based reading and writing strategies across the curriculum. Emphasis is placed on selecting instructional practices that advance vocabulary, academic language, comprehension, text analysis, and writing skills within discipline-specific texts. Teachers will learn to use ongoing student data to tailor instruction, foster motivation, and create a literacy-rich, culturally responsive classroom environment that engages all students and promotes collaboration among peers, families, and the broader community. By the end of the course, participants will demonstrate the ability to guide students as active agents in their own literacy development while applying SBRR- aligned strategies to enhance comprehension, critical thinking, and disciplinary literacy. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Education Program, or permission of the School of Teacher Education.