Disciplinary Literacy has been introduced and has sparked some sort of controversy in the world of education. It is the standard for 6-8th graders to understand and comprehend various forms of disciplinary literacy throughout all of the content areas. Where it becomes somewhat controversial is the inclusion in younger grades, or elementary. I believe it can be introduced to the younger grades, however, many believe that they are too young to fully understand the literacy. In my experience during observations being inside a hybrid history/science classroom students were able to comprehend and understand the material presented and be actively involved in literacy; this does not necessarily mean that students have to master these literacies or be a professional in science or history. While in early grade levels I believe disciplinary literacy does not have to be the main focus of each and every lesson, but can be introduced and allow the younger students to get a sense and provide them with an opportunity to experience what they will be dealing with in higher grades.
As a pervious elementary student I do not remember learning with disciplinary literacies in history, It was present within my ELA courses where we would analyze and discuss deeper meanings of texts and themes. However, it was not really present in other courses. Being able to engage students and provide them with a more challenging opportunity that can prepare them for future schooling is important as we want to be able to prepare our students for success in all courses (especially our own). Within a future classroom I would like to introduce disciplinary literacy, especially in a 4th or 5th grade classroom; this not only prepares them but introduces the style of learning they will be being taught. It is important for teachers to communicate with each other and learn from each other’s courses and how the students learn in those classrooms to better the overall learning experience for students.
Flavortown, USA 