Literacy in the Disciplines: A Teacher's Guide for Grades 5-12

This successful guide—now in a revised and expanded second edition—gives teachers effective strategies to support adolescents' development of relevant literacy skills in specific disciplines. Demonstrating why disciplinary literacies matter, the authors discuss ways to teach close reading of complex texts; discipline-specific argumentation, communication, and writing skills; academic vocabulary; and more.

The book draws on revealing interviews with content-area experts and professionals in history, science, mathematics, literature, the arts, and physical education.

Teacher-friendly tools include 21 reproducible forms that also can be downloaded and printed, “Try It On!” practice activities, lesson plans, chapter anticipation guides, and links to recommended online teaching videos.

New to This Edition

• Chapter on assessment.
• Chapter on disciplinary literacies beyond school—in civic, professional, and personal life.
• Expanded coverage of math, more attention to evidence and sources used in different disciplines, new and updated expert interviews, and advice on how both teachers and students can use AI tools productively.
• Anticipation guides that invite reflection on key questions before, during, and after reading most chapters.

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Table of Contents

I. The Literacy of the Disciplines 1. What Is Disciplinary Literacy? 2. What Are the Literacy Demands of Experts in the Disciplines?: Talking with Scientists, Historians, Mathematicians, Authors of Fiction, Musicians, Artists, Athletes, and Technical Experts 3. Literacy in Civic, Professional, and Personal Life II. Literacy Instruction in the Disciplines 4. Saying It Well: Instruction That Supports Academic Language Development in the Disciplines 5. Choosing the Right Words: Instruction That Supports Academic Vocabulary Use in the Disciplines 6. Arguing It Well: Instruction That Supports Communication in the Disciplines 7. Reading It Carefully: Instruction That Supports Reading in the Disciplines 8. Reading It Closely: Instruction That Supports Close Reading in the Disciplines 9. Writing It Down: Instruction That Supports Writing in the Disciplines III. Routines That Support Learning in the Disciplines 10. Organizing It Well: Using Organizational Structures in the Disciplines 11. Presenting It Well: Using Multimodal Tools in the Disciplines 12. Assessing It Well: Assessment That Supports Student Learning in the Disciplines Conclusion. Whats Next for Literacy in the Disciplines?: Going Beyond College and Career Readiness References Index

"If you are a teacher in grades 5–12, you need this book! Wolsey and Lapp have crafted an engaging, thoughtful work that is chock-full of hands-on, research-informed resources for teachers. Myriad examples and vignettes help us understand what it means to be effective communicators and producers of knowledge in math, history/social studies, science, English, the arts, physical education, and technical areas. The first edition of this book was excellent, but the second edition is even better—new content has been added and the ideas have been finely honed based on nearly a decade of teacher input."
- Cynthia H. Brock, PhD, Wyoming Excellence Endowed Chair in Literacy Education, University of Wyoming

"Instructional possibilities jump off each page. The insights in this impressive book provide secondary teachers in all content areas with a fresh lens through which to view literacy in a rapidly changing world. As an ELA teacher of 25 years, I felt my perspective shift while reading about these imaginative and grounded literacy strategies and the thinking behind why they work."
- Patrick Ganz, MAT, English teacher, Portsmouth High School, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

"Finally—a guide for content teachers that emphasizes the importance of what teachers teach for how they teach. Wolsey and Lapp provide concrete, research-based, classroom-tested best practices that will serve all content teachers. The second edition of this book is a treasure trove of resources."
- Danny Brassell, PhD, reading motivation expert and former teacher educator