Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-21

TH I NK I NG L I T ERAC Y Shareen Wilkinson is an education adviser and executive director of education for a multi-academy trust. Her upcoming book, Disciplinary literacy in primary schools , explores reading, writing and speaking across the curriculum. @mrswilkinson.bsky.social @ShareenAdvice Read and write like... ...a historian • Use historical vocabulary • Understand and convey the concept of continuity and change • Make connections, draw contrasts and analyse trends • Give structured accounts of events • Analyse events, and explore contrasting arguments and interpretations ...a geographer • Use geographical vocabulary • Collect, analyse and communicate a range of data fieldwork • Interpret sources of geographical information • Use maps, diagrams, globes and aerial photographs • Communicate geographical information through writing at length ...a scientist • Use scientific vocabulary • Make predictions, analyses and conclusions • Identify and classify data • Make observations, record data, understand and use tables and diagrams topic it is part of. Discuss the key concepts and why they are happening: What helps the plant to grow? How did you...? Why does this…? What makes me think that...? What do you mean by that…? Connect your reading with prior learning from previous science topics or other curriculum areas. Think about the key vocabulary, discuss the meaning of any new terms and check understanding of those you have encountered before. Summarise five key scientific aspects that have been covered in the explanation text. Making it work Once we know the differences in reading between the subjects, how can we implement disciplinary literacy successfully? The Education Endowment Foundation’s (2024) A Schools Guide to Implementation ( tinyurl. com/tp-Implementation ) provides some excellent advice that can be applied to this issue. First, it’s important to understand the ‘Why’. Disciplinary literacy isn’t about adding another burden, it’s about empowering pupils to engage more deeply with subject content. Explain this clearly to staff and highlight how it can improve comprehension, critical thinking, and communication skills within each subject. Don’t try to tackle every subject at once – start with a few key areas where disciplinary literacy can have the biggest impact. Perhaps begin with writing like a historian or scientist, before moving on to reading. Consider your school’s priorities and staff expertise, and think about your well-established subjects. It isn’t just a question of defining disciplinary literacy: it’s helping teachers understand what reading, writing, and communicating look like within their specific subject. The EEF recommendations go on to explain best practice for delivery and implementation. Start with strong foundational knowledge (decoding, handwriting, spelling, etc), before diving into subject-specific strategies. These foundational skills are crucial for accessing and understanding disciplinary texts. For younger pupils, ensure they are exposed to disciplinary texts (or non-fiction) so they can begin to build their background knowledge from early. You should adapt your approach to the age and stage of your pupils. Younger learners can be introduced to disciplinary thinking through play-based activities and meaningful interactions, exploring different text types, and asking disciplinary questions. Model how experts in each field read, write, and think. For example, when teaching history, show pupils how historians analyse or corroborate sources. Think aloud, demonstrating your own thought-processes. Focus too on developing pupils’ understanding of subject-specific vocabulary. Provide multiple exposures to these words in different contexts, and explore synonyms, antonyms, and word origins. Try to choose authentic texts that are used by experts in each field. These might be primary sources in history, scientific reports, or literary excerpts. Provide scaffolding to support pupils as they engage with challenging texts. This could include graphic organisers, sentence starters, or key vocabulary. Finally, make sure you teach specific reading and writing strategies relevant to each discipline. For example, show pupils how to analyse sources in history, and how to interpret data in science. www.teachwire.net | 59