Gina Cervetti speaks with EdWeek about discipline-specific literacy skills
Training teachers in discipline-specific literacy practices means students benefit from reading and writing instruction across all subjects they are taught.
In an article exploring changes to one Illinois school district’s classroom instruction schedule, EdWeek reports that “professional organizations have long argued that social studies and science are consistently marginalized in favor of the more frequently tested subjects of reading and math.”
However, Gina Cervetti, a Marsal School professor of literacy, language, and culture, says research suggests a more even split of class time across subjects could be beneficial for kids.
“There’s a lot of evidence that having knowledge about the world is important for reading comprehension,” Cervetti tells EdWeek. “Students who have broader bases of knowledge about the natural and social world do better on reading assessments, even when we’re controlling for other things.”
She says that offering training for social studies and science teachers to incorporate discipline-specific literacy practices means that students continue to gain literacy skills while also learning other subjects. Furthermore, honing students’ discipline-specific literacy skills—like the ability to read primary historical texts or research reports—will prepare students for skills they will need in high school classes.
