Structure of Disciplinary Literacy Lessons
The goal of Disciplinary Literacy lessons is to create historical “literacy” by immersing
students into a particular time period and asking them to think like historians. A DL lesson
can vary from one activity to an entire unit. The order below will help us grasp the structure
of a DL lesson.
Structure:
1. Use a visual to introduce the topic (optional, but very helpful)
2. Assess prior knowledge
3. DL activity/lesson
4. After the lesson/activity, ask how prior knowledge changed or was enhanced. Also, ask for any other
questions or clarifications.
5. Reflect on the lesson
Elements that should be included in the lesson:
Guided inquiry
Group work/partner work
Writing component
A variety of primary sources and other historical documents (i.e., letters, testimonies, political cartoons)
Important assessment questions for students:
1. How did your thinking about _________ change after the lesson? Discuss, reflect.
(absolutely a critical question which is set by your assessing prior knowledge at the beginning of the lesson
and providing the students ample opportunities to analyze primary sources, political cartoons,
photographs, etc.)
2.How might we finish this sentence, “In the end, the New Deal (or whatever you are learning) was the
story of ________________________.”
Questions to ask yourself after you create a DL lesson:
1. Will the lesson allow students to think historically, analyze documents and data from the period, and
demonstrate apprenticeship within the discipline?
2. Will students learn and/or apply core concepts and habits of thinking within each piece of the lesson?
3. Would students engage in rigorous disciplinary activity and did you provide scaffolding through inquiry,
direct instruction, modeling and coaching?
4. Was intelligence socialized through community, class learning culture and instructional routines?
5. The instruction should be assessment driven. Were the standards met? Were objectives met? For
example, if your assessment is a portfolio, an Historian’s Interactive Notebook, or an on-demand writing
task, did you provide criteria charts, etc. to guide students through the process?
Note: Principles of Learning are embedded in the lesson activities. Always think about the “Learning on
the Diagonal” diagram.
Notes from Sept 2007 meeting / submitted by E. Roussos; Crockett H.S.