1. Addressing Teacher Resistance

When a math teacher says, “I’m not a reading teacher,” they are expressing a valid frustration. As noted in our education research topics, content teachers prioritize their subject matter expertise.

2. Content Area vs. Disciplinary Literacy

Using Graham et al. (2017) as a resource, we must clarify the distinction. This is often where the “aha!” moment happens for skeptical teachers. While content area literacy focuses on general study skills, a disciplinary literacy approach emphasizes the unique tools experts use to create knowledge in their field.

For teachers, knowing this difference is liberating. It means the Biology teacher doesn’t have to teach “main idea” generally; they teach how to read a lab report specifically.

3. Graham et al. (2017): The Overlap

While distinct, these literacies overlap. General strategies provide the foundation (the floor), while disciplinary strategies provide the expertise (the ceiling).

Effective instruction integrates both. A student might use a general summary strategy to understand a textbook chapter (Content Area), but use a specific sourcing heuristic to analyze a historical letter (Disciplinary).

4. How Leaders Can Support Teachers

As a literacy leader, support must be practical, not just theoretical.

• Provide Models: Show, don’t just tell. Provide examples of disciplinary writing in science, math, and history.
• Co-Planning: Work with content teams to embed literacy goals into existing units, rather than adding new units.

For more on crafting persuasive arguments for your PLC, see our guide to persuasive writing.