Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines

by Doug Buehl

Being literate in an academic discipline means more than simply being able to read and comprehend text; it means you can think, speak, and write as a historian, scientist, mathematician, or artist. Doug Buehl strips away the one-size-fits-all approach to content area literacy and presents a much-needed instructional model for disciplinary literacy, showing how to mentor middle and high school learners to become “academic insiders” who are college and career ready.
This thoroughly revised second edition of Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines shows how to help students adjust their thinking to comprehend a range of complex texts that fall outside their reading comfort zones. This book —a natural companion to Buehl’s Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, which has been bolstering student comprehension for almost three decades—provides the following supports for teachers: Instructional tools that adapt generic literacy practices to discipline-specific variations

Strategies for frontloading instruction to activate and build background knowledge
New approaches for encouraging inquiry around disciplinary texts
In-depth exploration of the role of argumentation in informational text
Numerous examples from science, mathematics, history and social studies, English/language arts, and related arts to show you what vibrant learning looks like in various classroom settings

Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines introduces teachers from all disciplines to new kinds of thinking and, ultimately, teaching that helps students achieve new levels of understanding.
 

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development, School

360 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

Reviews

[Andrea Kemper · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I have never counted professional books in my reading totals—for some reason when I think of reading I think of “fun” books—fiction or literary nonfiction. But as my current session of my Reading Endorsement class came to a close and I was reflecting on what I had learned from this book, I realized that I actually read it—and it wasn’t all work. The language was accessible and the strategies were invaluable. There were a lot of take-aways from this book, and I found myself excited to try them with my classes. Excellent read for any teacher wanting to promote literacy in his/her instruction.
(And from now on, I am definitely counting my professional reads along with my “fun” reads!)

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good strategies and ideas, but a bit of a dull read.

[JILL SCHMOLDT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to dive into Disciplinary Literacy. A must read gorzz CD all secondary teachers across all content areas.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for literacy specialists, reading coaches, book pushers, or pedagogical instigators. Solid introduction to the necessity and purposes of disciplinary reading and writing. This book is lighter on techniques and heavier on ideas, which is exactly how I like my PD reading, but if you're looking for specific strategies, check out the companion book by the same author on comprehension strategies. Several of the chapters break into applications for specific disciplines; I give you permission to skip over the subjects you're not interested in.

[Kirsten Foti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently enrolled in a master's program to become a reading specialist. I am often asked for help from teachers in different content areas regarding how to assist certain students. This book has provided a wealth of information that I am excited about being able to take back and share. I am anxious to start creating lessons and professional learning from the material in this book.

Easy to read. Easy to apply (I started using some of this before the school year ended). I highly recommend this one.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good ideas. I wish non-language teachers were aware that students of modern languages read more than just recipes. That always seems like the only example other content authors can come up with. On the other hand, I commend his effort to include examples and stories from all subject areas. Many of the things he mentions are things that teachers I know already do, but there were some new ideas, too.

[Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book because my boss said it was mandatory, I finished because I liked what it had to say. I hadn't thought about the lens through which I have read the thousands of books with but now that I consider it, I realize that my opinion of these books was directly related to the lens through which I read them, my circumstances at the time, and what I needed from them. I think this might change as much about how I teach as how I read!

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a magnificent book that deconstructs reading and literacy. While designed for teachers, I would honestly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning how it is that we read and process written texts. This book covers cognition, metacognition, identity and social roles, and strategies.

[Pam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I especially appreciated the final chapter where Buehl calls on teachers to take general literacy practices and customize them for their own classrooms.

[Marley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful to read but also at times dry and repetitive, this is useful for helping non-english teachers understand aspects of teaching reading in the content area

[Neana Lueck · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit repetitive and Buehl pulls many of his theories from other theorists, such as Burke and Gallagher. He gives little examples in this book.

[Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with several teaching strategies. I plan on using this to reinforce my lesson plans.

[Raewyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clarity of audience, theory and application make this one of the few books I've had to read for teacher classes that were actually helpful and useful. Good job Buehl.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this for a 4 week intensive class, and while it was an easy read, it was just too superfluous for such a short amount of time (this was one of 3 books).

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean...I learned a lot about his violinist wife...

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are tips in here, but I appreciate Buehl's focus on why. He does a good job of breaking down the issues and systematically breaking down the skills and barriers to reading in each discipline.

[Cory Blystone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for teachers of every discipline!