Disciplinary Literacy Blog Post - Social Studies

Disciplinary Literacy Blog Post – History & ESL

As a teacher of English as a Second Language I will be responsible for supporting students’ literacy development across subjects therefore it is important that I gain an understanding of the literary practices across disciplines. For the purpose of this assignment, I have chosen to focus on the discipline of history. I have read six articles so far, all of which agree that implementing disciplinary instruction when studying history enabled students to “effectively explore historical content…and demonstrate content knowledge on post assessments” (Brugar, 2016, pg. 107).

One theory of learning that appeared in my research is that of schema theory (Mac, 1996, pg. 144-146.) Schema has major implications for learning. According to this theory, as humans receive information, they organize it around previously developed “schemata” in order to create a network of ideas (pg. 144). If students do not have the previously developed schemata to connect new information that they are trying to learn to, they will struggle with the new material. I appreciate this theory especially as it relates to students who are newly arrived from other countries and first generation students, as are common in ESL classrooms. Mac (1996) calls this process of knowledge development the “construction zone,” and encourages teachers to “equip students with the skills necessary for them to make sense of the abundance of information and use it to make responsible decisions in their personal and civic lives” (pg. 144) through the development of schemata with engaging disciplinary specific learning activities.

Hangen (2015) focuses on historical digital literacy as a means to provide genuinely exciting ways for students to learn about history. She does discuss the importance of relating new information to previous experiences of students as is emphasized by Mac (1996), but she incorporates a new element as well: teaching students to think about history as incomplete and seeing themselves as creators of historical knowledge through the incorporation of disciplinary practices of historians (pg. 1192-1193).  Several basic digital tools are identified in her article, “Historical Digital Literacy, One Classroom at a Time,” including Google Docs and Wiki pages which are interactive digital platforms. Historians are constantly in conversation with one another because the writing of history is “a profoundly collaborative endeavor” (pg. 1193). This is in contrast to the typical rote memorization that most students experience in history classes. The availability of these platforms that allow for simultaneous collaboration regardless of place and time facilitate historical conversation more than ever before.

Wikispaces, free for teachers: https://www.wikispaces.com/

Monte-Sano (2012) elaborates on the issue of historical writing in his article “What Makes a Good History Essay? Assessing Historical Aspects of Argumentative Writing.” Historians do not merely report on ancient history, they interpret it. Therefore historical writing needs to transition from informative reports to formulating historical arguments, which is a Common Core standard (pg. 296). Facts need to be accurately reported (this relies on the development of background knowledge or schemata), evidence from reliable sources needs to be presented and sourced, and it needs to be corroborated in a way that supports the student’s claim (pg. 296-297).

Students at Green Bay Avenue Elementary School
in WIcreated a "Wax Museum" where they
"became"their favorite Black historical figure.

Collin and Reich (2015) explain that content areas a comprised of seven dimensions: “identities, relationships, forms of knowledge, actions, forms of significance, connections and politics (Gee, 2005,pg. 11-12). Therefore, students need to be supported in taking on the identity of a historian when they enter the history classroom at any grade level. When students enter those classrooms teachers need to make sure they do not just open different textbooks,  rather, that they are switching on their knowledge of identities, politics, and other forms to “rebuild” the content area as a place where novice historians think and act like professionals in their field (Collin & Reich, 2015, pg. 466).  Access to technology and interacting with different tools, whether it’s for collaborating on a Google Doc for discussion, transcribing primary sources such as famous speeches, or curating  a set of sources on a historical subject, makes for an exciting learning community of novice historians (Dalton, 2014, pg. 296-302). Discipline specific practices should not be reserved for advanced or high achieving students, ESL and other student groups should also be involved because, as these authors have shown through their studies, disciplinary practices increase student engagement and could help close the achievement gap for low socioeconomic status (SES) families (Brugar, 2016, pg. 107). 

Link to the Smithsonian Digital Volunteer Transcription Center: https://transcription.si.edu/

Immigration & Refugee Issues Text Set

The following Immigration & Refugee text set would be presented to English as a Second Language students at the high school level. Students would probably need to be at an English Language Proficiency (ELP) level 3 or above. I have not studied these levels thoroughly yet, so please provide feedback on this if you are more knowledgeable on it. Emergent bilingual students are often children of immigrant parents who have been born in the US, students themselves can be immigrants, and the other major group are refugee students. Given all of the political turmoil around immigration, recently enacted executive orders, and future action on border security, immigrant and refugee students may feel alienated and some may even be coping with the effects of increasing deportation orders.Through the combination of these texts, I hope to foster intergroup understanding of the injustices that migrants of all sorts face before and after arrival in the United States, and motivate students to act. Learning English is about more than just staying afloat in an academic setting, it is also about unraveling these difficult issues of identity and injustice as they relate to the immigrant and refugee experience. 

Print Texts:
1. Epatko, L. (2017) You asked: How are refugees vetted today? PBS Newshour. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asked-refugees-vetted-today/

&

Park, H., Buchanan, L. (2017) Refugees Entering the US Already Face a Rigorous Vetting Proces. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/29/us/refugee-vetting-process.html?_r=0

2. Gasson, K. (n.d.) Who is an Undocumented Immigrant? Retrieved from: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/who-is-undocumented-immigrant.html

Multimedia Texts:
1. Aljazera. (AJ+). (2015, March 20). Coming Out As An Undocumented Immigrant - Latino Voices. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w-oFbq_rfo

2. Global Citizen. (Global Citizen). (2016, May 25). I Am A Refugee: Global Refugees Share Their Stories. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bEK6gytwec

Culturally Relevant Texts:
1. La Santa Cecilia. (LaSantaCeciliaVEVO). (2013, April 8). La Santa Cecilia- Ice El Hielo. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lNJviuYUEQ

2. Jal, Emmanuel. (Giant Step). (2008, April 29). Emmanuel Jal- War Child. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT-0NG5_fhw

Text Descriptions

1. Print Text: Who are refugees? & Refugees Entering the US Already Face a Rigorous Vetting Process

Summary: Who are Refugees? and Refugees Entering the US Already Face a Rigorous Vetting Process are two brief informational articles that I have combined into a single document.

Who are refugees provides five bullet points indicating the categories of persecution that refugees must prove.

Refugees Entering the US Already Face a Rigorous Vetting Process is an article that outlines the 20 steps that a refugee seeking resettlement must go through before entering the United States.

Quantitative Analysis: The average grade level that this text is quantitatively appropriate for is grade 10. StoryToolz scored this text at an average of 10.7, with the lowest score being 8.1 and the highest being 13.9. The sentences are mostly short (12), but there are four long sentences. I agree with this analysis and estimate that this text may be most appropriate for students at levels 3-5 in their ESL classes. Vocabulary words that should be reviewed beforehand are listed below, as well as English cognates that students can use as cues from Spanish if that is their native language.

Vocabulary: Persecution, LGBT, fingerprint screening, barred, resettlement, United Nations, Homeland Security, State Department

English Cognates: National, origin, religion, political opinion, race, membership, social, group, community, suspended, refugees, process, registration, terrorist, criminal, history, etc.

Qualitative Analysis:

Text Structure: This text is slightly complex in organization. It is organized by bullet points and broken up with five longer sentences for further explanation of certain points. It does not contain any graphics.

Language Features: The vocabulary is mostly familiar. There are a lot of English cognates throughout the text that can function as hints for English language learners. The language of the text is very explicit, but because of the more technical vocabulary (listed above), I would rate it as moderately complex.

Purpose: The purpose of the test is explicitly stated and there is a narrow focus on understanding the basics of the vetting process of refugees.

Knowledge Demands: The knowledge demands are moderately complex. Since this is an informational text meant to introduce the subject of refugee resettlement, there is some knowledge of the organizations and branches of government needed to understand the text (listed under Vocabulary), but it is otherwise simple.

Reader & Task: My purpose for using this text is to address the misconception spread by government officials and the media that refugees are dangerous and have terroristic intentions, and that they are not thoroughly vetted before entering the US. This text would be presented within the context of the immigration debate and policy changes in the United States today as an introduction. It is culturally relevant because there are often refugee students in ESL classes, and it is a political and human rights issue in our history currently because of the recent executive orders under President Trump. Students who are not refugees will gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of refugees, which may be their peers, increasing mutual respect and intergroup understanding.

2. Culturally Relevant Text (Song): Ice El Hielo by La Santa Cecilia

Summary: Ice El Hielo is a song by a band called La Santa Cecilia. This group is popular among young Latinxs because of their fusion of traditional Mexican sound, surreal music videos, and representation of social issues in their lyrics. This song rose to popularity among the undocumented community because the it tells the stories of three undocumented people, providing glimpses into their past and their aspirations for the future which are threatened by deportation. Lyrics have been translated into English.

Quantitative Analysis: The average grade level that the lyrics of this song are quantitatively appropriate for is grade 6.4, with the lowest score being 5.1 and the highest being 7.7. The song contains four verses and a chorus, but it is originally in Spanish so to conduct this analysis I translated it into English. The lyrics translate nicely because there is not much figurative language, nor are the lines very long. I agree with the quantitative analysis, but due to the message of the song, it may be more appropriate to analyze it with older students. I have listed a few vocabulary words that could present difficulty, but since this document presents the English and Spanish versions of the lyrics students can also refer to the original Spanish lyrics for support.

Vocabulary: Accuses, Uncle Sam, ICE

Qualitative Analysis:

Text Structure: This text is slightly complex in organization. The song moves along in an easy to predict manner: one verse tells the story of a person, and it will be followed by the chorus. The music video directly supports the interpretation of the lyrics by showing each person carrying out the actions that the song describes.

Language Features: The language features are slightly complex. There is some use of figurative language, but since the text is in both English and Spanish, ESL students who have Spanish as their L1 should be able to use the original lyrics to clarify confusion. For non-Spanish speaking students, the vocabulary and structure are still easy to follow.

Meaning: For students who have undocumented family or who are undocumented themselves, the meaning of the song maybe easy to grasp, but for those who do not have any connection to this experience, meaning may be more moderately complex. Other pieces of this text set, as well as class discussion should support building this cultural awareness.

Knowledge Demands: The life experiences represented in this song will probably be common to many students in ESL classes who are undocumented or know people who are. Students who do not have this experience or do not know someone with this experience will be supported in developing their understanding through other sources in the text set and knowledge shared in class by their peers.

Reader & Task: My purpose for using this text is to challenge the criminalizing and dehumanizing image that government officials and the media spread about undocumented people; to humanize undocumented people. This text would be presented within the context of the immigration debate and policy changes in the United States today as an introduction, especially regarding the question of mass deportation and the construction of a wall. It is culturally relevant because there are often undocumented students or students who have undocumented family members in ESL classes. It is historically relevant because of the executive orders that have recently been signed affecting immigration policy. Students who are not undocumented will gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of those who are and will increase mutual respect and intergroup understanding. Hopefully building these connections among migrant groups will motivate students to act by helping them understand the consequences of policy on people’s lives.

3. Multimedia Text (Video): Coming Out As An Undocumented Immigrant by Aljazera 

Summary: Coming Out As An Undocumented Immigrant captures the coming-out stories of seven young, undocumented immigrants who have grown up in the United States. Each of them recalls different emotions as they share with viewers what it was like to live in the shadows of an immigration system that excludes them, while trying to build their lives as normally as possible like their peers with status were. This video is 4 minutes and 25 seconds long.

Quantitative Analysis: In order to quantitatively analyze this video I transcribed a portion of it into the StoryTools text analyzer. The average grade level that this video is quantitatively appropriate for is grade 6.7, with the lowest score being 4.2 and the highest being 8.7. Each individual in this video tells their story casually, in a conversational tone. I agree with the quantitative analysis that this video may be appropriate for middle school learners, and this also makes it accessible to older ESL students of various ESL levels. I have listed a few vocabulary words that could present difficulty:

Vocabulary: Court hearing, disclosed, papers, queer, deported, “coming-out,” empowerment, liberating

Qualitative Analysis:

Text Structure: This text is slightly complex in organization. The video is explicit and clear in its purpose. It is organized organized, but does jump from one person to another within each section of it. There are subtitles that could be used to support students’ understanding of the speech.

Language Features: The language features are slightly complex. There is some reference to culturally unique ideas, such as the “boogey man,” and some concepts (empowerment, liberation, queer) that may have to be explained before/after, but the language is mostly conversational.

Purpose: The purpose is clearly stated: to share the coming out stories of undocumented people. For students who have undocumented family or who are undocumented themselves, the meaning of the song maybe easy to grasp, but for those who do not have any connection to this experience, meaning may be more moderately complex. Other pieces of this text set, as well as class discussion should support building this cultural awareness.

Knowledge Demands: The life experiences represented in this song will probably be common to many students in ESL classes who are undocumented or know people who are. Students who do not have this experience or do not know someone with this experience will be supported in developing their understanding through other sources in the text set and knowledge shared in class by their peers.

Reader & Task: This text would be presented within the context of the immigration debate and policy changes in the United States today as an introduction, especially regarding the question of mass deportation and the construction of a wall. It is culturally relevant because many undocumented students in high school are at the point in their lives where they need to confront their immigration status because of job prospects, the inability to get a driver’s license, and college acceptance/funding. Many undocumented immigrants are refugees in their own right, for example, many families flee domestic violence which is not heavily criminalized in many countries, or cartel violence. It is historically relevant because of the executive orders that have recently been signed affecting immigration policy. Students who are not undocumented will gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of those who are, the injustices they face, enable them to become allies, and equip students to participate civically to support undocumented peers. This video will also promote a healthy self concept and exploration of identity for students who may be undocumented and struggling to come to terms with their status.

Thank you for reviewing this long post! 

I hope you have enjoyed browsing through the texts I have compiled for this blog post. Please share your feedback with me on this compilation, and also tell me something you have learned. I'm looking forward to see what you all have created as well!