As an educator, it is important to explore the differences between content, content area, and disciplinary literacy in order to learn how to prepare students for a wide range of understanding. Content, simply put, is what a text is about. It is the idea of what an author is trying to communicate. Content area is the way in which schools are organized. It is the specific subject that content falls into. Disciplinary literacy transcends the basic understanding of content. Instead of just having students memorize and recite a text, disciplinary literacy challenges students to process information as a specialist of a discipline does. Students learn the academic language and skills to write, read, and communicate like an expert. According to Moje, it is “a form of critical literacy because it builds an understanding of how knowledge is produced in the disciplines” (Moje 2008). Students can quickly gain a basic understanding of content, however the process of learning how to question, evaluate, and create takes time. Wolsey uses a graphic in their article to demonstrate that basic literacy skills are of high importance in a student’s early education. However, disciplinary literacy becomes more valued as a student’s education progresses.
Similarly, to Moje’s explanation of disciplinary literacy, Gee discusses Discourses and their importance in society. Gee describes Discourses as “communities of practice” (Gee 2001). Every Discourse has a specific social language that is used. The process of understanding a Discourse’s social language is through socialization. Like Moje, Gee sees literacy as a much broader process than just gaining a basic comprehension of text. Moje also discusses the concept of metadiscursivity and its relation to disciplinary literacy. Students are exposed to many different types of texts outside of school and are fluent in a diverse mix of discourses and social languages. This is important to recognize in the classroom, because students already practice disciplinary literacy. The job of teachers is to use the skills and knowledge that students already have to engage them in content area within the classroom.
Gee, J. (2001). Reading as situated language: A sociocognitive perspective. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 44(8), 714-725.
Moje, E.B (2008). Foregrounding the disciplines in secondary literacy teaching and learning: A call for change. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52 (2), 96-107.
Wosley, T.D., & Lapp, D. (2017). Literacy in the disciplines: A teacher’s guide for grades 5-12. Chapter 1. New York, NY: Guilford.
Literacy in Every Classroom 
I like your connection to Moje and Gee in the last paragraph. I think that socialization and social learning are important aspects of disciplinary literacy. I also agree with your point about disciplinary literacy becoming more valued as a student progresses through the education system. I believe that it becomes more important as students become older and move through secondary school, because they are just beginning to understand and realize what they might want to study or do in the future. Practicing disciplinary literacy helps secondary students evaluate texts and other materials through the lens of an expert or professional in that field. For example, studying a science text and how the scientist communicates their findings in a journal or other written outlet helps students to better understand the concepts being explained in the written piece, and helps students become better scientists.
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