Education Commons^™

Using Disciplinary Literacy To Fill The Historical Gaps In Trade Books, John Bickford, Cynthia Rich

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Times} span.s1 {font: 6.5px Times} Many elementary and middle level teachers integrate historywith disciplinary literacy.1 Balancing fiction and non-fiction, orliterature and informational texts, provides space for teachersto link multiple, diverse texts.2 Pairing distinct texts positionsstudents to explore connections between secondary sources,like textbooks and trade books, and primary sources, likeletters and photographs. Scaffolding can assist close readings,text-based writing, historical thinking, and civic engagement.3Where textbooks introduce readers to history via specificterminology and short passages, trade books present historicaleras through relatable characters and engaging prose. For mosttopics, trade books are numerous enough for teachers to …