Disciplinary Literacy (DL) is an orientation to the work of teaching that (re)claims a focus on action: knowing how to do, to use, to apply, to act, to verb. This requires an instructional focus on process and application over receiving and demonstrating knowledge. It is therefore a form of resistance to the version of schooling that is ruled by accountability metrics – where tests, credits, and other metrics have become a school’s reason for being rather than tools to measure and improve it. In this way, it is radical: it affects the fundamental nature of what teachers imagine can and should happen in class with students. And, its absence is a signal of the slow creep of oppressive policies that can become naturalized as how we ‘do school’ in the US.
In too many middle and high school classrooms, content knowledge has been divorced from the communities that produce, apply, and critique it outside of classroom settings. In that divorce, we have lost the connection to the purpose that motivates and the audience that gives meaning to the structure of the text and task (See Figure 1).
Figure 1. An expanded purpose-audience-format triangle
A DL orientation is essentially a suit for custody – for deeper connection – to each of these. Otherwise, it requires educators to work against the grain of typical curricula and related tasks (e.g. testing and test preparation, data collection, and classroom sorting). We have to pause business as usual to do a standalone project that brings authentic context into focus. We have to look up from representations of knowledge and re-present or re-frame them in ways that allude to their purpose in the world.
In my experience, instruction that is oriented towards application and use exists as the exception rather than the rule in core academic classes. However, it is more likely to be found in the courses that do not count for graduation or in the enrichment opportunities that are reserved for those who do well: a choir that performs, an auto shop that repairs, a science elective that grows or conserves, or a language class that visits another culture. I suspect that this is because these areas are the least tested and the most likely to have educators or curricula directly connected to the doing: playing music for performance rather than for a quiz on what it includes; fixing a car to make it run again, rather than for a matching test on the names of engine parts. The more academic and abstract knowledge is, the less likely it is to stay connected to use. These tenuous marriages of knowing and doing exist on the margins of academic experiences as reminders that specialized literacies are not necessarily harder than general literacy.
Texts reflect the particularities of their purposes, processes, and the conditions in which they were produced. For example, jazz musicians are likely to play off of a lead sheet rather than a full score showing every detail of every instrument’s parts. They need a text that shares a basic structure across collaborators so that they can improvise within it. Conductors need a detailed account of every part so that they can understand how all parts contribute to the whole and understand everything that might be happening simultaneously. The texts match the tasks. Though a conductor’s score might seem infinitely more challenging than a single part or a simplified lead sheet, their use of it may actually be quite simple. Unlike a lead sheet where each symbol contains a lot of information that might be highly consequential, conductors are really only following patterns across pages and parts – not reading every symbol of every line.
This is similar to the way that an actor might do a close reading of a single part of a single scene with lots of repetition of their own lines but would never try to read 30 pages of a play that way for homework. A director might likewise review a scene to visualize blocking. This process may not prepare them to do the kind of activity that might be found in an English classroom divorced from the text’s uses (e.g. a quiz question on a vocabulary word found on one of the pages they skimmed), but it will prepare them for the work they are doing with the text. Their purpose for reading influences their process for reading, and the amount or type of text with which they engage. The way we orient ourselves to the task of reading a text assigned for English class sets and limits students’ access to the context, meaning, and motivation. The literate process (e.g. reading for blocking, close reading, skimming for patterns, extrapolating from summary) may actually be a simpler cognitive task if it is specified instead of general. And, specialized tasks are more likely to resonate with a set of purposes and meaningful contexts. When texts are connected to a discipline – communities that produce, critique, and interpret them – students have the benefit of the sense of purpose and meaning to support their motivation and guide their inferences.
Disciplinary connection is not a feature of the text itself, but of the framing or relationship between the text and what students are doing with it: is their activity connected to a purpose and process that align with the particularities of some use? Or are they reading a text for a generic reason that is divorced from any specific purpose and process? This divorce makes the reading inherently harder because we use the larger context to predict and confirm meaning, and the larger purpose to ignite and sustain motivation.
About the Author
Dr. Gabriel is Professor of Literacy Education at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is author of more than fifty refereed articles, and author or editor of seven books for literacy teachers, leaders, and education researchers. Rachael currently teaches courses for educators and doctoral students pursuing specialization in literacy, and is Editor in Chief of The Reading Teacher. A former teacher and reading specialist, Rachael’s research is focused on: literacy instruction, leadership, and intervention, as well as policies related to teacher development and evaluation. Her current projects investigate how educators and school leaders build collective capacity, state literacy policies, and discipline-specific literacy instruction.
Inspiration: Why Data Interpretation and Analysis?
When I was first introduced to the concept of disciplinary literacy last semester, I found myself reflecting on my own educational experiences. I’ve always felt like I processed information differently from my peers. I often struggled to understand certain concepts and found myself repeatedly reteaching to myself what I had learned. Over time, I realized I had never fully understood my learning style and how it affected my academic success. This realization made me think about my future students. I never wanted them to feel the same way I did—to feel like they weren’t “smart enough” because they couldn’t identify their learning style. I wanted to create a classroom environment where all students could thrive, no matter how they learned.
For my final project in Multiple Literacies in Secondary Education, I was tasked with exploring a literacy skill focusing on its application in a specific discipline. As part of the assignment, I had to design a project where I took on the role of an agriculture teacher, teaching other agriculture educators about a literacy strategy they could use in their classrooms. After much thought, I chose visual comprehension as my literacy skill as I’m a visual learner myself. However, as I dug deeper into the research, I found a significant gap in resources related to agricultural literacy. There was very little research connecting disciplinary literacy with agriculture. Recognizing how vital data in agriculture is—especially in areas like plant and soil sciences—I decided to take a STEM-based approach and adapt the research to fit the agricultural context. Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) often relies on data analysis, which pulls together basic concepts from chemistry and biology. Without it, we can’t make informed decisions in farming, sustainability, or food production. So, I decided to explore this gap and make it the focus of my project.
Lesson Development: Structuring the Nearpod Lesson
When I first started developing my Nearpod lesson, I felt overwhelmed. The task seemed daunting, and I wasn’t sure where to begin. But then I shifted my perspective. I realized that one of my strengths is lesson planning—I love it! So, I approached the project like I would any other lesson: what’s the main topic (importance of agricultural literacy and visual comprehension in AFNR), and how can I teach it effectively? I structured the lesson to guide educators through understanding the connection between literacy and data interpretation in agriculture. I wanted to make sure that teachers could not only grasp the concept but also apply it to their own classrooms.
I began by explaining what visual comprehension is—the ability to understand, interpret, and extract meaning from visual representations of information. This includes images, diagrams, symbols, charts, graphs, maps, and other visual aids. Visual comprehension is a critical skill in education, as it helps students process complex data, recognize relationships between elements, and draw meaningful conclusions without relying solely on text. In agriculture, this skill is especially important for interpreting data related to crop production, soil quality, livestock growth, and environmental factors. For example, students might analyze weather maps to predict climate patterns, study livestock growth charts to assess health trends, or interpret soil composition diagrams to determine nutrient levels. By strengthening students’ visual comprehension skills, educators can help them navigate and analyze agricultural data more effectively, improving their overall agricultural literacy.
After establishing the importance of visual comprehension, I introduced how data in agriculture—whether it’s about crop yields, soil quality, or livestock growth—can be interpreted through visual means, such as graphs, charts, and diagrams. From there, I incorporated faded scaffolding, a strategy where teachers provide support initially and gradually reduce it as students become more independent. I chose Nearpod because it allows for real-time interaction. The platform provided an opportunity for educators to engage with the content at their own pace, ask questions, and even participate in a matching game to reinforce the concepts.
Disciplinary Literacy Connection: Why Does This Matter in Agriculture?
Disciplinary literacy in agriculture is crucial. It’s not just about reading and writing—it’s about thinking critically and analyzing data, skills that are essential in any agricultural or STEM-related field. This lesson connects literacy skills with real-world applications in agriculture, helping students develop problem-solving abilities vital for solving pressing issues in the agricultural industry. As global populations rise and the demand for food increases, the agricultural sector faces more complex challenges. One of the most pressing issues is climate change, which directly impacts food production through rising temperatures, shifting weather patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes.
These changes threaten crop yields, disrupt planting and harvesting cycles, and contribute to soil degradation, making it harder to sustain food production. Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions driven by data analysis and critical thinking. We need thinkers and problem-solvers who can interpret data to make informed decisions—whether it’s optimizing crop production, implementing sustainable farming practices, or assessing environmental impacts. By integrating faded scaffolding, we help students build their independence so they can think critically about agricultural issues, analyze data, and develop solutions. This method prepares them for real-world problem-solving in agriculture and beyond, equipping them to tackle climate-related agricultural challenges and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Impact: Why is This Lesson Important?
This lesson is important because data interpretation is at the core of solving many challenges in agriculture specifically and science generally. The ability to analyze trends, patterns, and data points is not just a useful skill—it’s essential for the sustainability of food production systems around the world. For agriculture students, especially those entering the workforce, the ability to interpret agricultural data is a key competency. This lesson empowers them to see the bigger picture, connecting literacy to real-world agriculture.
Beyond the classroom, these skills prepare students for a wide range of careers in the agricultural and STEM fields. Agronomists, for example, study soil and crop health, using data to determine the best ways to grow the food we eat every day. Precision agriculture specialists use technology like drones and GPS mapping to help farmers apply fertilizers and water more efficiently, which helps keep grocery store prices stable and reduces environmental impact. Agricultural engineers design better irrigation systems and farm machinery to improve food production, ensuring that fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains make it to consumers’ tables. Even beyond the farm, these skills impact daily life. Food scientists analyze production data to ensure that the milk, meat, and packaged foods in stores meet safety and quality standards. Agricultural economists study supply chains and pricing trends to help farmers and businesses keep food affordable. Environmental consultants work to balance agricultural production with sustainability, ensuring that future generations can continue to rely on farming for food, fuel, and fiber.
By helping students develop these critical thinking and analytical skills, we are not only preparing them for careers in agriculture but also ensuring that consumers continue to have access to safe, affordable, and sustainably produced food.
Final Thoughts: What Did I Learn from This Experience?
Throughout this project, I discovered a noticeable lack of research on disciplinary literacy in agriculture, particularly in relation to data interpretation. I believe this gap exists because agriculture education is often region-specific, with AFNR (Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources) classes only offered in certain districts and locations. However, as the global population continues to grow, the importance of agriculture—both as a science and as a vital industry—has never been greater. Agriculture is deeply rooted in scientific principles, from soil chemistry to genetics and environmental sustainability, making literacy strategies like faded scaffolding and data analysis essential for student success.
These strategies will help prepare future agricultural professionals to interpret complex information, solve real-world problems, and address the challenges facing the industry. Looking ahead, I am excited to apply and test these methods in my methods block, helping students develop the critical thinking skills necessary for success in agricultural science.
About thePresenter
Alicia Machuca is a senior dual majoring in Interdisciplinary Agriculture and Education at Sam Houston State University. Passionate about teaching, she is dedicated to creating an accessible and meaningful learning experience for her future students. Alicia’s goal is to represent and uplift students who share similar backgrounds and experiences, ensuring that every child feels valued and empowered in the classroom. She hopes to inspire a love for agriculture in her students, just as it has inspired her.
Explore how to leverage quality NGSS curricula to enact disciplinary literacy in your 6-12 classroom with this recorded webinar featuring Mary Starr, Executive Director of the Michigan Math and Science Leadership Network. Discover the hidden disciplinary literacy within NGSS-aligned materials and learn how to incorporate additional opportunities using science and engineering practices. This session focuses on helping science learners recognize and utilize literacy practices in their own learning. Watch now to gain valuable insights from this free webinar, originally presented on March 15th, and funded by a grant from the South Carolina Middle Grades Initiative.
About the Presenter
Mary is the Executive Director of the Michigan Math and Science Leadership Network and a leader of the Disciplinary Literacy Essentials initiative in Michigan. She has authored textbooks, provides NGSS professional learning and leadership support across Michigan and the US. Currently, Mary is a co-PI on an NSF grant called Learning in Places. When she’s not organizing, writing or providing learning opportunities she can be found working elbow to elbow with science teachers in the classrooms.
Stephanie: As a literacy teacher educator whose scholarship has primarily focused on agricultural literacy development in K-12 classrooms over the last 5 years, I have been fortunate to meet many dedicated, amazing K-12 Mississippi classroom teachers. Through four United States Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) grants on professional development in agricultural literacy, I’ve been able to work with a wide range of teachers including gifted education, social studies, all elementary subjects, mathematics, welding, library, college-and-career readiness, science, and agriculture education. One of those rock star teachers is Mrs. Tammie Marlow, a 7th grade science teacher at Cleveland Central Middle School, in Cleveland, MS located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Tammie is an award-winning science teacher; she recently was awarded the Rural Teacher of the Year for her congressional district in Mississippi (an award given from the Program for Research and Evaluation for Public Schools housed at William Carey University). She participated in two of my USDA/NIFA grants in summer 2022/academic year 2022-2023 and summer 2023/academic year 2023-2024. The Agricultural Science Professional Development [ACRE] program focused on animal science, with a heavy emphasis on livestock, plant science, meat science, literacy instruction, and teacher leadership. The Agricultural Science Professional Development 2.0 [ACRE 2.0] program focused on poultry and food science, socio-emotional learning, and literacy instruction. Over those two years, Tammie took many of the ideas presented in these professional developments and incorporated them into her 7th-grade science class, expanding the curriculum to include a large focus on hands-on agricultural education. Below, I interview Tammie about her work at Cleveland Central Middle School in order to share with you many of the ways she has incorporated agriculture lessons into her classroom instruction.
Tammie, can you please share with readers your reasoning behind starting the Home-Garden-Science Club?
Tammie: The district that I teach in is the last district to consolidate in Mississippi. This brought many challenges, especially combined with the timing of the Covid epidemic. We are the only middle school in our district, and we serve as a bottle-neck transition to 6 local elementary schools plus students that move in from outside areas. Students were placed in this new environment and did not know their peers in this educational transition time in their lives. They didn’t have any time at school for downtime to visit and get to know each other. With this realization, my family and I decided to start an after-school program that would give them a safe place to meet, make new friends, and learn practical skills that will make their lives better. We called it Home-Garden-Science Club because we did everything including experiments, planting gardens, teaching students how to sew, holding cooking classes, and doing crafts together.
Picture: A student in the Cleveland Central Middle School Home-Garden-Science Club
This after school program has grown into an outdoor learning space that encompasses an outdoor classroom with electricity, a plowed field, an orchard, a tractor with attachments, multiple gardening tools, a three-door tractor shed with electricity and water, new fencing, and a greenhouse. This is a testament that people want to help, and when they see things happening, they will help. When we first started, we had students stand in line waiting their turn to use a hoe and shovel. We had to teach students how to use a water hose to water plants. You cannot assume that students know how to do what you know. It still amazes me to think that this all started from letting kids meet after school one day a week to have a safe place to have fun together and learn.
Picture: Students working in the garden at Cleveland Central Middle School
Stephanie: That sounds wonderful, Tammie. I know the students have enjoyed working in the garden and seeing the fruits of their labor with the produce it has yielded. Can you share with me some in-class, hands-on agriculture labs you have done with your students that have made an positive impact on their agricultural literacy development?
Tammie: Most students really enjoy lessons that they are involved in and take active parts in leading the learning activity, especially the labs that include food. I facilitate student-lead lessons in as many classes as I can. I believe students learn better when they have fun, can relate information to their personal lives in the real-world, and are physically active in the lesson with hands-on activities, literacy activities, maps, collections of specimens to explore/investigate, Guest Speaker interaction, field trips (actual and virtual) and labs that reinforce the standards. Project-based learning works well for all of my classes. Hydroponics, Micro-Green Farming, and Earth Cycles are 3 project-based lessons that we completed this year. Students really enjoyed constructing wildlife habitats. MSU Extension officers taught my 7th grade students how to use both power tools and hand tools in order to build the habitats.
For example, one of our state standards in 7th Grade Science is: “Explain how disruptions in cycles (e.g., water, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen) affect biodiversity and ecosystem services (e.g., water, food, and medications) which are needed to sustain human life on Earth.” Together with an Ag student from MDCC, a USDA specialist, and my co- 7th Grade Science Teacher collected soybeans while at their prime and planned a Legume Lab for our students. Students were first given a pretest on soybeans and other legumes. The need was clear; they needed hands-on experience with soybeans or other legumes. Soybeans make up the number 1 top-row crop in Mississippi and come just behind poultry on the list of agricultural commodities. Most students didn’t know what soybean plants looked like even though they live in a rural area surrounded by large soybean farms. We held the Legume Lab outside and the USDA specialist showed us how they use toothpicks as a tool in the soybean programs. Students were given toothpicks to dissect the soybean plants which are legumes. They were to locate and dissect the nodules that house Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria that are responsible for Nitrogen Cycling into usable forms for living things. This was probably one of the most valuable labs conducted by our 7th Grade Science students. They completed lab sheets, and we took lots of pictures to serve as evidence of their findings. These students now know what soybeans are and how important they are as a food source along with information they learned about Nutrient Cycling. We now grow soybeans, with the other plants, in our school garden and the Home-Garden-Science after school club cares for them. This is a much-needed lab for not just rural students but for every student. Students need to be educated about the importance of nutrient cycling, our land. and where our food comes from.
Picture: Students engage in the Legume Lab in class.
Further, I was so shocked to learn during ACRE that the Mississippi Delta is in the middle of a food desert. According to Uproot Mississippi (2024), Mississippi has been considered the most food insecure state for the last decade. Bolivar County, where Cleveland resides, had a population of over 6,500 individuals who experience food insecurities as of 2022, and an annual food budget shortfall of over $4,000 (Feeding America, 2025). Food insecurity is prevalent in this area where people don’t know when they’ll get their next nutritious meal that they can afford. This is the area where I was raised, and I never thought about food insecurity.
Stephanie: I was shocked to learn about food deserts and their prevalence in Mississippi as well. I know this has become an important topic to you. Can you describe ways in which your students have learned more about food deserts?
Picture: Students engage in the Legume Lab in class.
Tammie: I was raised on a 5-generation farm and we always had large gardens that we called “patches”. We had a “pea patch”, a “pumpkin patch”, a “green patch”, a “corn patch”, and other mini fields where we grew food for our families and the community. I have learned in my adult years that most people don’t live where they can grow their own food. After learning about the food deserts, I developed a research project for my students on food deserts and solutions that each student can be a part of. Because of this realization from the ACRE influenced project my 7th grade students are working with our community to plant a student-community food forest to help fight against food insecurity in the food desert in which we live.
Picture: Students presentation on overcoming community food insecurity.
As part of the solution students want to plant this food forest in a place where everyone could harvest fresh free food anytime they want to. The place they decided to do this was our local park because it has the land to plant the food-plants on and plenty of parking that would be safe for everyone. Students also learned that planting more trees can help with climate change by removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which will lessen the greenhouse effect. This can in turn keep our weather from having great fluctuations, decreasing droughts and floods. I am so proud of what my students have learned and their desire to help others. Students learn about problems, but they also need to learn how to be part of the solutions.
Picture: Garden beds at Cleveland Central Middle School
Stephanie: Last question Tammie. Can you provide me with an example of how you have intentionally provided opportunities for your students to reflect as a demonstration of their learning?
Tammie: Finally, as I introduce my students to real-world science problems, and they play a role in forming solutions, I have incorporated more literacy instruction teaching it with “more zest” in my classes after the training that I received in ACRE and ACRE 2.0. For example, to get students to write and learn more deeply about vocabulary, I use strategies such as journaling, ABC brainstorming sheets and Frayer models. In teaching my science vocabulary, I have put a greater emphasis on teaching my students morphology–affixes (prefixes and suffixes and root words).
Students also write lab reports after engaging in real world labs. We engage in close reading of various sources. I also have implemented a talking ball in class to help facilitate class discussions. Students have engaged in oral presentations and poster projects as well. This focus on literacy, coupled with the extensive hands-on learning in my science classroom (both indoors and outside) has provided my students with opportunities to deeply learn scientific and agricultural content as well as be able to communicate effectively about that content because I’ve prioritized the importance of reading, writing, and speaking like a scientist or agriculturalist in my classroom as well. Ultimately, I believe as teachers, we need to make sure that we aren’t just teaching content but how to be good stewards of our world. We only have these precious students for just a little time, we need to make sure we make the most of teaching them and giving them opportunities to be good stewards. I want to challenge every teacher to take part with their students in planting a food forest to help feed our world… one plant at a time.
Stephanie M. Lemley is an Associate Professor of Literacy Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership in the College of Education at Mississippi State University. Her research agenda focuses on increasing agricultural literacy, through hands-on learning and instruction with agricultural texts, in the K-16 population. She can be reached at smb748@msstate.edu.
Mrs. Tammie Marlow is an award-winning science teacher at Cleveland Central Middle School in Cleveland, MS. She has taught for 25 years in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and North Carolina. In North Carolina, she was a parent liaison that tutored students after school, helped students in classes, and filled in for teachers. In Louisiana, she taught HeadStart in Plaquemine Parish and used the Pacing System in a Christian Outreach School for students that lived in the Marsh (we had a School-Boat instead of a School-Bus to transport our students). Tammie has taught US History, 8th grade science, Biology, Biology II, Aquatic Science, Science Skills, Environmental Science, and Forensics. She can be reached at tmarlow@cleveland.k12.ms.us.
