Thinking Like a Disciplinarian

Connecting to, exploring within,

and across disciplines

A GATE Best Practices Tune-Up

Key Ideas

Increases awareness of the discipline, thus adding depth and complexity to the subject matter

Requires learning about the specialized vocabulary, tools and skills of each discipline

Connects a student’s own interests and abilities to a subject and a discipline

Allows the student to immerse self into the study of a discipline

Creates a greater awareness of the contributions of the disciplines to the world

Thinking Like a Scholar

Disciplinary studies can begin with an examination of scholarly behavior

Attributes of scholarly behavior can be identified and applied to accomplished people and the disciplines they represent

Students can then make connections between themselves and the disciplinarian

Is _________ a Scholar?

Read the biography of _______ and look for traits of a scholar.

Note examples of scholarliness.Setting Goals

Perseverance Intellectual Risk Taker

Excellence

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Connecting to a Discipline

Connecting to a Discipline

Myself as a scholar

Common Details

Disciplinarian as a scholar

Focus

Persevere

Ask questions

Desires knowledge

Exploring Within a Discipline

Directed lessons can be given on disciplines as they relate to an area of study.

Thinking Like an Historian Thinking Like a Geographer Thinking Like a Sociologist Thinking Like a Scientist Thinking Like a Mathematician

A Differentiated Word Wall Can Be Developed

Discipline Vocabulary Tools Skills

Historian-Studies the past and present events of people

Artifacts

Chronology

Primary Resource

Secondary Resource

Records of the past:

Books

Diaries/Journals

News articles

Research

Documentation

Asks questions

Economist-Studies the use of resources

Profit & loss

Shortage/surplus

Ratio

Sample

Computer

Calculator

Compute

Analyze

Collect data

Make graphs

Marine Biologist-

Specie

Plankton

Organisms

El Nino

toxins

Net

Diving equipment

Underwater camera

Ability to swim/use diving equipment

Classify

Analyze

Within Discipline Studies Can Be Even More Specific

• Thinking Like A Scientist Chemist Geologist Biologist Botanist Naturalist Paleontologist

Connecting Across Disciplines

Once students have an understanding of the disciplines, they can look at an area of study from the various perspectives of different disciplines.

The teacher can build this into the content planning.

Economic(Details)

History(Over time)

Sociology(Patterns)

Industrial Revolution

Student Ownership

The goal is for the student to select a disciplinarian role to apply to their studies

Opportunities can be provided through Learning Centers Role-playing Revisiting text through the eyes of a

disciplinarian

Thinking Like a Sociologist With a Fiction Story

Discuss a fiction story the students have previously read using the following chart as the basis of revisiting the story:

Characters Role Problem

Use the completed chart as the basis to have students practice identifying the sociological concepts of dynamics, interactions, and roles. Lead discussions with these questions:

Which characters assumed a leader or follower role? How did the role of the character affect the interaction

between them? How does the role of the character affect their problem

or the major problem or conflict in the story?

http://activities.macmillanmh.com/science/ca/grade2/index.html http://activities.macmillanmh.com/science/ca/grade4/g4_ch3.html http://gate.rusd.k12.ca.us/differentiation.htm http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/job/naturalist.htm http://www.harcourtschool.com/hss/r_primary/05.html http://www.harcourtschool.com/hss/r_primary/05_books.html http://www.harcourtschool.com/hss/biographies/index.html http://www.harcourtschool.com/hss/r_parentteacher/

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