Marveling at the Art of Language: Centering Adolescents in Developing Disciplinary Literacy for ELA

Authors

Christina M. Ponzio, Grand Valley State UniversityFollow

Abstract

This article explores how we invite adolescents to be insiders in the discipline of ELA by inquiring together into the art of language. I begin with a brief overview of the varied perspectives, research and frameworks about the importance of apprenticing students’ into disciplinary literacy in ELA. Next, I share examples of authentic contexts, purposes, and audiences for inquiring into the art of language with adolescents across a school year and zoom into one unit through the lens of Moje’s (2015) 5E framework for designing inquiries that foster the development of students’ disciplinary literacy. I conclude with a “before and after” story to illustrate why centering adolescents’ purposes for comprehension and communication matters when we apprentice them into the discipline of ELA.

Author Bio

Christina M. Ponzio, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of literacy studies at Grand Valley State University. Her work as a teacher educator is informed by her previous experiences as a secondary ELA/ESL teacher, ESL program coordinator, and literacy coach in Metro Detroit. As a teacher educator and researcher, Christina is committed to cultivating among teachers and learners a sense of agency and efficacy to enact change from the bottom up to advance greater equity and social justice within language and literacy education. She can be reached at ponzioc@gvsu.edu.

Recommended Citation

Ponzio, Christina M. (2025) "Marveling at the Art of Language: Centering Adolescents in Developing Disciplinary Literacy for ELA," Michigan Reading Journal: Vol. 57: Iss. 3, Article 10.
Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj/vol57/iss3/10