D690 asks elementary education candidates to look at literacy inside specific subjects.
WGU describes it as exploring how reading, writing, speaking and listening differ across disciplines, using structured literacy practices and the science of reading. The BA Elementary Education guidebook lists it at 3 competency units.
Students struggle when they treat it as a general reading course. The point is that a science explanation, a historical source and a maths word problem each demand different reading and writing habits, and your lesson design has to show that.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Course code | D690 (undergraduate version) |
| Level | Bachelor's, elementary education |
| Size | 3 competency units in the BA Elementary Education guidebook |
| Subject area | Disciplinary literacy, content-area reading and writing |
| Work type | Learning activity design and writing plans (confirm on your course page) |
What D690 Covers
| Competency (WGU wording, summarized) | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Demonstrates effective implementation of literacy strategies across disciplines | Using the right reading and talk strategies for each subject |
| Designs learning activities incorporating literacy to increase learning across disciplines | Building lessons where literacy tasks deepen content knowledge |
| Plans authentic writing activities to promote understanding of discipline-specific content | Writing tasks that sound like real work in the subject |
WGU also mentions specialized language structures, text features and digital literacy for finding, interpreting and sharing subject information.
Key Concepts Explained
Each Discipline Reads Differently
A scientist reads for method and evidence. A historian asks who wrote a source and why. A mathematician reads slowly and closely, because every word matters. Teaching children these habits is the core of disciplinary literacy.
Text Features
Diagrams, captions, timelines, maps and tables carry meaning that paragraphs do not. Children need explicit practice in reading them.
Authentic Writing
Example: In a science unit on plant growth, pupils record observations in a table, then write a short explanation using a claim-evidence-reasoning pattern: "The plant near the window grew taller (claim). It grew 6 cm compared with 2 cm (evidence). Light helps plants make food (reasoning)." The writing is a genuine scientific task, not a generic paragraph exercise.
Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them
| Work type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy implementation | Matching strategy to discipline | Explain why this strategy suits this subject's texts |
| Cross-curricular activity design | Integrating literacy and content | State a content goal and a literacy goal and show both |
| Writing plan | Authentic discipline writing | Describe the real-world form and the supports for it |
| Rationale | Reasoning | Link choices to student needs and research |
A Competency-by-Competency Study Approach
- Strategies across disciplines. Make a grid: subject, typical text, reading habit, strategy.
- Activity design. Write the content goal and the literacy goal separately, then combine them.
- Authentic writing. Find the real genre (lab report, source analysis, explanation) and scaffold it for your grade.
Where Students Get Stuck
- Generic strategies. "Think-pair-share" alone does not show discipline-specific thinking.
- Content as an afterthought. The subject goal must be explicit.
- Writing tasks without a purpose. Say who reads the writing and why.
Planning Table
| Subject | Typical text | Writing form |
|---|---|---|
| Science | Procedure, data table | Observation notes, explanation |
| Social studies | Source, map, timeline | Source comparison, short argument |
| Mathematics | Word problem | Explanation of reasoning |
A Worked Cross-Subject Lesson Frame
Here is a frame you can adapt to any subject. It keeps the content goal and the literacy goal visible side by side.
| Element | Social studies example |
|---|---|
| Content goal | Pupils explain why a community built a market near a river |
| Literacy goal | Pupils use a map key and a short text to support a claim |
| Text | A simple map and a two-paragraph description |
| Talk | Partners say "I think... because the map shows..." |
| Writing | Two sentences with a claim and map evidence |
| Support | Sentence frame and a labeled map |
The writing is brief, but it is a real social studies task: a claim backed by evidence from a source.
Writing the Rationale
A rationale should answer three questions in a few sentences. Why this strategy for this subject? Why this level of scaffolding for these learners? How will you know the literacy and the content both improved? If your rationale does not answer all three, add the missing one.
Study Tips for D690
- Pick one grade and subject and keep it consistent through the task.
- Show what the teacher says and what the children do.
- Include one scaffold for learners who need more support.
How We Help with D690
Send your task, rubric, grade and subject. A tutor can explain disciplinary literacy with examples, review your draft lesson, or prepare a model activity in a different subject for you to adapt. See our education assignment help guide for wider support.
GradeEssays is independent of Western Governors University. We provide study support, model references and editing of your own work. You complete and submit your own work under WGU's integrity policy. Orders are written from scratch, with free revisions within the scope of your original request and a full refund if late. No pass is promised.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Using reading, writing, speaking and listening in the ways particular subjects require, such as scientific explanation or historical source analysis.
The BA Elementary Education guidebook lists 3. The MAT guidebook lists the course at 2.
It is related but more specific: it focuses on how each subject's own habits of reading and writing differ.
Writing in a form the subject really uses, such as lab notes, source comparisons or explanations of mathematical reasoning.
Yes, WGU's description includes digital literacy for accessing, interpreting and sharing discipline-specific information.
No. We tutor and edit your own drafts. You complete and submit your own work.