Content Literacy in Secondary Social Studies

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Content Literacy in Secondary Social Studies

• Nancy Hester, RESC XIII
• nancy.hester_at_esc13.txed.net
• Candace Bixler, RESC XIII
• candace.bixler_at_esc13.txed.net

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Content Literacy

• Content Literacy is the ability to use reading
  and writing for the acquisition of new content in
  a given discipline.
• -McKenna and Robinson 1990

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Our Purpose

• To help teachers effectively engage students with
  difficult content in their classes using reading
  and writing strategies.

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Our Goals

• To understand why reading and writing are
  important in social studies
• To learn new strategies for helping students
  understand what they read in social studies

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Why learn more about Reading and Social Studies?

• Social Studies is driven by content like no other
  subject
• Our Mile wide and Inch Deep Curriculum

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Why learn more about Reading and Social Studies?

• 85 to 95 percent of the content addressed in
  social studies comes from the textbook
• Newspapers, handouts, atlases, magazines, primary
  and secondary sources, and the internet provide
  readable content for the classroom

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Why learn more about Reading and Social Studies?

• Many of us have had absolutely NO training in
  reading strategies
• Many of us do not know what good reading
  strategies look like

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Reading Comprehension Strategies
OrganizeKnowledge
Activate Prior Knowledge and Set a Purpose for
Reading
MakeInference
RespondTo the Ideas in the Text Think While You
ReadTo Keep Track of Whether Things Make
SenseUse Fix-Up StrategiesWhen Things Dont
Make Sense
Visualize
Figure Out What isImportant
Find out the Meanings of Unknown Words
Ask Questions
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Social Studies Nightmares!
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The Truth..The Whole Truth.Have You Ever
Felt Like This?
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Social Studies Reading Nightmares!

• Student Id rather take a Zero! Students
  dont do assigned readings.

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Social Studies Reading Nightmares!

• Student Social Studies is not the least bit
  fun or interesting to me! Students do not see
  the relevance to their daily lives and think
  social studies is boring.

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Social Studies Reading Nightmares!

• Teacher It isnt worth my time. There are too
  many students in my classes who are not good
  readers! Teachers perceive that students have
  given up, because the teacher has.

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What type of learner will I encounter in my
classroom?

• English Language Learner
• Student with Characteristics of Dyslexia
• Gifted
• Others

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Prior Knowledge

• Lack of an Intellectual Hook - Students may lack
  the background knowledge about the topic in the
  text. This means they will also have problems
  with the vocabulary because they do not have
  concepts for the words used to present
  information about the topic.

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Prior Knowledge

• The Multiplier Effect - Students may have the
  prior knowledge but fail to use it or realize the
  connection to the text. Pre-reading activities
  may help trigger one student who shares her
  comments and triggers prior knowledge in other
  students.

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Prior Knowledge

• Students may have prior knowledge that is
  incorrect or incomplete. This will interfere
  with new learning because we tend to cling to
  what we already think is true.

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Pre-Reading Strategies
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Pre-Reading Strategies Why?

• Set the Purpose for Reading
• Review Important Vocabulary
• Access Prior Knowledge
• Visualize and Predict
• Determine Importance

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Pre-Reading Strategies What?

• KWL
• Concept Maps
• Concept Mastery Routine
• Chapter Tour
• Word Splash

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Word Splash
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Word Splash

• Select six to ten social studies terms, people,
  or phrases from a unit of study. Be sure to
  include not only similar words that will indicate
  the subject of the selection but also some of the
  words and phrases that seem contradictory to the
  others.
• Give each student a little time to think about
  what the terms, people, or phrases have in
  common.

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Word Splash

• Ask students to form small groups of three to
  five (or you can assign them to groups). In
  their groups, they should decide what the main
  category or topic is for the terms, people, or
  phrases. They should also create a narrative or
  an explanation that will include all of the words
  or phrases.
• Ask each group to share their narrative or
  explanation. Ask students to list the common
  elements they heard and list these elements on
  the board.

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Word Splash

• Assessment
• Students, in small groups, are able to create a
  story using 90 of the words presented.
• Students are able to identify and list at least
  one common element from every narrative presented.

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Concept Mastery Routine
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Chapter TourBeing Your Own Guide
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Chapter Tour

• When you take a tour of a museum the guide helps
  you to focus on what is interesting or important.
• Talk the students through the chapter. Provide
  enough direction and background so they can learn
  what is important in the reading.

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Chapter Tour

• Students are encouraged to look at the chapter to
  see the big picture first before tackling the
  details.
• Students are conditioned to make more systematic
  use of reader aids provided within a chapter.

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Chapter Tour

• Make special notice of ways the chapter forecasts
  organizational structure
• Cause and Effect
• Compare and Contrast
• Concept and Definition
• Problem and Solution

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Chapter Tour

• Make special notice of ways the chapter signals
  key themes, concepts, and ideas
• Change
• Crisis
• Progress

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Chapter Tour

• Variation Allow students to work with a partner
  to complete a chapter tour and verbalize what
  they are discovering about the topic or chapter
  organization.

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During-Reading Strategies
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During-Reading Strategies Why?

• Comprehend Information
• Construct Meaning
• Active Engagement

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During-Reading Strategies What?

• Graphic Notes
• Graphic Organizers
• Power Notes
• Double Diary Notes

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Graphic Notes
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Graphic Notes

• Graphic Notes utilize the following tools to help
  manage difficult text so that meaningful learning
  may occur
• A Visual
• Arrows from the visual
• Textboxes

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• Battle of the Headscarf
• Ataturk, ruler of Turkey in the 1920s changed
  the way Turks dressed, eliminated the headscarf,
  gave women the vote, and pushed religion to the
  sidelines. He called the system of secular
  nationalism, Kemalism. The modern guardians of
  Kemalism in Turkey are the military generals.
• Today in Turkey, the headscarf has become a
  highly charged symbol of the collision of a
  secular state (Kemalism) and Islamic law. Muslim
  girls demand the right to wear a headscarf when
  they go to school.
• In 1996 an Islamist became Prime Minister of
  Turkey and proclaimed a new moderation of secular
  society.
• What lies ahead for the women of Turkey who
  consider Islam to be a vital part of who they
  are?

• Crisis of Identity
• Muslims have been wrestling with modernity for
  200 years.
• During the Golden Age of Islam, Muslims were on
  the cutting edge of science and progress.
• Many Muslims believe that there is no
  contradiction between Islam and science. Islam
  encourages us to learn more about ourselves.
• How does one reconcile Islamic tradition with
  todays world?
• Should a modern state adopt secular law or
  Islamic law known as the Sharia?
• Islamists believe that modern Islamic states
  should replace their secular governments with
  Islamic law.
• Legal issues with regard to marriage and womens
  rights are at the heart of the identity crisis.

• The Pressure for Change
• Women in Iran were active participants in the
  revolution.
• Some women openly flout the Islamic dress code
  with make-up and jewelry, and colorful
  headscarves worn far back on the head.
• Three-quarters of the people of Iran are under
  30.
• Iran had a series of autocratic rulers, including
  the Shah, before Islamism.

• Islam and the West
• Many modern Muslims live and work in the West.
  Concepts such as rationalism, skepticism and
  individualism essential characteristics of
  modernity and the principles of democracy and
  republican government are at odds with Islamic
  law for many Muslims.
• Conservatives insist on obedience to truth as
  revealed by the Prophet Muhammad. Modernists
  argue that reason enables human beings to
  interpret revealed truth in light of modern
  conditions.
• Most Muslims do not embrace either Islamism or
  secularism whole-heartedly. Both are viewed with
  suspicion. Many believe that modernization
  equals Westernization.
• The current crisis of understanding between
  Muslims and the West could lead to greater
  understanding or greater polarization.

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Graphic Notes

• Graphic Notes can help to engage struggling
  students
• The format is visual
• The requested text is shortened
• Connections are made from the visual to the text
• Weaknesses in language development are minimized
• Weaknesses in organization are minimized

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Column Notes
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Column Notes

• Based on the old Cornell Notes system
• Column Notes lend themselves to many variations
• Two-Column
• Three-Column
• Category Headings

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Post-Reading Strategies
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Post-Reading Strategies Why?

• Metacognition Reflecting on our Thinking
• Synthesizing Information
• Looking for Evidence - How do you know??

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Post-Reading Strategies What?

• KWL
• Concept Maps
• Think-Pair-Share
• Paired Reviews
• Journal Writing
• Discussion Web
• The Frame Routine

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Discussion Web
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Discussion Web

• Enables students to actively participate in a
  discussion
• Provide a framework for evaluating both sides of
  an issue or question
• Help students develop and organize support for
  their positions

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Yes
No
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The Frame Routine
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The FRAME Routine

• The FRAME Routine benefits all children, but the
  enhancement in learning for LD, ADHD, and at-risk
  learners is dramatic. We believe this is the
  most effective teaching tool weve ever used.
• Shawna Tatarchuck and Pam Yandle
• Auburn, Alabama

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Make all your lessons

• Memorable and Meaningful

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Contact Us

• Nancy Hester, Social Studies Specialist
• [phone]
• nancy.hester_at_esc13.txed.net
• www.esc13.net/socialstudies
• Candace Bixler, Reading Specialist
• [phone]
• candace.bixler_at_esc13.txed.net