Authentic Literacy

Reading, Writing & Discussion in Social Studies

D.C. Everest Social Studies D.C. Everest Area Schools Weston, WI 54476

http://www.dcesocialstudies.org/instructional-power-points2.html

Promoting Critical Thinking Skills

Cutting edge of technology

Content specialists

Literacy teachers

Hands-on learning

Preparing citizens for the 21st Century

Coaches/Advisors

Authentic learning

Leadership

Always checking for understanding

Rigor – high expectations

Focused on student learning

Teaching the research process

Innovative and willing to take risks

Which is most effective?(re: test scores; college/career success)

• Laptops for all/Smartboards in every classroom• Common, content-rich curriculum• ALL existing Math/literacy “programs”• Differentiated instruction• Smaller classes• Cold calling (and other “checks for understanding”)• Various small/school-within-a-school “Academies”• 90-120 minutes of purposeful reading & writing per day• “Turnaround” strategies (new faculty; school design etc.)• Cognitive/concept mapping; graphic representations

Taken from Mike Schmoker Presentation “American Reading Company Conference”

• Laptops for all/Smartboards in every classroom• Common, content-rich curriculum• ALL existing Math/literacy “programs”• Differentiated instruction• Smaller classes• Cold calling (& other “checks for understanding”)• Various small/school-within-a-school “Academies”• 90-120 minutes--purposeful reading/writing a day• “Turnaround” strategies (new faculty; school design etc.)• Cognitive/concept mapping; graphic representations

Taken from Mike Schmoker Presentation “American Reading Company Conference”

Which is most effective?(re: test scores; college/career success)

Schmoker’s Books

Evidence suggests that a high quality, common curriculum—including purposeful reading, writing and discussion is the most powerful factor that affects learning. -Marzano, 2003

Common Core & Social Studies

Not adopted in Wisconsin but still has many helpful things

Common Core focuses on reading, writing, discussion

http://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/c3/C3-Framework-for-Social-Studies.pdf

Using History to Invigorate Common-Core Lessons

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/12/11/14wineburg_ep.h33.html

“Common-core anxiety sweeps the land, and professional developers of curriculum and assessment smell dollars. Flashy brochures promise that once that purchase order is signed, every child will pass the new tests. For a pittance more, they'll make the lion lie down with the lamb.

District administrators would be wise to lay down their pens. There's a valuable resource right in front of their eyes. It requires no lengthening of the school day, no elimination of art and music, And no endorsement of checks to third-party developers. It's so familiar we no longer notice it. It's called the history/social studies curriculum.” -Sam Wineburg

Reading

Writing

Discussion

LiteracyLiteracy is the key word; the teaching of history should have is the key word; the teaching of history should have reading and writingreading and writing at its at its core.core.

Sam Wineburg, Stanford UniversitySam Wineburg, Stanford University

Reading

Use high quality fiction and non-fiction that are likely to produce strong opinions and varied interpretations such as two texts in which the authors present opposing views. – Schmoker

Use a combination of primary/secondary sources

Utilize Interactive Reading Strategies (Buehl)

Teach students to do “Close Reading”

Integrate Thinking Like a Historian framework with Reading Thoughts using interactive reading strategies

Teach vocabulary!

Non-Fiction Texts

We asked ourselves – how do adults who like history learn about history? Reading historical fiction and non-fiction is a huge way they learn about history!

Historical Fiction Texts

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/whats-the-story-the-value-of-storytelling-in-music-promotion.html

We don’t do historical fiction like a novel unit in English class. We emphasize the history! Of course the students remember the history better because of the story!

A love story that embraces the business and economic issues of the day? The Invisible Heart takes a provocative look at business, economics, and regulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at the exclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. He thinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He believes that success in business is a virtue. He believes that our humanity flourishes under economic freedom. Laura prefers Wordsworth to the Wall Street Journal. Where Sam sees victors, she sees victims. She wants the government to protect consumers and workers from the excesses of Sam's beloved market place. While Sam and Laura argue about how to make the world a better place, a parallel story unfolds across town. Erica Baldwin, the crusading head of a government watchdog agency, tries to bring Charles Krauss, a ruthless CEO, to justice. How are these two dramas connected? Why is Sam under threat of dismissal? Will Erica Baldwin find the evidence she needs? Can Laura love a man with an Adam Smith poster on his wall? The answers in The Invisible Heart give the reader a richer appreciation for how business and the marketplace transform our lives. – Amazon Description

Invisible Heart – Economics book

This makeseconomics seem so very interesting!

Graphic Novels

http://www.docslide.com/learning-history-through-graphic-novels/#chitika_close_button

Graphic Novels Meet Historical Fiction – Timeline Series

http://www.peterpappas.com/2007/01/graphic_novels_.html

D.C. Everest Oral History Project

ReadWriteDiscuss

History as stories; history is about real people

D.C. Everest Oral History Project

http://www.dceoralhistoryproject.org/

Close Reading

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2013/04/investigating-nonfiction-part-2-digging-deeper-close-reading

Frontload Key Text Vocabulary

Activate Prior Knowledge & Set Purpose for Reading1

2

Teacher Re-reads Text Aloud Modeling Self-Talk/Annotating

CLOSE READING in SOCIAL STUDIES #1

Teacher Reads Text (part/all) Aloud3

4

Make PredictionsMake ConnectionsVisualizeAsk QuestionsSummarize Evaluate

Cause/EffectThrough Their EyesTurning PointsChange/ContinuityUsing the PastDiffering Perspectives

AuthorPlace and TimePrior KnowledgeAudienceReasonMain IdeaSignificanceQuestions

Students Practice in Pairs/Check for Understanding5

6

7

Student Reading Independently w/Self-Talk/Annotating

Students Write About Text & Discuss/Debate in Pairs/Groups

Student Reads Text Independently/Records Questions

Activate Prior Knowledge & Set Purpose for Reading1

2

Teacher Reads Text Aloud Modeling Self-Talk/Annotating

CLOSE READING in SOCIAL STUDIES #2

Students Discuss Text as Pairs/Share Questions w/Class3

4

Make PredictionsMake ConnectionsVisualizeAsk QuestionsSummarize Evaluate

Cause/EffectThrough Their EyesTurning PointsChange/ContinuityUsing the PastDiffering Perspectives

AuthorPlace and TimePrior KnowledgeAudienceReasonMain IdeaSignificanceQuestions

Students Practice Rereading in Pairs w/Self-Talk/Annotating5

6

7

Teacher Checks Pairs for Understanding

Discussion/Debate to Increase Understanding of Text

Students Write about Higher Level Ideas in Text8

Reading Thoughts

Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning

Integrating TLH with Reading Strategies

Thinking Like a Historian

Current Events Reading

Teach Vocabulary

http://www.slideshare.net/ngajewski/dce-social-studies-vocabulary

Words

Frontloading is a process of intentionally exposing learners to vocabulary, concepts and skills they will later learn, either during the school day or in future unit activities.

FRONTLOAD…

- Vocabulary from a reading prior to reading

- Vocabulary from the unit to be studied next

Acquiring Vocabulary

FRONTLOADING

Word Walls

The evidence is clear that writing improves all academic subject areas.

No matter how the writing variable has been measured, the results are the same: as emphasis on classroom nonfiction writing grows, student achievement improves. We have evidence not only of reading and writing score improvement but of scores in math, science, and social studies improving as well. -Doug Reeves

Writing

Writing

Emphasize non-fiction writing

Continue to have students write essays/DBQs

Have students revise writing (process writing)

Have students write short summaries

Use short answer – constructed response items on summative unit exams in place of mc.

Follow up discussions/dramatizations/simulations with reflective writing assignments

Writing: Best Practices in the Social Studies Classroom

• Journals and Reflections

• Essay Writing

• DBQ

The DBQ Project

http://www.dbqproject.com/dbq-project-library.php

Step by Step DBQ Process

RUBRIC

Frames are provided to help students write their DBQs. We’ve changed things a little from the DBQ Project.

Teachers have gone to “checking off” one or two paragraphs ahead of time so that on the day of the writing – students don’t have as much to write and it makes grading more efficient.

The teacher checked this off ahead of time during class several days before actual assessment day

We are able to hear the voiceof Charles Upham byreading his response…

Students highlight where they used documents and included outside information to make grading easier for teachers

Simulations Write/Discuss

Follow up simulations/skits with writing and/or discussion – Don’t assume they learned it from doing the simulation

Despite the importance of

academic dialog [discussion], most students don’t engage in it until college or later. Unfortunately, according to the Learning 24/7 study, they found evidence of “academic dialog and discussion” in only 0.5% of the 1,500 classes they observed.

Schmoker, Results Now, p. 66.

Discussion

DefinitionArgumentative literacy - ability to persuade, to debate, to clarify, explain why, evaluate, make judgments

-Graff, 2003

Discussion

Discussion – Reasons to UseCan increase comprehension/learning

The teacher can use to check for understanding

Can debate controversial issues

Can discuss issues/topics and work toward better understanding/consensus/see different perspectives

Students have opportunity to practice their oral proficiency skills

Helps create a more democratic society

Discussion

Only 23% of adult in the United States engage in “cross-cutting” political talk (talking with someone with a different political perspective).

People that engaged in “cross-cutting” political talk became more tolerant.

Talking only with people who agree with you can cause your views to become even more extreme.

Diana C. Mutz, 2003

Discussion

Formative assessment Discussions provide opportunities for teachers to be formatively assessing student learning.

As students have discussions with a partner or in a small group, teachers should be listening for evidence of understanding. Teachers should be “eavesdropping” on conversations.

Levels of Questioning

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

To assess students’ critical thinking - use higher level questioning in discussions.

Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

Plan your questions out ahead of time to make sure you have higher level questioning

Discussion/Talking Formats

• Increased Questioning• Turn & Talk ( Pair/Share)• Retelling• Four Plus One• 2 x 2 Rotating Debates• Socratic Circles

Questions – No Opt Out

• Teacher poses question/idea

• Student talk for 30 seconds or so.

• Allows shy students, verbally challenged students to “try out/practice their responses.”

• Teacher uses phrase “Pachia, what did you and your partner come up with?” (This takes some pressure off of the individual.)

• This strategy works well with a ppt. presentation. Use it every 5-10 minutes.

Turn and Talk

Here is an example of a TnT Slide

Turn and Talk

T N T

There are two sides drawn. It is Jefferson vs. Hamilton.Which side would you have picked and more importantly, why?

TEAMHAMILTON

TEAMJEFFERSON

Retelling

• Students have an opportunity to process what they have read by organizing and explaining it to others.

• Research shows that retelling increases quality of comprehension.

• It allows a teacher to assess a student’s understanding.

Retelling Steps1. Explain to students the

steps of how to retell and why its important. Model it.

2. Use a graphic organizer or an appropriate handout.

3. Have students work in pairs (Pair-Share).

4. Have students alternate retelling. Give person A 3-4 minutes to explain item #1 on worksheet, agenda, or organizer.

Retelling Steps cont.

4. Then move from Pair/Share format to Large group and get feedback from class.

5. Go to next worksheet item. Have B explain to A.

6. Return to large group Discussion.

7. Repeat until completed.*Begin with shorter readings , move

toward more complicated texts.

Teach Discussion Skills

Observer

Four Plus One/College Study Group

1.Students sit in small groups of four people plus one observer.

2.Students are told that the purpose of the discussion is for everyone to come to a better understanding, not to “show off” their knowledge. They are encouraged to seek clarification on items they did not understand.

3. Speaker #1 starts with the first agenda item and then others chime in.

Four Plus One/College Study Group

4. When they are done talking about the first agenda item, Speaker #2 begins to discuss the second agenda item. Others then add their own responses.

5. The observer can tally comments/give points.

6. After a short period of time the observer becomes one of the speakers and Speaker #4 becomes the observer.

Observer

2 x 2 Rotating Discussion1.Each pair gets 2 minutes to present its position.

(Each person in the pair should speak for a minute.

2.While one pair is presenting, the other pair should be listening/jotting down what they hear, coming up with questions based on what they hear.

3.After both pairs have had a chance to present their positions, there will be 2 minutes for questions/debate in which both sides can talk at the same time.

4.Each debate will take a total of 6 minutes and then the positive pairs will rotate to a new pair for the next debate.

5.Some pairs will be asked to share their key points with the entire group.

Rotating 2 X 2’s

2 x 2 Rotating Discussion

Socratic Circles

• Divide your class into two circles, an inner circle and an outer circle.

• The inner circle explores the meaning of the text while the outer circle observes the discussion.

• The inner circle is given 10 – 12 minutes to examine and discuss the text

• The outer circle cannot interact or speak during the discussion. They are like the detective behind the two-way mirror. But rather than focusing on the content of what is being said, they are interpreting, evaluating and assessing the discussion process.

Socratic Circles

Preparing for the Discussion

Teach students a systematic

method for annotating the text. Annotations (reading thoughts) can include predictions, opinions, reflections, visualizations, connections and most importantly questions. (Circle unfamiliar vocabulary words, underline key phrases, and write questions in the margins.)

Socratic Dialog

Socratic Circles

• After 10 – 12 minutes, we have a reversal of roles. The outer circle spends 5-10 minutes providing feedback on the discussion process while the inner circle listens attentively.

• Then the two circles switch. The maintaining of the discussion-feedback-discussion-feedback pattern is essential.

Socratic Circles

Consider having the inner circle sit on the floor with the outer circle students hovering over them in desks.

Final Thought

Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning

Mike Schmoker states that given a good text, an arresting issue,students like to argue, in small groups or as a class. Argument teaches them to think and is about the best inducement we have for getting them to read purposely and write with passion and energy.