Common Core State Standards for the Social Studies

An Introduction

Background

• A state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)

• Developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.

http://www.corestandards.org/

“College and Career Ready”

What does it really mean?

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those

who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” – Alvin Toffler

CCSS and NGSSS

• CCSS has been included in all course descriptions!• NGSSS is not going away. NGSSS are content (e.g.

Civil War, Renaissance, etc.)• CCSS are skills that we want our students to have

upon exiting the classroom (e.g. identifying a central idea, conducting research, etc.)

• CCSS are a way to facilitate content – not replace it, or adding to it

What do the CCSS for Social Studies look like?

Common Core and Social Studies

• Reading and Writing are the focus• Standards help to facilitate content, not more

content• Standards are divided into “clusters”• There are four clusters for both reading and

writing• Ten “anchor standards” make up the clusters

Let’s take a closer look…

Reading: Four Clusters (pg 60)

• Key Ideas and Details• Craft and Structure• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas• Range of Reading and Level of Text

Complexity

Page 61 breaks down grade specific elements for 6-12

Writing: Four Clusters (pg 63)

• Text Types and Purposes• Production and Distribution of Writing• Research to Build and Present Knowledge• Range of Writing

Page 64-66 breaks down grade specific elements for 6-12

What About K-5?

• CCSS were not written for social studies in K-5• Experts in ELA and Social Studies carefully

selected CCSS from the ELA standards for these courses

• Allows for easier integration between the two subjects

How to Read CCCS in Social Studies Course Descriptions

• LACC = Language Arts Common Core• MACC = Math Common Core• RH = Reading History• WHST = Writing History

LACC.68.RH.1.1

Language Arts Common Core Grades 6-8

Reading History

Cluster 1 Anchor Standard 1

So What’s Next?

• Explore the standards. Most likely you will notice that this is just good teaching that you probably already do.

• Take a look at your most updated course description.