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Literacy and Literacy and Social Studies Social Studies AssessmentAssessment

The Connection Between Reading, Writing, & Extended

Response Items in Social Studies

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QuestionsQuestions How are students doing in social studies? What is being asked of NYC students? Why focus on reading and writing in social

studies? What is the link between literacy, social studies,

and the health of our political system? What about all of the social studies content I have

to cover? How do you engage students in social studies and

literacy?

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How are students doing How are students doing in social studies?in social studies?

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Data on Data on Student Performance & Social StudiesStudent Performance & Social Studies

Students are struggling with DBQs, thematic essays, source analysis, and other extended response items.

Teachers are struggling to find time to teach all subjects.

There is strong evidence that success on performance assessment in social studies leads to success in other areas.

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What is being asked of What is being asked of NYC students?NYC students?

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Grade 8 – DBQ – Essay GuidelinesGrade 8 – DBQ – Essay GuidelinesIn your essay, be sure to: Write about only two examples of technology Develop all aspects of the task Incorporate information from at least four

documents Incorporate relevant outside information Support the theme with relevant facts, examples,

and details Use a logical and clear plan of organization,

including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a restatement of the theme

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Grade 5 – DBQ – Essay GuidelinesGrade 5 – DBQ – Essay GuidelinesIn your essay remember toWrite about the ways Peter Stuyvesant

improved life in the Dutch town of New Amsterdam

Include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion

Use information from at least four documents in your answer

Include details, examples, or reasons in developing your ideas

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What is being asked of What is being asked of students in Washington students in Washington

State?State?

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OneOne PossiblePossible K-12 Scope & Sequence K-12 Scope & Sequence for Social Studies with CBAsfor Social Studies with CBAs

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You Decide – Excellent PositionYou Decide – Excellent PositionStates a position on a public issue and

concludes with a call to action.Sample

I believe that we should not have to say the Pledge of Allegiance because of the “under God” part. We should write our school board so that they will tell teachers to tell students that they do not have to say the pledge.

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You Decide – Excellent BackgroundYou Decide – Excellent BackgroundProvides background on the issue by

explaining:– Three or more stakeholders’ positions on this

issue. Sample

Michael Neudow is against the Pledge because he is an atheist and he thinks his daughter should not have to say it just because she goes to public school. He also thinks the Pledge should not be said at all because of the “under God” part.

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You Decide – Excellent ReasonsYou Decide – Excellent Reasons Reasons and evidence that includes:

– An explanation of how a right relates to the position on the issue AND

– An explanation of how the common good relates to the position on the issue.

SampleThe Bill of Rights says that the government cannot force people to follow one religion. The “under God” part of the Pledge forces people who don’t believe in God to deal with a religious belief. While I think we should all state a pledge together to show our unity and to build a stronger country, it does not have to have anything about God in it.

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You Decide – Excellent SourcesYou Decide – Excellent Sources

Lists Sources including– the title, author, type of source, and date of each

source.SampleKlein, J. Is Neudow Right? Time for Kids. March

2003.

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Why focus on reading Why focus on reading and writing in social and writing in social

studies?studies?

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Literacy & History Literacy & History WineburgWineburg

Historical thinking is a powerful form of literacy that has the potential to teach us about text in ways that no other area of the school curriculum can offer

Why integrate literacy and social studies?

“75 percent of high school seniors never get a writing assignment from their history or social studies teachers.”

“The inability to distinguish between a myth and a grounded assertion about the past destroys the foundation for participatory democracy, because students will be susceptible to any outrageous story they may be told.”

What role does analyzing sources in history play in promoting citizenship?

Barton & Levstik

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How do you engage How do you engage students in social students in social

studies and studies and literacy?literacy?

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Bellevue – Bellevue – Integrating Civics Into 5Integrating Civics Into 5thth Grade Writing Grade Writing

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Evergreen – Evergreen – Integrating Writing into Global HistoryIntegrating Writing into Global History

Engaging ProgramsEngaging ProgramsWe The People, History Day, Mock

Trial, YMCA Youth in Government, Street Law, Youth Court, and several others link opportunities to develop students’ reading and writing skills while engaging them in social studies

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Engaging Sites & SourcesEngaging Sites & Sources National Clearinghouse on Teaching History:

www.teachinghistory.org Ben’s Guide: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/election/index.html Center on Congress:

http://www.centeroncongress.org/learn_about/launcher.htm Martha Ballard’s Diary:

http://dohistory.org/diary/exercises/lens/index.html Diary of Opal Whiteley: http://intersect.uoregon.edu/opal/

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Online Writing & Research ToolsOnline Writing & Research ToolsThesis Builder:

http://www.ozline.com/electraguide/thesis.html Awesome Highlighter:

http://www.awesomehighlighter.comNote Taking:

http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=722&title=

CitationsCitationsFREE

– Knight Citehttp://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/

– Oregon OSLIS Citation Makerhttp://www.oslis.k12.or.us/secondary/

index.php?page=citeSources – Citation Machine (Warlick)

http://citationmachine.net/ – Noodlebib Express

http://www.noodletools.com

SUBSCRIPTION– Noodlebib

http://www.noodletools.com

Essay MapEssay Map

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/essaymap/

ReadabilityReadability

Readability.info

Lexiles.com

Check readability in MS word

Questions? Feedback?Questions? Feedback?

Caleb PerkinsSenior Academic OfficerEmpowerment Schools Associationcperkins@schools.nyc.gov347-497-2782

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What is the connection What is the connection between literacy, social between literacy, social studies, and the health studies, and the health of our political system?of our political system?

“The inability to distinguish between a myth and a grounded assertion about the past destroys the foundation for participatory democracy, because students will be susceptible to any outrageous story they may be told.”

What role does analyzing sources in history play in promoting citizenship?

Barton & Levstik

“…if Americans should ever find themselves coalescing around a single version of the past endorsed by the government, they are also likely to discover that they no longer have a democracy.”

(Nash, Crabtree, & Dunn, 2000, p.xx, History on Trial)

Effects of No Child Left Behind – Effects of No Child Left Behind – Center on Education PolicyCenter on Education Policy

Survey - July 24, 2007Survey - July 24, 2007 Average change in instructional time in

elementary schools since 2002 (minutes per week):– Reading: +140 – Math: +87 – Social Studies: - 76– Science: - 75– Art: - 57– Gym: - 40

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Recent Research on Civic Education Recent Research on Civic Education (2008)(2008)

Students who are more academically successful or white and those with parents of higher socioeconomic status receive more classroom-based civic learning opportunities.

Schools appear to be exacerbating inequality by not providing equal civic preparation to students in most need of civic skills and resources.

(Kahne & Middaugh)

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What about all of What about all of the social studies the social studies content I have to content I have to

cover?cover?

Essential Knowledge – Marzano, Kendall, & Gaddy

It is time for educators and citizens to make hard choices about what is truly essential for students to learn. Schools cannot teach everything in depth.

E.D. Hirsch’s lists are flawed because they value familiarity of knowledge over the significance of what students learn

Richard J. Paxton’s 2003 Meta-analysis of historical knowledge surveys:From 1917 to the present, students have answered approximately the same percentage of questions correctly on tests of history.

How should we assess student’s understanding of social studies?

“The biggest problem facing history students today involves the retention of decontextualized historical facts.” - Paxton

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How should students learn civics? How should students learn civics? - CIRCLE- CIRCLE

Exposure to civics-related coursework is not enough to make more than a marginal difference for the vast majority of students. Far more important to predicting knowledge and discussion is whether students acquire a liking for the subject matter.