Category Archives: reading

Using elementary Evidence-Based Terms in social studies classrooms

best practice, C4, common core, Glenn Wiebe, graphic organizer, historical thinking, literacy, primary sources, reading, strategies, , , , , ,

evidence-based-terms2As we move into a social studies world that is asking kids to collect evidence, organize evidence, create products, and communicate results, writing skills are becoming more and more important.

But for the last ten years or so, at least in the state of Kansas, we’ve asked kids to focus instead on memorizing content. So now when we’re asking our middle school and high school students to not just write more but to use evidence while proving assertions, we get a lot of blank stares.

My suggestion?

Steal a practice used by a lot of elementary teachers and start training your secondary kids to use evidence-based terms while writing.

Evidence-based terms are simple phrases that support the use of, well . . . evidence. So if we ask kids to look a couple of primary source documents and develop a thesis from their analysis, they have some scaffolding to help them do that.

Examples of evidence-based terms? Continue reading Using elementary Evidence-Based Terms in social studies classrooms →

The Dreaded Textbook

Cassie Medley, graphic organizer, lesson plans, literacy, reading, strategies

I would almost be willing to bet money on the fact that my student’s least favorite part of my class is when I say “grab your textbooks.”  The groans that echo around the room are enough to keep me from repeating that phrase very often, but I know my kids still need to learn how to use their textbooks, so I brave the sound effects every now and then.  What my students dread most is opening the book and silently reading hundreds of pages (or at least it feels like that many to them), so I try to find fun reading strategies to alleviate the amount of reading while still ensuring my kids are getting the information they need. Continue reading The Dreaded Textbook →

When One of Your Heroes is a Bad Person…

Brad Burenheide, history, lesson plans, primary sources, reading, strategies

I must confess that as a history junkie I consistently became a “fan” of some of the historical figures that I have studied.  While not a professional historian, I realize that this can be a no-no when you get into the research of one of these individuals.  As has happened many a time, I was heartbroken the more I found out about these individual’s unsavory habits:  William T. Sherman thoughts on the African-American, Churchill’s drinking more than what should have been humanly possible, LBJ’s “locker-room” behavior.

A Person With Foibles

All of these things brought the startling reality of these humans being in reality, humans.  While still disappointed in the behavior of historical heroes, it added a depth of complexity and dare I say aesthetic pleasure to my historical study than I have ever enjoyed before.  In the remainder of this point, I want to share an activity with you that may paint a picture you did not know about Albert Einstein.   Continue reading When One of Your Heroes is a Bad Person… →

Literacy strategies and book sites

books, common core, Glenn Wiebe, literacy, reading, strategies, writing, , ,

Feeling a bit uneasy about how to respond to the Common Core Literacy Standards for History / Government? Struggling with what that looks like? Need a few ideas and suggestions for integrating reading and writing into your social studies instruction?

Here ya go! Continue reading Literacy strategies and book sites →

Chicken Foot

graphic organizer, historical thinking, lesson plans, literacy, Megan Klassen, primary sources, reading, , , ,

A great activity I like to use with my students is called “Chicken Foot”.

  1. They love the name.
  2. It’s a good way to teach students to pick out the main points of a text, primary source document, picture, etc.

I learned this strategy at a Pre-AP Summer Institute I went to in 2010 in Norman, Oklahoma. After viewing the document, students write the main idea on the “leg”, then they pick three points or elements of the text that the students feel are super important and that everyone needs to know about the document. They write the three main points on the “toes” (if that’s what they are!). Continue reading Chicken Foot →