reading and writing in social studies essentials of elementary social studies by turner, russell,...

Essentials of Elementary Social Studies By Turner, Russell, Waters Copyright 2013

Chapter 6

Reading and Writing in Social Studies


Looking AheadWhat role does information and

communication skills have in the elementary social studies curriculum?

What information skills are most essential to elementary social studies?

What tools are available for teachers and students for teaching/learning these skills?

What pitfalls/problems exist for teachers and students when utilizing those tools?


Can You –Name the four basic purposes for reading

and writing assignments in social studies?Identify the specific reading abilities

students need in social studies?Explain how to use textbooks with students

who cannot read?Think of ways to use fiction books in social

studies?Help students use the Internet for

research?


Do You –Know what students dislike most about using

references?Know how to break students out of the “copy

from the Internet” habit?Know how to make social studies book reports

interesting?Know how to help students learn to organize

their writing?Know several ways to teach new concepts and

new vocabulary?Know some ways to actually shorten what

students have to read?Know why it is important for students to

understand the organization of reading material?


Focus Activity What was your favorite book(s) as child?

Why?Do you remember reading or having it

read to you by a parent or teacher?Share experiences with classmates.Discuss the details of the book(s) and how

you might use them in your classroom.


Reading and Writing Assignments in Social StudiesWhat traits should an effective

assignment have?Provoke the curiosity of studentsTeacher facilitated (i.e. challenging but

not impossible)Able to be accomplished in an amount of

time appropriate to the age and ability of students

Clearly organized and understandable


Reading Skills Needed in Social StudiesRecognize the organization of reading materials

Bring meaning to readingRead for a purposeRead critically


Helping Students Read Social Studies Materials

1. Pre-teach difficult vocabulary prior to reading.

2. Reduce the length of independent reading tasks.

3. Provide specific, clear purposes for reading.

4. Help students get a sense of the “story” that the reading material is telling, developing their predictive skills.


Less Can Be More: Quality Reading in Social StudiesWhat are some ways a teacher can

reduce the quantity but maintain the quality of the social studies reading?Use student-written summaries instead of the

textUse teacher-written summaries instead of the

textUse textbook cut-upsTry textbook highlightingExperiment with question write-insCooperate with class divide-ups


Reading TextbooksWhat do teachers need to do in

order to use textbooks effectively?Give specific, purposeful assignmentsStimulate interest in doing the readingMake sure that students have the skills

needed to do the assignmentProvide supervision, monitoring, and help

where neededFollow up on reading assignments


Reading Question and Task StatementsWhat strategies can help students better

understand the questions they are being asked?Teach students to be sensitive to the nature of

question words and to the nature of the answers these words demand (i.e. who, what, where, etc.)

Alert students to organizational features of textbooks related to questions


Reading Social Studies Themed Trade BooksWhat are trade books?

Trade books constitute a variety of reading topics and formats, including biographies, fiction, and poetry; written for various levels.

Why might you utilize biographies?Fiction?Poetry?


Connecting Reading and Writing in Social StudiesEconomic reportsArcheology reportsStory museum reportsComic reportsShoe box story paradeBook trialsHistorical creation reportsStory geographySociometries of booksPublicity and review reports


Organizing to WriteWhat are the base or prerequisite

skills needed for many if not all writing jobs?Note takingWriting answers to questionsOutlining

Do NOT assume students know how to do this


Developing Research and Reporting SkillsWhat are the benefits of having

students complete reports?What type of reporting is best for

elementary students?What is a real danger in having

students complete reports?


Writing CreativelyIn-role writing?Modeling cultures?Problem-solving stories?

Diary?Collaborative writing?


Looking Back Social studies is knowledge most readily

communicated through print.Reading and writing grow through practice and

they are linked to thinking.There are several strategies that teachers can

use to help studentsPre-teaching vocabularyReducing the actual length of reading assignmentsProviding sufficient and clear purposes for reading Developing predictive skills


ExtensionYou have been procrastinating in completing your

trade book adoptions project. Feeling a little stressed about the timeline, you consider alternatives. In the end you decide you only have two options.

Option One: Develop your own list of 20 books you could use in your classroom to help teach social studies.

Option Two: Partner with your other grade level teachers and develop one list of 20 books that all the teachers in your grade will utilize to help teach social studies.


ExtensionSelect an option.Develop a trade book adoption list. The list

should include at least 20 recently published trade books.

The list should also include all bibliographic information:summary of the booksdiscussion of how you could use the book in

social studiespossible state and national standards addressed


ExtensionWhat are the advantages/disadvantages of

having your other grade level teachers input and adopting one set of trade books?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of selecting your own list of 20 books for adoption?

What qualities, topics, etc., would you seek in the new books?


Self-Test1. What are the four basic purposes for which

reading and writing assignments are used in independent seat work?

2. What are the qualities that you need to look for in a non-fiction book?

3. What are some different kinds of fiction material that can be used in social studies?

4. What are the purposes of learning research and reporting skills?

5. How are guidelines useful in making textbook questions more meaningful?


Self-Test6. Why do teachers have students write

reports and present them orally?7. Describe several ways of teaching

concepts and vocabulary to students.8. What is SQ3R?9. What is meant by the term “purposeful

reading” and why is the concept important?


ResourcesLibresco, A., Blantic, J., & Kipling, J. (2011).

Every Book Is a Social Studies Book: How to Meet Standards with Picture Books, K-6. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

The Great Books Foundation – http://www.greatbooks.org/

Storyline Online – http://www.storylineonline.net/

TumbleBooks – http://www.tumblebooks.com/

reading and writing in social studies essentials of elementary social studies by turner, russell,...

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