Florida Council for the Social Studies 2011 Conference Writing in Social Studies Made Simple: Engaging Strategies for Student Success Kathleen Kopp Teacher on Special Assignment, Citrus County Schools Author and Presenter: Maupin House Publishing koppk@citrus.k12.fl.us http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/fre/kopp/ContentAreaWriting.htm

Today’s Objectives Review of CCSS ELA writing standards as they apply to social studies Fabulous vocabulary writing strategies to engage students’ thinking Quick and easy learning strategies that require students to think about and respond to learning through writing Fun, creative, motivating writing projects that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of content while simultaneously addressing the CCSS Writing Standards for Literacy in Social Studies

Comparisons Complete this thought: Writing in Social Studies is like _____________________ because_________________________________________. Word Bank: storming a castle jet skiing munching an apple shopping NASCAR a day at the beach

Analogies Complete this thought: Writing is to Social Studies as ___________________ is to ________________________________________.

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, gr. 6-8 Description Text Types and Purposes 1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. 2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events. 3 NA Production and Distribution of Writing 4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. 6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. http://www.corestandards.org/

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, gr. 6-8 Description Research to Build and Extend Knowledge 7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. 8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. 9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research. Range of Writing 10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. http://www.corestandards.org/

Writing Strategies to Develop Social Studies Vocabulary Mine, Ours, Theirs Frayer model Graphic organizers from http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/ Student-generated cloze (story, paragraph, or sentence)

My Neighbor’s Definition Mine, Ours, Theirs PROCLAMATION To prevent any more fighting with American Indians, Britain made a proclamation. The Proclamation of 1763 said that colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. My Definition My Neighbor’s Definition Glossary Definition How these definitions compare______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

My Neighbor’s Definition Mine, Ours, Theirs OBFUSCATION The senator’s continuous, disorganized, and irrelevant prattle left his fellow elected leaders in a state of obfuscation. My Definition My Neighbor’s Definition Glossary Definition How these definitions compare______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Total confusion or opaqueness so as to be difficult to perceive or understand

Frayer Model OBFUSCATION Definition Characteristics Examples Non-examples Total confusion or opaqueness so as to be difficult to perceive or understand Confusion Lost In a fog Ignorant TESOL Conference ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Wise old owl My dad

Using Graphic Organizers to Build Vocabulary http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/

Vocabulary Cards Graphic Organizer http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/

Vocabulary Word Cluster Graphic Organizer

Vocabulary Sketch Graphic Organizer

“Cognitive Dictionary” Graphic Organizer

Student-generated Cloze Have students write sentences, paragraphs, or stories using all their vocabulary words. Collect the students’ work. Select the best sentences, paragraph, or story. Type them using a word processing program. Insert blank lines (_____________) for each vocabulary term. Provide copies of the cloze student activity sheet and terms. Have students complete this activity to assess their understanding of the vocabulary presented in the reading selection.

Try it! appointment concurrent powers delegated powers impeach Choose one word. Write a sentence. Insert a blank line for your word. appointment concurrent powers delegated powers impeach obfuscation representative democracy reserved powers veto

Sample Cloze Jeff, the Jamestown historian, began his tour. “The ____________ of Jamestown was established in 1607. The people who came here were some of the first ____________. The original colonists were mostly ____________ and ____________. They were searching for the freedom to live out what they believed to be the ____________ they shared with their God. The ____________ began to thrive when rules were changed. New rules allowed some colonists to grow ____________. One example is corn. Wheat is another. Other colonists could be ____________. Early shopkeepers were blacksmiths, coopers, and tailors. As you can see, life in Colonial America was very different from today.” Then, the tour ended. colonist Puritan proprietor cash crop settlement pilgrim covenant

Writing in Social Studies Resources Try it a la carte! New Resource! http://www.maupinhouse.com/

Writing Strategies to Develop Concepts and Skills PMI (Plusses, Minuses, and Interesting) Frayer model Graphic organizers from http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/ Comprehension skills: main idea/details, compare/contrast, sequencing, cause/effect, etc. Comprehension connections Sticky Notes (anchor charts) Give One, Get One (review strategy) Concept map acrostic (review strategy) Writing Projects

“Should we amend the Constitution to make flag desecration a crime?” PMI YES _____ NO _____ “Should we amend the Constitution to make flag desecration a crime?” PLUSSES MINUSES INTERESTING

Civic Responsibilities Frayer Model Civic Responsibilities Definition Characteristics Examples Non-examples

Historical Significance Frayer Model Early Explorers Historical Significance Spanish Italian British

Main Idea and Details Graphic Organizer

Tree Diagram (main idea/details) Graphic Organizer

Compare/contrast Graphic Organizer

Triple Venn

8 Events Sequencing Chart

“Chain of Events” Graphic Organizer

Cause-effect Graphic Organizer

Note Taker Graphic Organizer

“Open Mind” Making Connections Graphic Organizer Thinking Stems: I wonder… This makes me think about… This reminds me of… This relates to… I imagine I predict… I remember when…

Guest Speaker Notebook Entry Issue: Should Parson City develop land in a protected wetland? Notes Personal Reflection/connection “I think…”

Review Strategy: Give One, Get One Fold paper twice vertically and horizontally (nine squares) Write three facts about a topic in any three squares. See six friends (maybe more). You “give” them one of your facts, and in exchange, you “get” one of theirs. No facts can repeat on the page. Use this as a concept or topic review.

What It Looks Like Topic: Latitude and Longitude Latitude lines are shown every 10 degrees. Longitude lines are shown every 15 degrees. Latitude lines run parallel to the equator.

Review Strategy: Concept Map Acrostic Use chart paper. Make enough charts so that no more than six students are in a group. Write one essential term or concept vertically on each paper. Give each group a marker. Each student, in turn, writes one sentence related to the concept using the letter of the concept as the first word of his sentence. Every student writes a sentence. Encourage collaboration. Students can use notes, text, or other resources to write their facts. Use this as a concept or topic review.

Project-based Learning in Social Studies An opportunity for students to show what they learned through authentic, novel, and creative writing projects

Writing Project Resources Lots of great authentic writing project ideas in the Learning through Writing Series (Maupin House Publishing, Inc.) Award-winning Series!

Why Learning Projects? Dynamic Authentic Interdisciplinary Emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving, and communication: 21st century skills Students explore real-world problems and challenges Active learning Engaging Motivate students to find out more about a given topic Give students a reason to learn and apply learned skills and information

What would you rather do? Your principal has assigned your team to read an article related to homework practices. She asks for some evidence of learning. This will be part of your overall year-end appraisal. Would you rather… Write a summary of the article Create a Power Point of key points from the article Write a narrative which includes examples of best homework practices described in the text Create a poster to explain best practices with regard to homework with meaningful examples of homework assignments Interview other teachers regarding their homework practices and compare their ideas with those in the article Keep a journal of your own homework assignments throughout the year and analyze how they are aligned with the ideas in the article Other

Jazzed-up Reports “States” Write an acceptance speech as if you have just been elected Governor of your state. Tell what you plan to do to improve life in this state. Include ideas related to the economy, agriculture, and historic or ecological preservation. “Historic People” The “People Channel” wants to do a show about this famous person. Develop three or more scenes or segments for the show. Each scene should highlight an important event in this person’s life. “Government” Write a script between a former politician and a present-day politician. Develop a possible dialogue between them as they discuss a past or current issue of interest.

Student Stories Mad Libs RAFTS Anecdotes Articles Biographies Book jackets Book reviews Diaries Folktales Ghost stories Interviews Legends Letters Mysteries Plays Postcards Proposals Reviews Science fiction Speech Summaries Tall tales Travelogues Tributes

TERMS Try This! colonist Puritan proprietors cash crop settlement Begin a graphic novel about the Colonial period. Include all seven vocabulary words in your narrative. Write a ghost story that takes place during Colonial times. Include all seven vocabulary words in your narrative. Write a Colonial town tour script as if you were a tour guide leading visitors through a living history museum. Use all seven words in your description of the town. ON MY OWN TERMS colonist Puritan proprietors cash crop settlement pilgrim covenant

Don’t forget the assessment tool! Criteria Points Possible Points Earned Effective and appropriate use of seven terms 35 Format is appropriate for purpose 20 Accuracy of facts and information related to the Colonial period Appropriate and effective text structure 10 Correctness of grammar, spelling, and punctuation Attention to audience 5 TOTAL 100

Write Now! Writing allows students to internalize their learning. Writing about reading helps students build needed vocabulary. Writing about reading allows students to organize the content they are learning. Writing strategies can be done before, during, and after learning. Writing is a great formative assessment strategy. Writing can be used to assess student learning of any subject matter, but should include clear, measurable expectations. (And, students should know these expectations ahead of time.)

Thank you for spending time with me! koppk@citrus.k12.fl.us http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/fre/kopp/ContentAreaWriting.htm