Using Content-Area Literacy Strategies in Social Studies Instruction
Gina Kirchner
Emily Herman
NOTE: There is no recording for this webinar.
Using Content-Area Literacy Strategies in Social Studies Instruction
During the webinar, we explored disciplinary literacy and content area literacy in elementary social studies. We welcomed instructional leaders Gina Kirchner and Emily Herman from Lakota Local Schools. They shared details with us about a case study they are designing to provide content area literacy supports to elementary social studies teachers at Lakota.
Key Takeaways
Lakota has adopted Inquiry Journeys, inquirED's K-6 social studies curriculum. Inquiry Journeys challenges students to undertake sustained investigations and build disciplinary literacy in History, Geography, Economics, and Civics. Because it is unique to build disciplinary literacy in younger students, students have encountered more challenging textual sources than in the past.
The aim of the Lakota's case study is to help teachers analyze readings & predict obstacles so that they can provide scaffolding to students with appropriate content area literacy strategies.
Resources
- Text Complexity Cards: A set of identification cards that describes the ways in which a text might be challenging, then provides possible strategies to scaffold understanding.
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Inquiry Journeys, inquirED's K-5 social studies curriculum, engages students in inquiry-based learning, strengthens literacy skills, and supports teachers every step of the way.
inquirED was founded by teachers with the mission of bringing inquiry-based social studies to every classroom. Inquiry Journeys, inquirED’s elementary social studies curriculum, is used in schools and districts across the country to help students develop deep social studies content knowledge and build the inquiry skills that are essential for a thriving democracy.
