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“I honestly believe that social studies could be on the cusp of its greatest moment-that is could soon be a subject students come to love and look forward to. But to ensure that happens, we must infuse generous amounts of current and historical texts into students’ weekly social studies diet. Such documents should include primary source documents, alternative histories, and also current issues and events found in newspaper and magazine articles. These should be introduced no later than the upper elementary grades. Such supplemental texts could be a real game-changer, with a profound impact on students’ sense of what history is and how it connects to the to their personal lives, culture, and communities.”

- Mike Schmoker, Focus, Elevating the Essentials

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Shifts in Social Studies�

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Structural Changes (Shifts) to Ohio’s Social Studies Standards�

- Ohio Department of Education

Change from seven standards to four conceptual strands

The four conceptual strands used are: History, Geography, Government and Economics. These set the stage for more in-depth study.

2. Inclusion of skills for each of the strands embedded throughout grades K -8 and high school

Skills topics include: Historical Thinking and Skills; Spatial Thinking and Skills; Civic Participation and Skills; Economic Decision Making and Skills; and Financial Literacy. These can set the stage for student-centered lessons that will enable them to be college and career ready.�

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Structural Shifts�

- Ohio Department of Education

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Instructional Shifts for Social Studies

- Ohio Department of Education

Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts

In history/social studies, students read narrative accounts about individuals, events and processes, etc. The use of primary sources promotes historical inquiry and analysis. Students analyze nonfiction, fiction and information texts to learn history and social studies.

2. Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text

Students defend their interpretations or judgments with evidence from the text(s) they are writing about. In history/social studies, students analyze evidence from multiple primary and secondary sources to advance a claim that is best supported by the evidence, and they argue for a historically or empirically situated interpretation.�

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Instructional Shifts for Social Studies

In addition to aligning their curriculum and lessons to Ohio’s New Learning Standards for Social Studies, Ohio teachers are also expected to integrate the reading, writing, speaking, listening, research skills outlined in the ELA CCSS standards for grades K-5 and the Grades 6-12 Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies

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Instructional Shifts for Social Studies

The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA) but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Just as students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas, so too must the Standards specify the literacy skills and understandings required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.

Literacy standards for grade 6 and above are predicated on teachers of ELA, history/social studies, science, and technical subjects using their content area expertise to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields (Disciplinary Literacy).

It is important to note that the 6–12 literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are not meant to replace content standards in those areas but rather to supplement them. States may incorporate these standards into their standards for those subjects or adopt them as content area literacy standards.

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College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards

The shifts outlined by the Ohio Department of Education and skills outlined in the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards are also evident in the recently released College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards

- College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards

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College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards

- Teaching Historical Thinking with Objects Online Course, SmithsonianX

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College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Inquiry Arc

- College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards

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Instructional Shifts for Social Studies

Ohio’s New Generation of Assessments

Social Studies students will be assessed in the areas of reading informational text, writing, speaking, listening, and research (research simulations) on the PARCC Language Arts Assessment. This reinforces the need for all subject area teachers to teach literacy skills in their classrooms. The new ODE Assessments for grades 4 and 6 and high school American History and Government will be modeled on the new PARCC Assessments.

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“What signifies knowing the names, if you know not the nature of things.”

– Ben Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac

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Reading Like a Historian�

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Reading Like a Historian

Why Historical Thinking Video Guide Video Tour

Getting Students to Think Like Historians Article

- Stanford History Education Group

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Reading Like a Historian Lesson Examples

Example 1 - Read and complete the Battle of Lexington Lesson (original documents / powerpoint) from the Stanford History Education Group. Reference the following text excerpt about Lexington and Concord to complete the Battle of Lexington lesson plan: McDougal Littel Creating America Student Edition, page 157 (2003)

Example 2 - Read and Complete the Montezuma and Cortes Lesson (original documents) from the Stanford Education Group, which includes a textbook excerpt.

Opening Up the Textbook (OUT)

Opening Up the Textbook Instruction Video

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Types of Reading Like a Historian Lessons

Opening Up the Textbook (OUT): In these lessons, students examine two documents: the textbook and a historical document that challenges or expands the textbook's account. For a sample OUT, see the Battle of Little Bighorn Lesson Plan.
Cognitive Apprenticeship: These lessons are based on the idea that ways of thinking must be made visible in order for students to learn them. In lessons following this format, teachers first model a historical reading skill, then engage students in guided practice, and ultimately lead them to independent practice. For a sample cognitive apprenticeship lesson, see the Stamp Act Lesson Plan.
Inquiry: All lessons in the curriculum include elements of historical inquiry, where students investigate historical questions, evaluate evidence, and construct historical claims. Some, however, are designed around an explicit process of inquiry, in which students develop hypotheses by analyzing sets of documents. Such inquiries are best suited for block or multiple class periods. For a sample inquiry, see the Japanese Internment Lesson Plan.
Structured Academic Controversy (SAC): For these lessons, students work in pairs and then teams as they explore historical questions. After taking opposing positions on a question, they work to gain consensus or at least to clarify their differences. These lessons are well suited to block or multiple class periods. They work best after students have gained experience working with primary documents. For a sample SAC, see theLincoln Lesson Plan.