social studies -- you’ll need our
help!
Argument writing in history and social
studies
Mark Stout, Coordinator of Advanced Programs
& Secondary Social Studies
ELA Retreat -- October 5, 2011
Goals
Develop an awareness of recent developments in
best practices for history and social studies
Increase understanding about the natural
connections between Language Arts and Social
Studies
See examples of how social studies teachers are
implementing argument writing and engaging
students with complex text.
History and Social
Studies
Take a moment at your tables and generate 2 or 3
“buzzwords” typically associated with history and
social studies instruction.
Feel free to be brutally honest!
Going, going,...
“Giving notes” from powerpoint presentations...
“This is important, write this down...”
“Read pages 56-67 in your textbook and answer...”
“Complete the worksheet...”
...OK, not gone, but a lot less prevalent.
New History Instruction
Based on research about how students understand
history and read historical documents
Research is primarily from fields of History Education
(Wineburg, VanSledright, Levstik, Barton), and
Reading/Language Arts Education (Guthrie,
Afflerback, Torney-Purta)
Students show interest and learn history best when it
is taught as an investigative process -- like the
practices of real historians
New History Instruction
Students
read and
primary and
Research
coincided
withanalyze
the introduction
of Teaching
secondary
American
Historysources
Grantsto develop
interpretations of historical events, and
Has influenced
both
instruction and instructional
then conduct
evidence-based
materials
unlike anywriting
other movement
social
argumentative
to support in
their
studies
conclusions.
Social Studies is primarily the
application of language arts
and critical thinking skills to
specific concepts and content
What
is
History?
Accounts/narratives different
depending on perspective
We rely on evidence to construct
account of the past
We must question the reliability of
evidence
Any single piece of evidence is
insufficient
We must use
multiple
sources
to
build
Reading Like a Historian
Stanford
History Education Group
a plausible
account
Sourcing
Who wrote this?
What is the author’s point of view?
Why was it written?
When was it written?
Is the source believable?
Reading Like a Historian
Stanford History Education Group
Contextualizing
What else was going on?
What was it like to live in this time?
What things were different?...the
same?
What would it look like to see this event
through the eyes of someone who lived
back then?
Reading Like a Historian
Stanford History Education Group
Corroboration
What do other pieces of evidence say?
Am I finding the same information
everywhere?
Am I finding different versions? Why?
Where else could I look to find out
about this?
What evidence is most believable?
Close Reading
What claims does the author make?
What evidence does the author use to
support those claims?
How is this document supposed to
make me feel?
What words of phrases does the author
use to convince me?
What information does the author leave
Reading Like a Historian
out? Stanford
History Education Group
Comparing Sources
Conduct a close reading of the two
textbook excerpts about the Boston
Massacre
In what ways do the authors attempt to
influence the reader?
Which source would you consider more
reliable? Why?
Are textbooks reliable sources?
Argument Writing Quick Cards
What do we think this looks
like in social studies?
Instructional
Support Materials
At your tables, examine the
instructional materials
What kinds of skills are students
expected to demonstrate?
Describe how these materials support
the systemwide initiative of argument
writing
Historical Investigations, DBQs, History
Labs
Essential Question
Use Historical Thinking Skills to
Examine, Evaluate, Analyze, and
Interpret Sources
Develop a claim based on the
evaluation of evidence
Support claim with evidence from
sources
Address counterclaims with evidence
from sources
Questions and Comments...