An Introduction to Teaching
Social Studies in the
Bilingual Classroom
Prepared by Global Language Solutions, LLC
for the
Institute for Second Language Achievement (ISLA) at
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
and the
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
International BINGO
Sign your name in the center “free” box
You will need a pen or pencil and your
BINGO sheet for this activity
Ask your classmates the questions on the
BINGO sheet. If they can answer “Yes,” ask
them to sign the box
You may only sign a classmate’s BINGO
sheet one time
When you get 5 signatures in a row, call out,
“BINGO!”
Objectives
Address TEKS for social studies and
Spanish and English language arts
Focus on the effective teaching of social
studies content through the use of
appropriate methods for developing
bilingual proficiency in students
Social Studies TEKS Grades K-6
Pre-Kindergarten Guidelines—nature of people and
their world, the heritage of the past, and
contemporary living and culture
Kindergarten—introduction to basic social studies
concepts
Grade 1—home, school, and community
Grade 2—community, state, and nation
Grade 3—communities (past/present, here/there)
Grade 4—Texas in the Western Hemisphere
Grade 5—United States studies
Grade 6—Contemporary World Societies
Structure of the TEKS
Eight Strands—integrated for instructional
purposes
History
Geography
Economics
Government
Citizenship
Culture
Science/Technology/Society
Social Studies Skills
Description of the Social Studies
Curriculum
Promotes knowledge and cultural
understanding, democratic and civic
values, and skills attainment and social
participation
Stresses historical and geographical
literacy, important concepts about
human society, approaches to solving
problems
Description of the Social Studies
Curriculum
Teaches democracy’s development,
values and current practice in the U.S.A
Designed to teach procedural
knowledge (study skills and social skills)
needed for participation in cooperative
and democratic activities
What’s Difficult about Social
Studies for ELLs?
Curriculum assumes prior historical,
geographical, and civic knowledge and
culturally based values which may be
unfamiliar to students
Specialized vocabulary often refers to
abstract concepts
Discourse is primarily expository;
language functions include both lower
and higher-level thinking skills
What’s Difficult about Social
Studies for ELLs?
Reading texts include sentences with multiple
embedded clauses, complex past tense
forms, and extensive use of pronouns
Decontextualized language is used in
relationship to unfamiliar concepts
Students may have had little experience
locating information, using maps and graphs,
and using effective strategies for listening,
reading, and writing
Teaching Guidelines for Social Studies
Assess students’ prior knowledge about social
studies topics
Select high priority content objectives from the
TEKS; include both lower and higher-order
thinking skills
Provide academic language activities in which
students read, listen to, discuss, make
presentations on, and write about social studies
content
Teach and have students practice learning
strategies with all social studies activities
Addressing the Textbook
Work with a partner
Fold a scratch paper in half
On the left side of the paper brainstorm all the things
that make reading your social studies textbook
difficult for ELLs
On the right side of the paper brainstorm all the
things that make reading your social studies textbook
easy for ELLs
Debrief
Consider how you can incorporate more of the
things that make the textbook easy and overcome
the things that make the textbook difficult
Addressing the Textbook
Provide opportunities for spoken and written
connections to the textbook
Provide supplementary reading materials that
are related to the textbook and allow
students to choose and read independently
Utilize a before, during, and after approach
when reading the textbook
Guide students in how to read the textbook,
including the organization and the format
Adapting Written Materials
Use a predictable text structure (i.e., topic
sentence followed by supporting details)
Reduce the number of pronouns and synonyms
Simplify the vocabulary, but retain key concepts
and technical terms
Use active and simple verb tenses
Provide contextual definitions for new
vocabulary terms
Avoid indefinite terms, such as “it,” “there,” and
“that”
Minimize the use of negatives, especially those
like “no longer” or “hardly”
Adapting Written Materials
Rewrite the following sentences to make
them more comprehensible for ELLs:
The Declaration of Independence was signed by
John Hancock.
There were many reasons people left Europe for
America.
The discovery of tobacco as a cash crop to be
traded in Europe guaranteed that the colony
would do well.
John Smith is remembered for his pragmatic
leadership.
Well-Equipped Classroom
Current world map and globe
Realia, visuals, and hands-on materials
Culturally relevant reading materials
Audio-Visual materials
Classroom reference library
Social Studies Center
Social Studies Center
Flags of different cultures
Thematic books
Realia from different cultures, coins, etc.
Photographs
Visuals of heroes and famous people
Timelines
Posters
Music from different cultures and different
historical periods
World map
The Nature of Language Proficiency:
BICS
Basic
Interpersonal
Communication
Skills
Conversational
Cummins, 1979
CALP
Cognitive
Academic
Language
Proficiency
Textbook
language
Levels of Language Proficiency
Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
(BICS)
Everyday language
Communicative
Universal across all native speakers
Not related to academic achievement
Usually attained within 2 years
Levels of Language Proficiency
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
(CALP)
Abstract, decontextualized language
Non-interpersonal
Related to literacy skills and academic
achievement
CALP in L1 and L2 overlap despite differences in
surface features
Usually develops in 5 to 7 years or longer
depending on individual and contextual variables
Iceberg Analogy
BICS
CALP
The “Dual Iceberg Representation of Bilingual
Proficiency”
Cummins’ Four Quadrants
Cognitively Undemanding (BICS)
Viewing
C
Talking
B
Doing
D
Transforming
Cognitively Demanding (CALP)
Context
Reduced
Context
Embedded
A
View
Pictures and primary source documents
Active video viewing
Pictures
Suggestions for Implementation
Generate random vocabulary
Describe the picture
Interpret the picture
Brainstorm a list of possibilities
Talk and write answer questions specific
to the picture
Read the passage and make
connections
Active Viewing
As students view any video clip, they
should take notes on an active viewing
handout
Any graphic organizer or scaffold used
with a video will allow students to gain
more information
Do
TPR
Picture Stories
BINGO
Total Physical Response
Picture Timeline
Arrange the items, dates, descriptions,
and pictures in the correct chronological
order to create a timeline
Take turns telling a partner about the
important acts and events that lead up
to the American Revolution
Talk
Information Gap
Games
Information Gap
Work with a partner
One partner will be A and the other will be B
Stand back to back with your partner
Use the stem questions to ask your partner
for the missing information and record the
answers you get
Use the information on your sheet to answer
your partner’s questions
Check with your partner at the end to make
sure you have all the appropriate information
Games
What kinds of games have you used
with your students?
Why were those games effective?
Transform
Language experience
Human sentences
Journals
Language Experience Approach
The “experience” to be written about may be a
drawing, something the student brought from home,
a group experience planned by the teacher (i.e., field
trip, party, etc.), or simply a topic to discuss.
The student is asked to tell about his/her experience.
The student then dictates his/her story or experience
to the teacher, aide, volunteer, or another student.
The writer copies down the story exactly as it is
dictated verbatim.
The teacher reads the story back, pointing to the
words, with the student reading along.
Language Experience Approach
The student reads the story silently and/or
aloud to other students or to the teacher.
The experience stories are saved and can be
used for instruction in all types of reading
skills.
When student are ready, they can begin to
write their own experience stories.
Students can rewrite their own previous
stories as their language development
progresses, and then illustrate them to make
books for other students to read.
Human Sentences
You will be given a card with a word on
it
Arrange yourselves in order to make a
sentence that is historically accurate
and grammatically correct
Have a spokesperson read the sentence
aloud
Dialogue Journals
Make sure each student has a notebook to
use for journal writing
Be sure students know they can write about
anything in their journals, that they won’t be
graded, and that noone but the teacher will
read them
Be sure to respond to each journal entry
With pre-literate students, you must write
your response while they are watching,
sounding it out as you write, and point to the
words as you reread your response
Dialogue Journals
Never correct student entries. You may
ask about something that is unclear or
you may choose to model a correct
form in your response if that seems
natural
Try not to dominate the “conversation.”
Let the students initiate topics
Vocabulary
Word Sorts
Concept Definition Map
Verbal-visual word
association
Word Sorts
Sort the following words into these
categories (-tion, -sion, -tation):
Revolution, tension, frustration, taxation,
representation, vision, plantation,
mission, participation, solution, passion,
transition, nation
Concept Definition Map
Verbal-Visual Word Association
Term
Personal
Association
BICS
Definition:
Basic
Interpersonal
Communication
Skills
Synonym:
Conversational,
social, everyday,
interpersonal
Antonym:
CALP
Linking Instruction to Assessment
Tests are appropriate for varying levels of Spanish and English
language proficiency
Use a diversity of measures, such as: portfolios, observations,
anecdotal records, interviews, checklists, and criterion-referenced
tests to measure content knowledge and skills
Take into account students’ backgrounds, including their educational
experiences and parents’ literacy
Add context to assessment tasks with familiar visual prompts,
questions for small group discussion and individual writing, and
activities that mirror learning processes with which students are
familiar
Allow extra time to complete or respond to assessment tasks
Make other accommodations, such as permitting students to use
dictionaries or word lists
Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment
for ESL Students
Jigsaw
CASH Graphic
C
A
S
H
Cognitive
What is something you learned
about how and why you should
develop language in social studies?
Affective
How do you feel about
incorporating culture into your
classroom?
Success
What strategy/activity are you
willing to implement that will have
a direct impact on student success?
Help
What resources will you use to help
you in your classroom?
Module Assessment
Complete the assessment provided in
the handouts.
Participants are expected to get at least
70 percent of the assessment items
correct to demonstrate mastery of the
content of this module.