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Erin Whitlow
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Common Core Fix
My own teaching style
Struggle to connect informational text
to students in third grade
3rd Grade Social Studies Unit
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Scholastic
View Scholastic Resources
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ELACC3RI1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis
for the answers.
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ELACC3RI2: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key
details and explain how they support the main idea.
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ELACC3RI3: Describe the relationship between a series of
historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in
technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to
time, sequence, and cause/effect.
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ELACC3RI7: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g.,
maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate
understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key
events occur).
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ELACC3RI9: Compare and contrast the most important points
and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
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ELACC3RL3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits,
motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute
to the sequence of events.
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SS3G2 The student will describe the cultural and geographic
systems associated with the historical figures in SS3H2a.
(Thurgood Marshall- civil rights)
SS3CG2 The student will discuss the character of different
historical figures in SS3H2a.
a. Describe how the different historical figures in SS3H2a display
positive character traits of cooperation, diligence, courage, and
leadership.
b. Explain how the historical figures in SS3H2a used positive
character traits to support their beliefs in liberty, justice,
tolerance, and freedom of conscience and expression.
c. Explain how the historical figures in SS3H2a chose when to
respect and accept authority.
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Main Idea
Vocabulary Acquisition
Letter Writing
Text Dependent Questioning and Close Reading
Comparison(s) of Text(s) and Movie
Character Mapping
Responding to Art
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Image-Based Slides from Scholastic
o The image-based slides explain the time period and the
obstacles that Ruby faced.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/slideshow/ruby-bridgesand-civil-rights-movement-slide-show-kindergarten-grade-2
o Image-based slide show led to a discussion of the attitudes
and outlooks during the Civil Rights Era.
What is
fair?
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Vocabulary: As students found examples of their
vocabulary words used in context, they would mark
the place in the book with a sticky note. At the end of
class, students had an opportunity to draw
illustrations for each word and write the sentence
with the word from the book.
Students worked
individually and then in
pairs to complete the Venn
Diagram.
Books
about
Ruby’s Life
Movie
about
Ruby’s Life
Students noted their
observations about Ruby
during and after reading.
Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Char acter Map
What character says and does.
What others think about the character.
Ruby Br idges
How the character looks and feels.
How does the character change?
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The letters that students wrote to Ruby highlighted
the deep connections that students made.
In their letters, there was evidence of deeper
understandings of the character traits.
Students commented that the letter writing activity
was their favorite activity.
“The Problem We All Live With” Painting by Norman Rockwell, 1964
How is Ruby Bridges
relevant today?
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Using the Georgia Performance Standards
in Social Studies, you can find books that
your students will connect to.
• Research using Read, Write, Think,
Amazon, Good Reads, and Teachers Pay
Teachers.
• Take some time to get into grade level
groups and find your grade level
standards. Here are some suggestions of
books that may help.
Third grade social studies content is often very difficult for our students to understand.
We are constantly searching for new ways to engage our students in learning about
events in our nation's history. We teach about segregation through the lives of Thurgood
Marshall and Lyndon B. Johnson. Trust me, their eyes do not light up!
This year, third grade was buzzing when I introduced the concept of segregation. At first,
I didn't know why the students seemed to understand so much about this difficult topic.
Then I noticed I heard one comment over and over again: THAT'S LIKE RUBY!
By teaching this historical era through the life of a little girl close to our students' ages,
Mrs. Whitlow was able to do something I had struggled to accomplish. Our students
understood what segregation was, and they were broken-hearted that Ruby Bridges had
the experiences she did. They were engaged and empathetic in a way I had never
observed previously. Students were constantly telling me about the letters they had
written to Ruby. They asked questions, made applications, and asked to do extra writings
about the Civil Rights Movement. I loved that reading/language arts and social studies
were authentically integrated. I hope next year's students "meet" Ruby as well!
-Debby Wood, 3rd Grade Social Studies, Hull-Sanford Elementary
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How can you integrate Social Studies
into your classroom?
• Each grade level has standards that
involve Civil Rights, justice and equity.
• By using concepts that students
understand such as fairness and
equality; we allow them to make
meaningful connections to history.
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