Florida Council for the Social Studies
2011 Conference
Writing in Social Studies Made Simple:
Engaging Strategies for Student Success
Kathleen Kopp
Teacher on Special Assignment, Citrus County Schools
Author and Presenter: Maupin House Publishing
koppk@citrus.k12.fl.us
http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/fre/kopp/ContentAreaWriting.htm
Today’s Objectives
 Review of CCSS ELA writing standards as they apply to
social studies
 Fabulous vocabulary writing strategies to engage students’
thinking
 Quick and easy learning strategies that require students to
think about and respond to learning through writing
 Fun, creative, motivating writing projects that allow students
to demonstrate their understanding of content while
simultaneously addressing the CCSS Writing Standards for
Literacy in Social Studies
Comparisons
 Complete this thought:
Writing in Social Studies is like _____________________
because_________________________________________.
Word Bank:
storming a castle
jet skiing
munching an apple
shopping
NASCAR
a day at the beach
Analogies
 Complete this thought:
 Writing is to Social Studies as ___________________
is to ________________________________________.
Writing Standards for Literacy in
History/Social Studies, gr. 6-8
Production and Distribution of
Writing
Text Types
and
Purposes
Standard
Description
1
Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
2
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical
events.
3
NA
4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have
been addressed.
6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and
efficiently.
http://www.corestandards.org/
Writing Standards for Literacy in
History/Social Studies, gr. 6-8
Range of
Writing
Research to Build and Extend
Knowledge
Standard
Description
7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional
related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using
search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;
and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding
plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and
research.
10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a
range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
http://www.corestandards.org/
Writing Strategies to Develop Social
Studies Vocabulary
Mine, Ours, Theirs
Frayer model
Graphic organizers from
http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/
Student-generated cloze (story, paragraph, or
sentence)
Mine, Ours, Theirs
PROCLAMATION
To prevent any more fighting with American Indians, Britain made a proclamation.
The Proclamation of 1763 said that colonists could not settle west of the
Appalachian Mountains.
My Definition
My Neighbor’s Definition
Glossary Definition
How these definitions compare______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Mine, Ours, Theirs
OBFUSCATION
The senator’s continuous, disorganized, and irrelevant prattle left his
fellow elected leaders in a state of obfuscation.
My Definition
My Neighbor’s Definition
Glossary Definition
Total confusion or
opaqueness so as to be
difficult to perceive or
understand
How these definitions compare______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Frayer Model
Definition
Characteristics
Total confusion or opaqueness
so as to be difficult to
perceive or understand
OBFUSCATION
Confusion
Lost
In a fog
Ignorant
TESOL Conference
Wise old owl
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
My dad
Examples
Non-examples
Using Graphic Organizers to Build
Vocabulary
http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/
Vocabulary Cards Graphic Organizer
http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/
Vocabulary Word Cluster Graphic
Organizer
Vocabulary Sketch Graphic Organizer
“Cognitive Dictionary” Graphic
Organizer
Student-generated Cloze
 Have students write sentences, paragraphs, or stories using
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all their vocabulary words.
Collect the students’ work.
Select the best sentences, paragraph, or story.
Type them using a word processing program.
Insert blank lines (_____________) for each vocabulary
term.
Provide copies of the cloze student activity sheet and terms.
Have students complete this activity to assess their
understanding of the vocabulary presented in the reading
selection.
Try it!
Choose one word.
Write a sentence.
Insert a blank line for your word.
 appointment
 concurrent powers
 delegated powers
 impeach
 obfuscation
 representative
democracy
 reserved powers
 veto
Sample Cloze
Jeff, the Jamestown historian, began his tour. “The ____________
of Jamestown was established in 1607. The people who came here
were some of the first ____________. The original colonists were
mostly ____________ and ____________. They were searching
for the freedom to live out what they believed to be the
____________ they shared with their God. The ____________
began to thrive when rules were changed. New rules allowed some
colonists to grow ____________. One example is corn. Wheat is
another. Other colonists could be ____________. Early
shopkeepers were blacksmiths, coopers, and tailors. As you can see,
life in Colonial America was very different from today.” Then, the
tour ended.
colonist
cash crop
Puritan
settlement
proprietor
pilgrim
covenant
Writing in Social Studies Resources
Try it a la carte!
New Resource!
http://www.maupinhouse.com/
Writing Strategies to Develop
Concepts and Skills
PMI (Plusses, Minuses, and Interesting)
Frayer model
Graphic organizers from http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/
Comprehension skills: main idea/details, compare/contrast, sequencing, cause/effect,
etc.
Comprehension connections
Sticky Notes (anchor charts)
Give One, Get One (review strategy)
Concept map acrostic (review strategy)
Writing Projects
PMI
YES _____
NO _____
“Should we amend the Constitution to make flag desecration a crime?”
PLUSSES
MINUSES
INTERESTING
Frayer Model
Definition
Characteristics
Civic
Responsibilities
Examples
Non-examples
Frayer Model
Historical Significance
Spanish
Early
Explorers
Italian
British
Main Idea and Details
Graphic Organizer
Tree Diagram (main idea/details)
Graphic Organizer
Compare/contrast Graphic Organizer
Triple
Venn
8 Events Sequencing Chart
“Chain of Events” Graphic Organizer
Cause-effect Graphic Organizer
Note Taker Graphic Organizer
“Open Mind” Making Connections
Graphic Organizer
Thinking Stems:
• I wonder…
• This makes me think about…
• This reminds me of…
• This relates to…
• I imagine
• I predict…
• I remember when…
Guest Speaker
Notebook Entry
Issue: Should Parson City
develop land in a protected
wetland?
Notes
Personal
Reflection/connection
“I think…”
Review Strategy: Give One, Get One
 Fold paper twice vertically and horizontally (nine squares)
 Write three facts about a topic in any three squares.
 See six friends (maybe more). You “give” them one of your
facts, and in exchange, you “get” one of theirs.
 No facts can repeat on the page.
 Use this as a concept or topic review.
What It Looks Like
Topic: Latitude and Longitude
Latitude lines
are shown every
10 degrees.
Longitude lines
are shown every
15 degrees.
Latitude lines
run parallel to
the equator.
Review Strategy: Concept Map Acrostic
 Use chart paper. Make enough charts so that no more than
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six students are in a group.
Write one essential term or concept vertically on each paper.
Give each group a marker.
Each student, in turn, writes one sentence related to the
concept using the letter of the concept as the first word of his
sentence.
Every student writes a sentence. Encourage collaboration.
Students can use notes, text, or other resources to write
their facts.
Use this as a concept or topic review.
Project-based Learning in Social
Studies
An opportunity for students to show what they learned through
authentic, novel, and creative writing projects
Writing Project Resources
 Lots of great authentic writing project ideas in the Learning
through Writing Series (Maupin House Publishing, Inc.)
Award-winning Series!
Why Learning Projects?
 Dynamic
 Authentic
 Interdisciplinary
 Emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving,
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and communication: 21st century skills
Students explore real-world problems and challenges
Active learning
Engaging
Motivate students to find out more about a given topic
Give students a reason to learn and apply learned skills and
information
What would you rather do?
 Your principal has assigned your team to read an article related to
homework practices. She asks for some evidence of learning. This
will be part of your overall year-end appraisal.
 Would you rather…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Write a summary of the article
Create a Power Point of key points from the article
Write a narrative which includes examples of best homework
practices described in the text
Create a poster to explain best practices with regard to homework
with meaningful examples of homework assignments
Interview other teachers regarding their homework practices and
compare their ideas with those in the article
Keep a journal of your own homework assignments throughout
the year and analyze how they are aligned with the ideas in the
article
Other
Jazzed-up Reports
“States”
 Write an acceptance speech as if you have just been elected
Governor of your state. Tell what you plan to do to improve life in
this state. Include ideas related to the economy, agriculture, and
historic or ecological preservation.
“Historic People”
 The “People Channel” wants to do a show about this famous
person. Develop three or more scenes or segments for the show.
Each scene should highlight an important event in this person’s
life.
“Government”
 Write a script between a former politician and a present-day
politician. Develop a possible dialogue between them as they
discuss a past or current issue of interest.
Student Stories
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Mad Libs
RAFTS
Anecdotes
Articles
Biographies
Book jackets
Book reviews
Diaries
Folktales
Ghost stories
Interviews
Legends
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Letters
Mysteries
Plays
Postcards
Proposals
Reviews
Science fiction
Speech
Summaries
Tall tales
Travelogues
Tributes
Try This!
TERMS
 colonist
 Puritan
 proprietors
 cash crop
 settlement
 pilgrim
 covenant
 Begin a graphic novel about the
Colonial period. Include all
seven vocabulary words in your
narrative.
 Write a ghost story that takes
place during Colonial times.
Include all seven vocabulary
words in your narrative.
 Write a Colonial town tour script
as if you were a tour guide
leading visitors through a living
history museum. Use all seven
words in your description of the
town.
 ON MY OWN
Don’t forget the assessment tool!
Criteria
Points Possible
Effective and appropriate use of seven terms
35
Format is appropriate for purpose
20
Accuracy of facts and information related to the Colonial period
20
Appropriate and effective text structure
10
Correctness of grammar, spelling, and punctuation
10
Attention to audience
5
TOTAL
100
Points Earned
Write Now!
 Writing allows students to internalize their learning.
 Writing about reading helps students build needed
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vocabulary.
Writing about reading allows students to organize the
content they are learning.
Writing strategies can be done before, during, and after
learning.
Writing is a great formative assessment strategy.
Writing can be used to assess student learning of any subject
matter, but should include clear, measurable expectations.
(And, students should know these expectations ahead of
time.)
Thank you for spending time with me!
koppk@citrus.k12.fl.us
http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/fre/kopp/ContentAreaWriting.htm