Common Core State
Standards Professional
Learning Module Series
Content Literacy in
History/Social Studies 6-12
Pre-Assessment and Unit 1:
History/Social Studies and CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy K–5
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Welcome to the Series
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
Professional Learning Modules
Available on the Brokers of Expertise Web Site at www.myboe.org
Welcome Message
Lupita Alcala, Deputy Superintendent
Instruction and Learning Support Branch
California Department of Education (CDE)
http://myboe.org/portal/default/Group/Viewer/GroupView?action=2&gid=2996
2 | California Department of Education
Module Overview
Overarching Module Goals
• Understand the intent and organization of the CA CCSS
for ELA/Literacy and how they specifically relate to
history/social studies
• Understand how building literacy in history/social
studies improves learning of the content and helps
prepare students for college and career
• Learn techniques for implementing the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy in the main disciplines of history/social
studies: history, civics and government, economics, and
geography
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Module Unit Outline:
• Unit 1: Introduction to Content Literacy in
History/Social Studies 6–12
• Unit 2: Close Reading and the CA CCSS in
History/Social Studies
• Unit 3: CA CCSS Implications for Civics and
Government, Geography, and Economics
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Metacognitive Journal
Throughout this module you will be asked
to predict, reflect, and synthesize your
ideas through reflection questions. As you
address each question, you may want to
create your own journal to record and
collect your thoughts.
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What do you know? Pre-Assessment
Assess your knowledge of Content
Literacy in History/Social Studies prior to
beginning the module:
• Complete the “Pre-Assessment”
• Work independently, without discussion
or assistance form others
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Unit 1: Learning Objectives
• Understand the relationship among the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy and history/social studies instruction.
• Examine the organization and structure of the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy and the College and Career Readiness Anchor
Standards and how these standards support 21st century
learning.
• Explore the Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social
Studies 6–12.
• Explore the difference between primary and secondary sources.
• Examine text complexity in history/social studies content-area
reading.
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The CCSS and History/Social Studies
Reading is critical to building knowledge in history/social studies as well as in
science and technical subjects. College and career ready reading in these
fields requires an appreciation of the norms and conventions of each
discipline, such as the kinds of evidence used in history and science; an
understanding of domain-specific words and phrases; an attention to
precise details; and the capacity to evaluate intricate arguments,
synthesize complex information, and follow detailed descriptions of events
and concepts. In history/social studies, for example, students need to be
able to analyze, evaluate, and differentiate primary and secondary
sources…. Students must be able to read complex informational texts in these
fields with independence and confidence because the vast majority of reading in
college and workforce training programs will be sophisticated nonfiction. It is
important to note that these Reading standards are meant to complement the
specific content demands of the disciplines, not replace them.“
CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy, p.74
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Literacy in Content Areas
Watch “Literacy in Other Disciplines”
• http://www.myboe.org/portal/default/Content/V
iewer/Content?action=2&scId=508656&sciId=
16200
• Reflect and Discuss:
– According to David Coleman, why is it important
to develop literacy in history/social studies?
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History/Social Studies and
21st Century Skills
• “The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a national
organization that advocates for 21st century readiness
for every student. As the United States continues to
compete in a global economy that demands innovation,
P21 and its members provide tools and resources to
help the U.S. education system keep up by fusing the
3Rs and 4Cs (Critical thinking and problem solving,
Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and
innovation)."
Partnership for 21st Century Skills 2013
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21st Century Skills in Action
Watch: “21st Century Skills in Action: Critical Thinking,
Creative Thinking, and Problem Solving”
• http://myboe.org/portal/default/Content/Viewer/Content?action=
2&scId=508656&sciId=16098
Social Studies 21st Century Skills Map:
• http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/ss_map_11_12_08.pdf
Reflect and Discuss:
• What is one instructional practice you can use to build
21st Century Skills?
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The Common Core Shifts for
ELA/Literacy
Common Core Shifts for ELA/Literacy
Shift 1: Building knowledge through
content-rich nonfiction
Students read a balance of informational
and literary texts, moving from a 50/50
balance in K-5 to increasing emphasis on
literary nonfiction (across content areas) in
grades 6-12.
Shift 2: Reading, writing and speaking
grounded in evidence from text – both
literary and informational
Writing from sources rather than relying
solely on prior knowledge and experience.
For example, using evidence from texts to
present careful analyses, well-defended
claims, and clear information.
Shift 3: Regular practice with complex text
and academic language
Building upon a “staircase of text
complexity” to prepare students for the
demands of college- and career-level
reading; focus on academic vocabulary
across content areas.
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Source: Student Achievement Partners
How Does History/Social Studies
Promote Literacy Skills?
“Literacy is the key word here, because the teaching of history should have
reading and writing at its core. Years ago, this may have been the case, but that time
is long gone. In some underfunded schools, teachers struggle to cope with low reading
levels by reading the textbook aloud to students so they at least "get the content"
(Schoenbach, et. al, Reading for Understanding, 1999). In other classrooms, writing in
social studies is increasingly being replaced by PowerPoint assignments, complete with
bullet points and animation. But we can no more defend an argument on why the USSR
disintegrated using bullet points than we can journey to Moscow on the wings of a
Frommer travel guide. Working through successive drafts of the cause-and-effect essaymaking sure that paragraphs reflect a logical procession of ideas and that assertions are
backed by evidence-is hard and inglorious work, but there are no shortcuts…Skits and
posters may be engaging, but leaving students there-engaged but illiterate-amounts to
an incomplete lesson that forfeits our claim as educators…This means teaching students
to be informed readers, writers, and thinkers about the past as well as the present-a goal
all parties should be able to embrace. Our democracy's vitality depends on it.“
Wineburg and Martin, 2004
13 | California Department of Education
History-Social Science Content
Standards
• CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy do not replace the
content, knowledge, and skills identified in stateadopted materials:
– History-Social Science Content Standards for California
Public Schools (CA History-Social Science Standards)
– History-Social Science Framework for California Public
Schools (CA History-Social Science Framework).
• CA History-Social Science Framework scheduled to
be updated in 2015.
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What Do the CCSS Mean for History
Teaching and Learning?
• National History Education Clearinghouse
(teachinghistory.org) Roundtable
• Read “Engaging Students in the Discourse of
History” by Oakland, CA, middle school teacher,
Katherine Suyeyasu.
Read and Discuss:
• What are some ways to address the CCSS through
history that Suyeyasu identifies?
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Organization of CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy
ELA, K-12 (pp. 9-78)
Reading
• Literature
• Informational Text
Writing
Speaking and Listening
Language
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Literacy in History/Social
Studies, Science and Technical
Subjects, 6-12 (pp. 79-89)
Reading
• History/Social Studies
• Science and Technical Subjects
Writing
• History/Social Studies,
Science and Technical Subjects
Speaking and Listening
• Use ELA
Language
• Use ELA
College and Career Readiness (CCR)
Anchor Standards
• Define the literacy expectations for
students entering college and career
• Foundations for the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy
• Common, broad standards to which the
grade and content area literacy standards
relate.
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Historical and Social Sciences Analysis
Skills and the CA CCSS for Literacy
• CA History-Social Science Standards include
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills
Standards
• Many CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy parallel the
Analysis Skills
Read and Discuss:
• For your grade, identify two Analysis Skills that
relate to your Reading Standards for Literacy in
History/Social Studies.
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Informational Texts:
Primary and Secondary Sources
• “In history/social studies, for example, students
need to be able to analyze, evaluate, and
differentiate primary and secondary sources.“
• CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy p. 74
Reflect and Discuss:
• How do you differentiate between primary and
secondary sources?
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Defining Primary and Secondary
Sources
• Review “Differentiating Primary and Secondary
Sources.”
• Try the “Primary and Secondary Source Activity”
Reflect and Discuss
• How could you use this activity with students to
address content and skills at the same time?
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Using Primary and Secondary Sources
to Meet the CA CCSS
• Read “Primary Sources: At the Heart of the
Common Core State Standards.”
• Watch “Evidence and Interpretation”
– http://myboe.org/portal/default/Content/Viewer/Content?
action=2&scId=508656&sciId=16124
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Activity: Ascertaining Reliability of a
Primary Source
• Read “Deposition of Captain Thomas Preston from
the Boston Massacre”
• CA HSS Standard: 8.1
Reflect and Discuss:
• How reliable is Captain Thomas Preston’s
testimony? Can we trust the source of information?
Should we believe what it reveals about the past?
Why/why not?
• How could you use this document with students?
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Text Complexity in
History/Social Studies
• Three dimensions of text complexity:
– Quantitative
– Qualitative
– Reader and Task Considerations
• History/Social Studies primary documents often
meet or exceed the requirements for text complexity
• Must help students access and analyze these
complex texts
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Text Complexity in HSS Continued
• Read “Text Complexity in History Classroom” by
Riesman and Wineburg.
Reflect and Discuss:
• Why do Reisman and Wineburg call text complexity
an instructional dilemma?
• What are Reisman and Wineburg’s suggestions for
dealing with this instructional dilemma?
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Reading Like a Historian Program
Reading Like a Historian
• Sourcing: Think about a document’s author and its creation
• Contextualizing: Situate the document in its events in time and
place
• Close Reading: Carefully consider what the document says and
the language used to say it
• Using Background Knowledge: Use historical information and
knowledge to read and understand the document
• Reading the Silences: Identify what has been left out or is
missing from the document by asking questions of the account
• Corroborating: Ask questions about important details across
multiple sources to determine points of agreement and
disagreement
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Reading Like a Historian Continued
• Read “Historical Thinking: Memorizing Facts and Stuff”
by Sam Wineburg
• Watch “Reading Like a Historian Overview”
– http://myboe.org/portal/default/Content/Viewer/Content?actio
n=2&scId=508656&sciId=16126
Read, Watch, and Identify
• Review the Reading Standards for Literacy in
History/Social Studies for grade-band 9-10. Identify at
least two standards that are addressed in the article
and video.
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Using Reading Like a Historian Activity
• Read “McKinley Defends U.S. Expansionism.”
• CA HSS Standard: 11.4.2
Reflect and Discuss:
• How you could use the Reading Like a Historian
strategies to help students understand the historical
document and address the Reading Standards for
Literacy in History/Social Studies?
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English Learners and the CCSS
“ The National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers
strongly believe that all students should be held to the
same high expectations outlined in the Common Core
State Standards. This includes students who are English
language learners. However, these students may require
additional time, appropriate instructional support, and
aligned assessments as they acquire both English
language proficiency and content area knowledge."
• California ELD Standards, p. 1
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Challenges of CA CCSS for English
Learners
• Read “Realizing Opportunities for English Learners
in the Common Core English Language Arts and
Disciplinary Literacy Standards” by George C.
Bunch, Amanda Kibler, and Susan Pimentel.
Read and Discuss
• What recommendations from the article can you
apply in addressing the CA CCSS in history/social
studies?
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Supporting Students with Disabilities
• Provide access to complex text
• Majority of disabilities do not affect critical thinking
• Students can still analyze the meaning and
significance of content area texts
• Provide Multiple Means of Representation
– Principle 1 of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Guidelines
• View “Universal Design for Learning Guidelines”
Chart by CAST
32 | California Department of Education
Unit 1 Summary
• Literacy needs to be a shared responsibility across all disciplines, including
history/social studies.
• The CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy promotes many of the same skills students need to be
successful in the history/social studies.
• The CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy contain two sections specifically for developing literacy
in history/social studies: Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12
and Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects 6–12.
• The Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies correspond with many of
the standards from the Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills from the HistorySocial Science Content Standards for California Public Schools.
• With sufficient support, students need to be able to differentiate and analyze primary
and secondary sources.
• Historical thinking strategies such as Reading Like a Historian can help students meet
some the Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12.
• Content area teachers need to recognize the language challenges and opportunities
inherent in the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy.
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Learning Objectives Revisited
• Understand the relationship among the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy and history/social studies instruction.
• Examine the organization and structure of the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy and the College and Career Readiness Anchor
Standards and how these standards support 21st century
learning.
• Explore the Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social
Studies 6–12.
• Explore the difference between primary and secondary
sources.
• Examine text complexity in history/social studies contentarea reading.
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Talk about…
• Some of the new ideas you have gained in
this introductory unit
• Questions you have
• Some of the challenges that you anticipate as
you prepare to support your students in their
use of the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy in
history/social studies lessons.
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Think about…
• How will you teach history/social studies so
that students may engage in the CA CCSS
for ELA/Literacy?
• How will you provide opportunities and
support for all students to meet the CA CCSS
for ELA/Literacy in history/social studies
instruction?
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