Literacy Matters and the Social Studies: Invaluable Resources for All Teachers

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Literacy Matters and the Social
StudiesInvaluable Resources for All Teachers

• Judith Zorfass, Ed.D.
• Joan Dunfey
• Education Development Center, Inc.
• jzorfass_at_edc.org
• jdunfey_at_edc.org

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Goals of the Session

• Provide an overview of Literacy Matters
• Tour Literacy Matters via scenarios
• Discuss ways YOU can use Literacy Matters

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Overview of Literacy Matters
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• Literacy Matters is an online professional
  development environment that focuses on what
  matters most in adolescent literacy development.
• The intended audience includes administrators,
  teachers and specialists (ELA, content, special
  education, Title 1, technology), parents, and
  students.

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• Literacy Matters is housed at Education
  Development Center, Inc. (EDC).
• The websites development has been funded by
• The Annenberg Foundation
• USED, OSEP
• USED, IES

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What Literacy Matters Offers

• Free Resources, Information, and Materials
• Annotated links to the best-of-the-best Web
  sites that provide information on research-based
  instructional strategies
• Lesson plans
• Online student tutorials
• Overviews of adolescent reading programs
• Help for parents
• Protected Discussion Areas
• Online Graduate Courses (fee-based)

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Tour of Literacy Matters via Scenarios
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Scenario 1

• A social studies teacher wanted to find primary
  sources to enhance her unit on the Civil War.
• In particular, she was looking for documents,
  supported by photos.
• Where could she find links to relevant resources?

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So she goes to Literacy Matters.

• First, she goes to the section titled Content
  Literacy.
• Second, she goes to the section titled Social
  Studies.
• Third, she decides to follow the links to Reading
  and Interpreting Primary Sources.

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There she finds good links.

• She goes to the website for the Library of
  Congress American Memory.
• There she clicks on War, Military.
• She finds collections of photography,
  particularly one called Civil War-Brady Studio
  and Others Photographs 1861-1865.
• Going further, she finds Does the Camera Ever Lie?

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Now she digs even further.

• She becomes really excited when she finds The
  Case of the Confused Identity.
• Not willing to stop, she explores the following
• Harvest of Death
• The Field Where General Reynolds Fell
• Analysis

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Scenario 2

• After finding such a rich supply of primary
  sources, the teacher now wants to find good
  literature and poetry about the Civil War.
• Where can she browse appropriate materials?

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She goes to Literacy Matters.

• First, she goes to the section titled Content
  Literacy Lesson Plans
• Within Content Literacy, she locates Social
  Studies.
• She then goes to the section titled Lesson Plan
  The Civil War Page.
• She decides to follow the link to Recommended
  Trade Books.

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Scenario 3

• Now she thinks about her students and their
  diverse needs.
• Many of her students struggle to comprehend text.
• They cannot find key ideas, identify supporting
  details, or summarize information.
• Where can she find help for these students?

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So she goes to Literacy Matters.

• She returns to the section titled Content
  Literacy, Social Studies.
• There, she clicks on Literacy Skills for the
  Social Studies Classroom.
• She wants to explore the site called Content Area
  Literacy.
• So she decides to follow the link to Ways to
  Scaffold Content Area Text for Students.

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Scenario 4

• The 8th grade social studies teacher, ELA, and
  special education teacher want to help students
  improve comprehension of textbooks.
• Together, they want to find reading comprehension
  strategies that can be introduced in the ELA
  classroom and then reinforced in the resource
  room and again in the social studies classroom.
• Where should they look?

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So they go to Literacy Matters.

• Within Content Literacy, they start at the
  section titled Reading and Writing.
• From there, they go to the section titled
  Reading How to Read a Textbook.
• Then, they decide to follow the links to Learning
  Strategies Database.

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There they find useful links.

• They are delighted to find information within
  Content Area Specific Learning Strategies.
• They find the section on History.
• Once there, they review Hennings (1993)
  Historys Way of Knowing.
• They immediately begin to brainstorm how to take
  advantage of this resource.

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Thinking ahead to implementation, they want to
find good strategies.

• So they investigate Literacy Skills for the
  Social Studies Classroom.
• There, they go to the section titled The
  Practice Supporting the Social Studies Classroom
  through Literacy Development (The Knowledge
  Loom).
• Third, they decide to follow the links to
  Suggested Strategies and Resources.

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As the teachers dig deeper, they find really
good resources.

• They click on the first link to Online Learning
  Centre Website for New Zealand.
• There they find Strategies in Action Being a
  Strategic Teacher of Social Studies.
• Scrolling through the list they find an article
  on Shared Reading.

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Scenario 5

• The middle grades social studies teachers were
  not satisfied with their traditional research
  projectthe students were just not motivated.
• They had heard about the I-Search methodology.
• They wondered what it was and whether it would
  work?
• Where could they find information?

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So they go to Literacy Matters.

• They go to Content Literacy.
• There they find information titled I-Search,
  Curriculum Unit.
• Then, they go to the section titled,
  Characteristics of an I-Search.

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Liking what they see, they decide to dig more.

• On the I-Search page, they find The I-Search in
  Action.
• Under Resources, they find a link to a to the
  book titled Teaching Middle School Students to Be
  Active Researchers.
• They follow links on the ASCD website to access
  the chapter.
• Within the chapter, they find a chart called
  I-Search Process Four Instructional Phases.

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Scenario 6

• But now another issue has arisen for the teachers
  planning to do an I-Search Unit.
• They know that students will go directly to the
  Internet to find information.
• So they want to know how to make Internet-based
  searching an effective inquiry experience.
• Where can they find guidance?

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So they go to Literacy Matters.

• First, they go to the section titled Content
  Literacy.
• Then they go to the section titled Online
  Research.
• They decide to follow the links to subtopics
• Finding Information
• Evaluating Information
• Tracking Information
• Developing Research Skills
• Ensuring Safety
• They decide to use the materials on Evaluating
  Information.

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Not willing to give up, they explore further.

• They click on Tools for Teachers.
• As they scroll down the page, they find a site
  from UCLA's Young Research Library, Judging
  Quality on the Web.
• Perfectthis is just what they were looking for.

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Scenario 7

• A group of social teachers meet regularly to
  share lesson plans and instructional practices.
• They are looking for good ideas to jump-start
  their conversations.
• Where can they find good sources of lesson plans?

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So they go to Literacy Matters.

• They head to the section titled, Content Literacy
  Lesson Plans.
• Then they click on Social Studies.
• From there, they choose the Library of Congress
  Learning Page.
• Then they decide to browse the Lesson Plans.

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They wonder what they will find if they click
onto the Lesson Index.

• First, they browse by theme.
• They come upon a section Rise of Industrial
  America, 1876-1900.
• This leads them to find a WebQuest on the
  American Dream.

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The idea of a WebQuest has piqued their
interest.

• So they go back to the Content Literacy Social
  Studies Lesson Plans.
• They go to the WebQuest Portal Page.
• They click on Find a WebQuest.
• Perhaps, a search will yield information they can
  use?

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Now its time to expand the search.

• They search by grade and subject.
• Once the context is set, they scroll down to The
  Life of an Immigrant.
• They read the Introduction.
• Then, to further understand what the students
  will be doing, they read the Process.

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Then they decide to investigate writing
biographies.

• First, they go to the section titled Lesson Plans
  Social Studies.
• Then they see an article called The Biography
  Maker.
• They click on Start up the Biography Maker and
  see that students are led through a tutorial on
  writing biographies.
• This is just what they needed.

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Given their curriculum, they decide to focus on
Anne Frank.

• They go back to the Lesson Plans to find a site
  that has information about Anne Frank.
• They go to the History section of the Blue Webn
  site.
• When they search for Anne Frank, they find an
  exhibition slide show titled Anne Frank the
  Writer.

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Scenario 8

• A special education teacher works with small
  groups of 7th graders in the resource room.
• One goal is to help students recognize different
  text structures to improve reading across content
  areas.
• But she needs to find materials that are highly
  motivating for these struggling students.
• Where can she find a resource that is free and
  available online?

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So she goes to Literacy Matters.

• First, she goes to the section of Literacy
  Matters labeled 18 and Under, which contains
  student tutorials.
• Second, she previews the tutorial called American
  History Idol.

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Scenario 9

• A social studies teacher needs one graduate
  credit to advance to the next level on the pay
  scale.
• Unfortunately, she doesnt have the time to go to
  the local university.
• She considers the possibility of taking an online
  course.
• Where can she find a course with one graduate
  credit?

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So she goes to Literacy Matters.

• She goes to the section of Literacy Matters
  called PD Online and reads about online courses.
• She is particularly drawn to the course titled
  Improving Reading and Writing in the Content
  Areas.

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How Can You Make the Most of Literacy Matters?
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Possible Suggestions

• Find information relevant to your own interests
  and needs.
• Locate materials to stimulate conversation within
  a study group or faculty inquiry team.
• Bring information to a meeting (e.g., faculty
  meeting).
• Use student tutorials as part of instruction.
• Find lesson plans.