CONTENT LITERACY INSTRUCTIONAL

SHIFTS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

FacilitatorAuddie Mastroleo ҉ OCM BOCES Network Team

Balancing Informational & Literary Texts (Grades PK-5)

Knowledge in the Disciplines (Grades 6-12)

Staircase of Complexity

Text-based Answers

Writing from Sources

Academic Vocabulary

COMMON CORE SHIFTS ELA & CONTENT LITERACY

SHIFT 1

GradesPK-5

BALANCING INFORMATIONAL &

LITERARY TEXTS

Range of Text Types

Literature = Stories, Dramas,

Poetry

Informational = Literary

Nonfiction, Historical,

Scientific, & Technical Texts

50% fiction 50% nonfiction

40% fiction 60% nonfiction

20% fiction 80% nonfiction

4th grade

8th grade

12th grade

Increase in teaching

and learning with non-

fiction text

SHIFT 2

Grades6-12

KNOWLEDGE IN THE DISCIPLINES

Reading & Writing Literacy

Standards

• Complement, not replace content standards

Depending on text rather

than referring to it

• Read a president’s speech & write a response

• Read scientific papers & write an analysis

Think sophisticated

non-fiction

• Analyze and evaluate texts within disciplines

• Gain knowledge from texts that convey complex information through diagrams, charts, evidence, & illustrations

Expectation of rigorous

domain specific literacy

instruction outside of

ELA

SHIFT 1

Balancing Information

al and Literary

Texts

SHIFT 2

Building Knowledge

in the Disciplines

Core Text

Pre-CCL

S

SHIFT 1

Balancing Information

al and Literary

Texts

SHIFT 2

Building Knowledge

in the Disciplines

Paired Texts: Hero or Villain?

Core Texts

Post-

CCLS

SOCIAL STUDIES PRE AND POST SHIFT NOTES

With a partner…

Share your initial thinking and

reactions

TURN AND TALK

SHIFT 3

STAIRCASE OF COMPLEXITY

Increase in text complexity at each grade level

Qualitative

Levels of meaning

Structure

Clarity of language

Knowledge demands

Quantitative

Word length

Sentence length

Text cohesion

Reader & Task

Motivation

Knowledge

Experience

Appendix B:

Text Exemplars

and Sample Performance

Tasks

Expectation of proficiency

and independence

in reading grade level

text

SHIFT 3

Staircase of Complexity

PRE-CCLSJohn Brown

“When the state of Virginia hanged Brown for treason on December 2, 1859, church bells across the North tolled to mourn the man who many considered a hero. But, southerners were shocked. People in the North were praising a man who had tried to lead a slave revolt! More than ever, many southerners were convinced that the North was out to destroy their way of life.”

SHIFT 3

Staircase of

Complexity

POST-CCLS

Press and Tribune

John Brown dies to-day! …The man's heroism which is as sublime as that of a martyr, his constancy to his convictions, his suffering, the disgraceful incidents of his trial, the poltroonery of those who will lead him forth to death, have excited throughout all the North strong feeling of sympathy in his behalf, but no where, within our knowledge, is the opinion entertained that he should not be held answerable, for the legal consequence of his act.

Enquirer

We rejoice that old BROWN has been hung. He was not only a murderer of innocent persons, but he attempted one of the greatest crimes against society -- the stirring up of a servile and civil war. He has paid the penalty for his crimes, and we hope his fate may be a warning to all who might have felt inclined to imitate his aggressive conduct..

SHIFT 4

TEXT-BASED ANSWERS

Questions tied directly to the text, but extend beyond the

literal

Students must cite

text to support answers

Personal opinions,

experiences, and

connections to the text

are minimized in favor of what

the text actually says

or doesn’t say

Questions are purposefully planned &

direct students to

closely examine the

text

SHIFT 4

Text-based Answers

Question:

Describe how John Brown’s raid increased tensions between the North and the South.

PRE-CCLSJohn Brown

“When the state of Virginia hanged Brown for treason on December 2, 1859, church bells across the North tolled to mourn the man who many considered a hero. But, southerners were shocked. People in the North were praising a man who had tried to lead a slave revolt! More than ever, many southerners were convinced that the North was out to destroy their way of life.”

SHIFT 4

Text-based Answers

Question:

Compare and contrast the reaction of John Brown’s hanging by the two newspaper excerpts. How could these articles contribute to the tensions between the North and the South?

Use specifi c examples from the text to support your answer.

POST-CCLSEnquirer

We rejoice that old BROWN has been hung. He was not only a murderer of innocent persons, but he attempted one of the greatest crimes against society -- the stirring up of a servile and civil war. He has paid the penalty for his crimes, and we hope his fate may be a warning to all who might have felt inclined to imitate his aggressive conduct..

Press and Tribune

John Brown dies to-day! …The man's heroism which is as sublime as that of a martyr, his constancy to his convictions, his suffering, the disgraceful incidents of his trial, the poltroonery of those who will lead him forth to death, have excited throughout all the North strong feeling of sympathy in his behalf, but no where, within our knowledge, is the opinion entertained that he should not be held answerable, for the legal consequence of his act.

SOCIAL STUDIES PRE AND POST SHIFT NOTES

With a partner…

Share your initial thinking and

reactions

TURN AND TALK

SHIFT 5

WRITING FROM SOURCES

Three Text Types

Argument

Supporting a claim with sound reasoning and relevant evidenceInformational

/Explanatory Writing

Increase subject knowledge

Explain a process

Enhance comprehension

Narrative Writing

Conveys experience i.e. fictional stories, memoirs, anecdotes, autobiographies

Appendix C: Samples of

Student Writing

Argumentative writing is especially

prominent in the CCLS

SHIFT 5

Writing from

Sources

Describe a time when you took action in support of something you strongly believed in. What were the consequences of your actions?

Pre-CCLS

SHIFT 5

Writing from

Sources

Write a critical essay in which you discuss your understanding of John

Brown from the perspective provided in

the critical lens.Provide a

valid interpretation

of the statement.

Agree or disagree with the statement

as you’ve interpreted it.

Support your opinion using

specific references

from the two works listed

above.

Post-CCLS

Critical Lens

Nothing is given to man on earth – struggle is built into the nature of life, and conflict is possible - the hero is the man who lets no obstacle prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen.

SHIFT 6

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Tier One

Words

• Words of everyday speech

Tier Two

Words

• Not specific to any one academic area

• Generally not well-defined by context or explicitly defined within a text

• Wide applicability to many types of reading

Tier Three Words

• Domain specific• Low-frequency• Often explicitly defined • Heavily scaffolded

Ramp up instruction of Tier Two

words

SHIFT 6

Academic Vocabular

y

Pre-CCLS

abolition

radical

secede

Martial Law

SHIFT 6

Academic Vocabular

y

Post-CCLS

Tier 3 Words

abolition

radical

secede

Martial law

Tier 2 Words

inclined

aggressive

sublime

convictions

SOCIAL STUDIES PRE AND POST SHIFT NOTES

With a partner…

Share your initial thinking and

reactions

TURN AND TALK

QUESTIONS? CONCERNS? NOTICES?