Each of the social science disciplines requires literacy skills that can look completely different from those in other content areas. A disciplinary literacy approach, then, expands content learning by helping students read, write, think, and communicate as experts in history, sociology, or global studies, offering a more relevant way to understand complex concepts and challenging texts.
This On-Your-Feet Guide will help teachers
- Plan instruction that engages students’ natural inquiry and curiosity;
- Apprentice students toward deeper understanding of social science concepts, terms, understandings, and text;
- Help students use their learning to create, communicate, and participate as social scientists;
- Teach skills required by social studies standards and frameworks; and
- Work with colleagues to design instructional units that incorporate both content and literacy skills.
Students can then use these tools to compare, create, connect, and construct as they do the work of experts instead of only reading about how it’s done.