1. 4th and 5th Grade Teachers’ Social Studies Academy
Elementary Social Studies and
Literacy Connections
Teaching and Learning Like Historians
Professional practice reflection and introductions: OPENING ACTIVITY
Participants will begin working on the reflection their reflection (handout) as they arrive. Tell participants that we will address topics covered in the Reflection Questions throughout the session. However there are 4 questions that we would like to open our session with. (#2. What I enjoy #3 What I find challenging #7 providing engaging social studies instruction will allow my students to… #8 As a result of participating….)
They should select ONE of their four responses (questions 2, 3, 7 or 8), go to the corresponding poster paper and write their selected response on the corresponding poster paper and remain standing by it.
Have participants introduce themselves (name, school, grade level) and share their statement. Begin with the group for question 2 and follow in order to question 8 until all have shared.

2. Session 1: Goals and Outcomes
Discuss the role of Social Studies education and the impact to our student population
Review current research and issues related to elementary Social Studies education
Examine the connections between literacy and social studies
Explore elementary teaching resources on the Department of Social Sciences Website
Learn about teaching with History Labs
Inference VS Opinion
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning
Primary and Secondary Sources
These are the main topics for today’s session.
Briefly discuss the Academy/Sessions Overview and expectations (refer to their handout of the Sessions Overview)

3. Goal of Social Studies Education
The overarching goal of social studies instruction is to prepare students to be knowledgeable, informed, and active citizens in an increasingly diverse community and nation and interdependent world. Social Studies programs exist to promote civic competence and ensure that the values and ideals that have shaped our democratic republic continue to be instilled in our youth.
The Department of Social Sciences is launching this initiative, the 4th and 5th Grade Teachers’ Social Studies Academy to support elementary school teachers in laying the foundations of the fundamental social studies knowledge that students need/deserve to have as part of their education.
Classroom instruction is essential to achieve the goal of Social Studies Education and ensure that our students have the knowledge and dispositions needed to be civic-minded citizens and thrive in a challenging world.

4. Who Are Our Students?
In the school year M-DCPS teachers taught 356,480 students who…
Represent over 100 countries
Speak about 150 languages
As a large urban school district, our diversity is impressive. Let’s take a close look at who are students are….this helps us think about how important social studies instruction is our community.

5. What Languages Do They Speak? Top 10 Languages
Spanish
Haitian-Creole
Portuguese
French
Russian
Zhongwhen (Chinese)
Arabic
Italian
Creole
Vietnamese
Ask participants to think about their classroom and school, what zip code are they in? what area do the majority of the students reside? What are the concerns of their community and the socio economic status of those communities.
A significant segment of our student population comes from all parts of the world. (note: the world has 196 countries so we have “almost half of the world in M-DCPS”)
Each has a different story given the unique circumstances of their lives, the countries they came from, their culture/beliefs, etc. Education, specifically, Social Studies education, helps our students understand the country’s history, democratic principles, government, etc. and prepares them to be “engaged citizens”
Which leads us to the following question….

6. What is the Social Studies Climate/Culture in Elementary Schools?
What does current research indicate about the state of social studies instruction?
What are the implications for students?
What’s happening with Social Studies instruction in elementary schools?
M-DCPS research capsule The Marginalization of Social Studies Instruction in U.S. Elementary Schools.

7. What’s Happening with Social Studies at Secondary Schools?
Required State Assessments:
End of Course (EOC) Exams
7th Grade: Civics Course and EOC
11th Grade: US History Course
and EOC
Teachers should have an understanding that the Social Studies knowledge that they teach in grades 4/5 is necessary for building up to the secondary school academic requirements for both the courses and the EOCs.

8. Civics is a middle-grades course, and most students take it while in grade 7 (n=25,925)
Outpaced the state, with a 3 percentage point increase in Civics.
US History is typically taken in Grade 11 (n= 22,196). M-DCPS showed a 1 percentage point increase in U.S. History.

9. US History is typically taken in Grade 11 (n= 22,196)
US History is typically taken in Grade 11 (n= 22,196). M-DCPS showed a 1 percentage point increase in U.S. History.

10. K-12 Shared Responsibility
K-12 Social Sciences skills:
Analyzing Primary and Secondary Sources
Citing Evidence to Support Conclusions
Developing Positive Civic Dispositions
“engaged citizens”
Evaluating Credible Sources of Information
Developing Respect & Appreciation for History
“cultural literacy”
Speaking and Writing to inform, support an argument and/or persuade
Emphasize that these skills:
Directly support literacy (reading, writing, speaking)
Promote thinking critically
Are essential in educating our multicultural student population to ensure that they become citizens who are prepared to participate in our society

11. Instructional Resources?
Scavenger Hunt Activity Department of Social Sciences Website at: :
Have Participants use their handout: Digging Deep Into the Department of Social Sciences’ Website For Elementary Resources to review the resources and make notes on their handout.
Take some time to review:
Current News section: Mock Election
Pacing Guides: links and features (focus on second nine weeks guide)
See Bonus 4: Presenters should take notes of what teachers suggest. They may ideas later on to us.

12. Introducing History Labs A Resource for Grades 4 and 5
Developed by the Department of Social Sciences for our teachers and students

13. Accessing 4th and 5th Grade History Labs
Department of Social Sciences Website
On the DOSS Website: either click on the History Labs icon or go the the Pacing/Guide Lessons section.
Also, while using the pacing guides, see the icon throughout the sections where History Labs should be taught.

14. Introducing History Labs
for
Introducing History Labs
Students Think Like Historians because History Labs bring history alive
Analysis of primary and secondary sources
Academic/domain specific
words and phrases
Culminate in a rigorous writing assignment
Explain History Labs focus on examining four primary/secondary sources for each History Lab. Provide excellent opportunity for teaching and learning various LAFS for informational text.

15. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
Observation VS Inference
Claim/Evidence/Reasoning
What is a primary source?
What is a secondary source?
Explain to teachers that students must have an understanding of these skills and processes prior to working on history labs. We will look at them throughout the next 8 slides before looking at the History Lab.

16. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
Inference
Observation
Use what we already know and clues from the text or pictures to come up with an…
Use senses to gather information or…
Evidence
Discuss that an INFERENCE is essentially an explanation or conclusion and that an OBSERVATION is evidence of something. Both of these skills are used when analyzing primary and secondary sources. Students must understand how to discern these differences.
Explanation

17. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
Inference VS Observation
Ask these questions….go through the list of statements and ask participants whether Inference or Observation/why
1. There are no women in the painting.
2. The men are signing some sort of document.
3. This is a very important event.
4. These men are very important people.
5. Some of the men are wearing wigs.
6. There is no electricity in the room.
7. The painting is depicting an event from long ago.
8. George Washington is one of the figures depicted in the painting.
9. The painter was present at this event when it was painted.
10. The majority of the men in the painting are paying attention to the person signing the document.
11. The men are wearing clothes that were worn during the time of the 1780’s.
12. Thomas Jefferson is one of the men depicted in the painting.
13. All of the men are pleased to be part of this event.
14. The impact of the signing of this document was huge on society.
15. It is important to sign documents.

18. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (C-E-R) Strategy
CLAIM
EVIDENCE
REASONING
A conclusion or answer to a question that is made after reading text or responding to a question.
Specific data that supports the claim.
The data needs to be appropriate and sufficient to support the claim.
A justification that links the claim and evidence. It shows why the data count as evidence by using appropriate and sufficient social science principles.
Let’s take a look at C E R in an elementary classroom…
Teachers may already be familiar with this strategy.
The Claim-Evidence-Reasoning Strategy is a content-area reading strategy that is often used in science. It also works very well with Social Sciences text, pictures, etc.. In addition to “Inference VS Opinion” , CER will help students with literacy skills and in using the History Labs.
The 3 minute video shows a 5th grade classroom where the students and teachers are working with CER.

19. Embed video Let’s take a look at C E R in an elementary classroom…

20. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (C-E-R) Strategy
CLAIM
EVIDENCE
REASONING
“I claim that…”
“The evidence that
I have…”
“The reason that this evidence supports the answer is that…”
Students make a claim based on text , picture or as an
answer to a multiple choice question
Students make specific reference to text-based or picture-based evidence
Students explain how the evidence supports their claim
The Claim-Evidence-Reasoning Strategy can be done using a graphic organizer or on any type of paper as “authentic work”.

21. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
What are primary sources?
Original documents and objects which were created at the time under study
Powerful sense of history and the complexity of the past
Foster higher order thinking
We’ve discussed Inference/Opinion and CER. Now we will take a look at understanding Primary Sources as part of the skill set that we should build on for our students before working with the History Labs.
Primary Sources can include: documents, letters, maps, photos, objects, drawings,

22. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
What are secondary sources?
Accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience
Foster higher order thinking
Although secondary sources do not provide firsthand information, they are valuable in studying a historical event. It allows us to understand how and “see” what was happening at the time.
For example, when a painting is commissioned as a way of depicting an event, it is important to question:
Who commissioned the painting?
What was the event?
What was the purpose for the painting?
What motivation would they have for certain things in the painting to be shown in a particular way?
How do the primary sources for the same event compare with what the painting shows?

23. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
Primary and Secondary Sources
Skill Benchmarks
SS.4.A.1.1
SS.5.A.1.1
Analyze primary and secondary resources to identify significant individuals and events throughout Florida history
Use primary and secondary sources to understand history
The skill benchmarks for instruction in grades 4 and 5.

24. What do students need to know before learning with History Labs?
Primary and Secondary Sources
Teaching with Primary Sources
Click “Library of Congress” for video.
Watch this video from the Library of Congress that gives an overview of what primary/secondary resources are. (4 minutes)
Direct teachers to handouts from Library of Congress for analyzing primary sources, photographs and prints, political cartoons.

25. EMBED VIDEO HERE Library of Congress Video

26. Building Blocks of a History Lab
Benchmarks: Aligned to grade level
Essential Question: Guides Learning Task
Primary & Secondary Sources: 4 per Lab
Template: Students read, think, write
identify main ideas & details
determine how sources answer
essential question
write summary statement
answers essential question
Also important to discuss: the prerequisite knowledge is explained (what students need to know) and also note the various links embedded in the Labs which provide access to more information.

27. Seminole Indians History Lab
Grade 4 Second Grading Period
Participants will have have annotated version of this lab as a sample. Remind them that all HL have the same format.
Go through it with them to explain. As time permits, do all or parts of it with the teachers.

28. Literacy and Social Studies
A perfect match!
Literacy Skills
With
Social Studies Content
Ms. Michelle Chaidez, representing the Elementary Language Arts Department

29. Examined the connections between literacy and social studies
In summary, today we…
Discussed the role of Social Studies education and its impact to students
Reviewed current research and issues related to elementary Social Studies education
Examined the connections between literacy and social studies
Explored elementary teaching resources on the Department of Social Sciences Website
Learned about teaching with History Labs
Today’s agenda/focus

30. Follow Up Assignment Teach a History Lab
Select a History Lab for the second grading
period and implement it into your classroom
Write a reflection to share in Session 2

31. We appreciate our teachers!
Department of
Social Sciences
Mr. Bob Brazofsky
Executive Director
Dr. Sherrilyn Scott
District Supervisor
Ms. Raquel Sotolongo
Curriculum Support
Specialist