MCLP Social Studies Content Literacy Network Session 3

March 15, 20123:30-5:00

Session Goals

• Develop a common language around literacy demands of social studies

• Build capacity in content literacy strategies specifically suited for social studies

• Develop an understanding of the literacy strategy: problematic situations

• Establish goals for experimentation with literacy strategy.

• Click the "hand" icon to raise your hand. Click it again to lower your hand.  

•  Always identify yourself when you make a comment or ask a question.

• Use names frequently.  • Feel free to ask a question at any time. • Do make comments and participate in discussion

prompts. It engages you and others. • Remember to mute your phone if it is necessary

to speak to someone else during the presentation.

Webinar Norm Reminders

Activity 1: Introductions

1. Julie Keblinsky Grade 9-12 RSU 24

2. Angela Lake Grade 5 Teacher Livermore Elementary School

3. Edith Berger Grade 6 Teacher Miller School, Waldoboro

What new understandings and/or reflections do you have regarding the literacy demands of Social Studies?

What do students need to:

1. read– write– think about

 

This session's strategy:

Discussion Web

Teacher Self Assessment Rubric

Frequency 1.  I don't use this literacy strategy.2.  I occasionally use this literacy strategy.3.  I know this literacy strategy well, and use it frequently.   

Strategy 1    Discussion Web

What is it?How does it work?  How can it be used?

Discussion Web

What is it?Description

This strategy promotes critical thinking by encouraging students to take a position for or against a particular point of view and requires

them to establish and support evidence for their selected point of view based on their reading of

narrative or expository texts.  (Duthie 1986)

Discussion Web

What is it?Purposes

• Provide a framework for analyzing an issue by citing evidence for or against a point of view before coming to a personal viewpoint

• Develop students' ability to draw conclusions based upon evidence, not opinion

• Provide opportunities for active discussion and collaboration

• Help students organize ideas for writing and use evidence to support their point of view

• Encourage the use of multiple resources to determine   a conclusion

• Develop appreciation for diversity and understanding that there are two or more sides to every question

• Help students refine their thinking by listening to opposing information or ideas

Discussion Web: How Does it Work?

• Choose, or have students choose, an issue with opposing viewpoints

• Locate, or have students locate, a variety of resources that describe the issue

• Provide, or have students create, a guiding question to focus the discussion

• Have students work alone or in pairs to complete both sides of the discussion web, note text title and page numbers where they found the evidence, and form a tentative conclusion

• Have two pairs work together to review their discussion webs and add additional arguments.  Have the four students discuss all the evidence and come to consensus about the strongest point of view, based on the evidence

Discussion Web: How Does it Work?

• Have students create a conclusion that summarizes the group's thinking and write it at the bottom of the web.  Encourage them to avoid biased language.

• Have each small group report their conclusions to the whole class.  They should mention any dissenting viewpoints within their group.  Limit the report to three minutes so all groups have time to present.

• Have each student review his/her own tentative conclusion about the guiding question and then complete a one paragraph quick write that states the conclusion, citing the three to five key facts or reasons that support the conclusion.

Elementary Level Viking Discussion Web

Elementary Student Sample

Elementary Level Iditarod Discussion Web

Elementary Student Sample

Middle Level Blank Sample

Middle Level Student Sample

Middle Level Blank Sample

S1: I like this. It's really interesting (pointing down at his desk). T: The topic or the strategy? S1: Both. I think the Boston Massacre is really interesting, but the strategy makes it fun to argue about.S2: Once I had my evidence in the boxes, I could see how it added up against the statement about Captain Preston. S3: I had to choose which of my highlighted quotes were the best arguments for or arguments against the statement.

Middle Level Student Sample

We worked to distinguish be-tween the weights of court testimony and a work of art in coming to a conclusion about the statement.

Students are still learning how to use one piece of evidence to support or refute another piece of evidence (see the purple conclusion). Although not the focus of the task, the role of propaganda came up as a motivation for lying in court (on both sides) and for Revere's gravure.

High School Blank Sample

High School Student Sample

High School Sample

High School Student Sample

Next Steps

How will we use these strategies? In your classrooms How often?  At least twice  When?   Documents will need to be uploaded onto edmodo by Friday April 6, 2012

What will you need to submit for the next session?  1 lesson plan, 1 student sample 

Before our next webinar you will be practicing using the Discussion Web with your students.

Please plan on sharing your successes and challenges with us at our next webinar session. To share your anticipation guides  please upload them to edmodo.  For those of you that still have not joined edmodo, you will need to create your own edmodo account (www.edmodo.com) and join the MCLP Social Studies Network.  The code is:  fgib1c.   Remember to upload the documents by Friday April 6, so we can transfer them to the ppt for Thursday's Webinar.

Feel free to contact us with your questions. 

Our next webinar will be held on April 12, 2012 at 3:30pm.

Thank you very much for your participation.

Here is our contact information:

1. Julie Keblinsky jkeblinsky@rsu24.org2. Angela Lake alake@rsu73.org3. Edith Berger edith_berger@msad40.org