My instructional coach provided our social studies department with a series of graphic organizers that meet the Literacy in History Common Core standards. I confess I haven’t done much with them yet this year, but my teaching cohort had a lot of success implementing one so I figured I’d better be next!
My students needed to read a passage about the Patriots’ “Struggle for Liberty,” so I thought that fit with the following literacy standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
I chose to specify (and digitize) the general graphic organizer provided for this standard. Check it out:
During class, after reviewing material about the Declaration of Independence, I helped students preview the new material. One student read aloud the title of the section, but I had each row choral read one of the main ideas. The entire class choral read the main idea:
I then read aloud the “If you were there…” and allowed students to discuss the question with a neighbor before sharing their opinion with the class. Finally, I modeled for students how to complete the graphic organizer. See the video HERE.
At the end of class, we did a quick whip around in which each student noted one step the colonists took in their fight for liberty. I also asked students to rank this new note-taking strategy by a show of fingers…
1=This strategy didn’t help me
5=This strategy helped me! Let’s use it again!
Anywhere in between. 🙂
Most kids ranked the strategy somewhere in between. 🙂
I felt really good about this lesson. In terms of planning, I utilized my Iowa Core resources and my instructional coach. The lesson had a clear beginning, middle, and end. Students were responsible for their learning. I implemented multiple active engagement strategies. The whip around showed me who will need more support tomorrow as students finish the reading. On the downside, every time I watch a video of my teaching, I’m reminded of how fast I talk! Eep! No wonder some kids have trouble listening (Is that why they all look so bored?!). Also, I should have extended my modeling to a “we do it” segment in which students helped me write the notes. Next time! My one non-teaching reflective comment….Stand up straight, Miss Haines!!!! 🙂
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