Transcript Mastering the Common Core State Standards

Social Studies
can be
SPECtacular
Anthony Fitzpatrick
Looking for SPECs in your classroom:
• State standards,
textbook
objectives, and
writing outlines are
almost always
written in a form of
SPEC or other
helpful anagrams.
• So what is it?
SPEC
• Social
– Having to do with people in groups, their living together, includes
issues such as gender, economic status, and ethnicity.
• Political
– Having to do with gaining, seeking, and organizing power, events
related to the function of government: making laws, enforcing
laws, and interpreting laws.
• Economic
– Having to do with how people meet their basic material needs; the
production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services;
includes such issues as domestic and international trade,
monetary policies, and taxation.
• Cultural
– Having to do with the technology, arts, and institutions of a given
group of people at a given time. It is a tangible representation of
interactions.
We need a formula!
• Other subject areas
have formulas to help
students “show their
work” and have a path
to figure our problems.
• History and Social
Studies can be
considered in the
same way . . .
You don’t have to capitalize the
C
• Often the most
confusing theme is
Culture as students
may confuse it with
Social.
• It’s quite acceptable to
use SPE first until they
get the SPEcial nuance
that separates social
and cultural.
• Let’s Try It:
– What do you know about George
Washington
OK
• Let’s Take that content
and begin to analyze it for
its SPEC significance!!!
Now:
• Let’s take the
list and use
SPEC to
categorize
and organize
our answers.
TOPIC
The result:
• Absent of an initial clear vision of an
George Washington – armed with SPEC
– students will be able to approach
content with a plan in order to use what
they know to formulate a response.
Grade Level Appropriateness
• Students of ALL ages and
grade levels can begin to
investigate SPEC in
thoughtful and meaningful
ways.
• The key is to engage the
standards in different ways,
scaffold the skill and then
spiral it so keeps unlock
deeper meaning.
Disclaimer
• Are you limited to SPEC?
– ABSOLUTELY NOT!
• There are other themes appropriate to bring into
your classroom (Geography, Religion as
example)
• SPEC is just a wonderful starting point, and very
versatile.
• There are ways to introduce the other themes
while keeping SPEC as the foundation.
Get out your SPECtacles.
• Let’s
examine
some primary
source
documents
for some
SPECifics.
The New Colossus
• Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Common Core Reading History
Standards:
RH.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of
history/social science.
RH.9-10.6. Compare the point of view of two or more
authors for how they treat the same or similar topics,
including which details they include and emphasize in
their respective accounts.
RH.9-10.9. Compare and contrast treatments of the same
topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Your Turn: The Fall of the
Roman Empire
Let’s move it past just the generation of
ideas . . .
• Graphic Organizers.
• Scavenger Hunts.
• Extension into an
interactive notebook.
• Make generalizations
that will lead to . . .
• THE WRITING
PROCESS!
Common Core Writing Expectations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection,
organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what
is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into
broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions,
concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and
clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform
about or explain the topic.
Establish and maintain a formal style.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and
supports the information or explanation presented.
SPECulate
• In need of a
conclusion that
doesn’t “tell me
what you told me” –
have the students
take a calculated
risk!
What is the goal?
• Have students
providing a broad
SPECtrum of
analysis, thesis
statements, and
conclusions that
show their content
mastery and their
historical thinking
capabilities.