Literacy Skills In History
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Strong literacy skills are of the upmost importance for students of all ages and levels in history classes. Having strong literacy skills enables students to engage in analysis of sources, articulate connections and understand the complexities that exist within history. As we study people in different times and cultures than our own, the ability to read well, comprehend and develop vocabulary are necessary for students to understand events and concepts. The skills of a historian can be developed through practice, however the base needed for these skills to develop are literacy skills. Promoting strong academic habits in your classroom will lead students toward stronger academic success. In order to promote rigor and relevance in your classroom in regards to literacy, students must be taught and expected to listen, speak, read and write well. There are many strategies that incorporate strong literacy skills into your classroom. This website highlights a variety of activities and resources and serves as a toolbox for developing strong literacy skills in your classroom.
The first section of the toolbox is academic discourse. Routines that promote academic discourse guide students to speak and listen in appropriate ways. Engaging in academic discourse helps students to deepen their understanding of the material. The second section of the toolbox is anticipatory sets. Anticipatory sets should capture the interest of students; prepare their brains and focus learning for the day or unit. The third section is language or vocabulary development. Strong vocabulary will allow students to be successful in their tasks as historians. The fourth section of the toolbox is reading strategies. Teaching students to read well is one of our biggest tasks as educators. We need to work hard to provide our students with an understanding of what a strong reader does and the skills to be one. Good readers; monitor comprehension, ask questions, predict and infer, visualize, analyze, summarize, and make connections. Questioning strategies is the next portion of the toolbox. Promoting deep thinking through questioning will infuse your classroom with rigor and relevance! Students should be taught and expected to ask both higher and lower level questions as they develop skills of historians. Next in the toolbox of rigor and relevance are graphic organizers. Graphic organizers help students to store and then re-access information. There are vast amounts for graphic organizers, so there is not shortage of ways they can be introduced to your students. Note taking is the second to last portion of the toolbox. Providing your students with a variety of strong not taking strategies can provide them with a powerful skill as they move through their education. The ability and need to take concise and effective notes is lost on many students. Note taking must be modeled for and expected of your students. The final section of the toolbox is writing. Writing is a frequent activity of a historian. Private writing will help student historians to develop their writing skills. Private writing helps students to develop writing flow and different writing styles, helping them to grown into their strengths as historical writers.
The toolbox described above is highlighted on their website. For each section there are several strategies highlighted. These strategies will contribute rigor and relevance to any classroom and help students to grow and develop.
Academic Discourse
Promoting strong academic discourse in your classroom will better prepare your students for college and careers. The strategies below help students engage in academic discourse. Partner and group sharing are especially strong ways to promote academic discourse. Student's should be taught to speak in private and public voices when working with partners or sharing out to the class. Student's understanding of material generally increases when they engage in academic discourse.
Anticipatory Sets
Anticipatory sets are a crucial part of a successful lesson. They take your lesson from silver to gold! The three main goals of an anticipatory set are to capture interest, prepare brains and focus learning. Anticipatory sets should be fairly short and give students a glimpse of what exciting things you will be exploring in that unit or lesson. There are endless possibilities for anticipatory sets from video clips to quotes to cartoons. Anticipatory sets are the perfect opportunity to communicate your excitement to your students and get them prepared for the day!
Language(Vocabulary Development)
Vocabulary development is crucial to the growth of a budding historian. Vocabulary will allow my historians to be successful in the different tasks and actions expected of them. It will allow them to comprehend, discuss, analyze and draw connections more effectively. I believe that vocabulary development does not have to be a dry and boring task. It can be made fun by drawing on students creativity, making it into a game and challenging them to think outside the box with and about words.
Reading
As teachers we need to model for and develop our students into strong readers. Good readers MONITOR COMPREHENSION, ASK QUESTIONS, PREDICT AND INFER, VISUALIZE, ANALYZE, SUMMARIZE, and MAKE CONNECTIONS. There are many wonderful strategies to help students develop and exercise these skills. Below are a few of my favorites!
Questioning Strategies
Getting your students to ask questions and think deeply is one of our greatest challenges as a teacher. Great questioning strategies can contribute to high academic discourse in your classroom. Students must be taught and encourage to ask deeper thinking question (also called higher order questions). These deeper thinking questions will allow them to engage with the material in new ways, helping them to develop and sharpen this historical skills. Bellow are a few of my favorite questioning techniques.
Note Taking
Providing your students with a variety of strong not taking strategies can provide them with a powerful skill as they move through their education. The ability and need to take concise and effective notes is lost on many students. Note taking must be modeled for and expected of your students.
Writing
Private writing is an essential part of developing your students' writing skills. Private writing activities that are not graded or edited. They are for the purpose of practicing and developing writing flow. Furthermore they help students try different types of writing styles. Private writing exercises help students to develop skills that wills serve them in their public writing assignments. Listed below are a few private writings strategies I plan to use in my classroom.
Rubrics
Rubrics are an effective way to keep your grading organized and consistent. Rubrics also are a way to communicate your expectations clearly to your students and allow them to monitor their own progress and work. Rubrics should be clear and easy to understand. They should include the most essential parts of assignment. Your rubrics should guide your grading, if you find yourself straying from your rubric, it may be time to revamp either your rubric or your assignment.
The first section of the toolbox is academic discourse. Routines that promote academic discourse guide students to speak and listen in appropriate ways. Engaging in academic discourse helps students to deepen their understanding of the material. The second section of the toolbox is anticipatory sets. Anticipatory sets should capture the interest of students; prepare their brains and focus learning for the day or unit. The third section is language or vocabulary development. Strong vocabulary will allow students to be successful in their tasks as historians. The fourth section of the toolbox is reading strategies. Teaching students to read well is one of our biggest tasks as educators. We need to work hard to provide our students with an understanding of what a strong reader does and the skills to be one. Good readers; monitor comprehension, ask questions, predict and infer, visualize, analyze, summarize, and make connections. Questioning strategies is the next portion of the toolbox. Promoting deep thinking through questioning will infuse your classroom with rigor and relevance! Students should be taught and expected to ask both higher and lower level questions as they develop skills of historians. Next in the toolbox of rigor and relevance are graphic organizers. Graphic organizers help students to store and then re-access information. There are vast amounts for graphic organizers, so there is not shortage of ways they can be introduced to your students. Note taking is the second to last portion of the toolbox. Providing your students with a variety of strong not taking strategies can provide them with a powerful skill as they move through their education. The ability and need to take concise and effective notes is lost on many students. Note taking must be modeled for and expected of your students. The final section of the toolbox is writing. Writing is a frequent activity of a historian. Private writing will help student historians to develop their writing skills. Private writing helps students to develop writing flow and different writing styles, helping them to grown into their strengths as historical writers.
The toolbox described above is highlighted on their website. For each section there are several strategies highlighted. These strategies will contribute rigor and relevance to any classroom and help students to grow and develop.
Academic Discourse
Promoting strong academic discourse in your classroom will better prepare your students for college and careers. The strategies below help students engage in academic discourse. Partner and group sharing are especially strong ways to promote academic discourse. Student's should be taught to speak in private and public voices when working with partners or sharing out to the class. Student's understanding of material generally increases when they engage in academic discourse.
Anticipatory Sets
Anticipatory sets are a crucial part of a successful lesson. They take your lesson from silver to gold! The three main goals of an anticipatory set are to capture interest, prepare brains and focus learning. Anticipatory sets should be fairly short and give students a glimpse of what exciting things you will be exploring in that unit or lesson. There are endless possibilities for anticipatory sets from video clips to quotes to cartoons. Anticipatory sets are the perfect opportunity to communicate your excitement to your students and get them prepared for the day!
Language(Vocabulary Development)
Vocabulary development is crucial to the growth of a budding historian. Vocabulary will allow my historians to be successful in the different tasks and actions expected of them. It will allow them to comprehend, discuss, analyze and draw connections more effectively. I believe that vocabulary development does not have to be a dry and boring task. It can be made fun by drawing on students creativity, making it into a game and challenging them to think outside the box with and about words.
Reading
As teachers we need to model for and develop our students into strong readers. Good readers MONITOR COMPREHENSION, ASK QUESTIONS, PREDICT AND INFER, VISUALIZE, ANALYZE, SUMMARIZE, and MAKE CONNECTIONS. There are many wonderful strategies to help students develop and exercise these skills. Below are a few of my favorites!
Questioning Strategies
Getting your students to ask questions and think deeply is one of our greatest challenges as a teacher. Great questioning strategies can contribute to high academic discourse in your classroom. Students must be taught and encourage to ask deeper thinking question (also called higher order questions). These deeper thinking questions will allow them to engage with the material in new ways, helping them to develop and sharpen this historical skills. Bellow are a few of my favorite questioning techniques.
Note Taking
Providing your students with a variety of strong not taking strategies can provide them with a powerful skill as they move through their education. The ability and need to take concise and effective notes is lost on many students. Note taking must be modeled for and expected of your students.
Writing
Private writing is an essential part of developing your students' writing skills. Private writing activities that are not graded or edited. They are for the purpose of practicing and developing writing flow. Furthermore they help students try different types of writing styles. Private writing exercises help students to develop skills that wills serve them in their public writing assignments. Listed below are a few private writings strategies I plan to use in my classroom.
Rubrics
Rubrics are an effective way to keep your grading organized and consistent. Rubrics also are a way to communicate your expectations clearly to your students and allow them to monitor their own progress and work. Rubrics should be clear and easy to understand. They should include the most essential parts of assignment. Your rubrics should guide your grading, if you find yourself straying from your rubric, it may be time to revamp either your rubric or your assignment.