Writing+in+the+Social+Studies

Writing in the Social Studies

Writing, as you know, is an important skill for all students to develop. This is especially important for students who plan on furthering their education in college. As such, incorporating writing into your courses in a logical manner which will support student learning of both the content and the important skill of writing. As you start your teaching career, be sure to consider ways that you can consistently incorporate and assess wrting in your class.

__**Strategies**__
 * Journaling -** At the end of class, as homework, after video clips and so on, journaling is a technique that can be effectively utilized in a variety of ways and a variety of settings. Here are three ways that I have used journaling in class...
 * 1) Student questions - I would have students write questions throughout class at various points. At a certain point, I would have the students exchange questions and see if they could answer other student's questions.
 * 2) Point of view journaling - I have the students journal as if they are someone in a certain battle or other historical events. Students are to write as if they are writing a letter to a family member or friend regarding the events, describing what happened, what they see, think, feel, hear, smell, etc...
 * 3) Music video analysis - At the start of my sociology class now we start almost every day with a music video that is related to our topic of study. Students watch the video, then write about what the music video discusses and how it is related to a certain concept in sociology.


 * Think-Pair-Share** - As you ask students questions, you can have them write about their thoughts on anything (e.g. which theory in sociology do you most agree with, which battle in World War I was the most important, which Greek philosophy had the best ideas, etc...). The students write quietly for a time, then discuss with someone else, then discuss as a whole class. Effective to make all students involved, rather than when some class discussions inadvertently encourage some students to zone out for a bit.


 * End of Class Reflection** - Have students write a summary of the key things that they have learned in class today, or write questions regarding items that they didn't completely understand. These can then be discussed at the end or at the start of class the next day.


 * Essays in Tests** - Essays on tests in high school are very important to help prepare students for college and for other courses. If you want students to get better at something (e.g. writing, thinking critically, making arguments, etc...), you need to give them opportunities to practice that skill. Essays do this. Here are some tips regarding creating essay questions.
 * Give students options - Instead of having just one essay questions, give the students at least 1 extra. Students are then allowed to choose which essay they would like to do. Most of the time, I will give a test that has 50 questions multiple choice or matching with 3 essays and the students will pick 2. Be sure to adjust for time.
 * Choose essay questions which require students to take a position and defend it with facts, rather than just having to explain what happened.
 * Be aware of the developmental level that your students are at when you give them an essay question. Do not use large and unique terms in your questions. Doing so is a threat to the validity of your test.
 * Letter to the Editors** - Many of the government teachers at WFHS will give students extra credit only if students write letters to the editor for a local newspaper. The class picks a current topic, students are given a week or two to write on that, then at the end of a week the teacher will collect the letters with an envelope and a stamp. This allows for the students to practice a skill that shows them the importance of being an engaged, active and informed citizen.


 * Research Papers -** On the plus side, research papers are very effective in helping students to develop a variety of skills and to prepare them for college. Just think about how many research papers you have completed in your educational endeavors so far. The down side of research papers is that they take a long time to do, and an especially long time to correct. I have said over and over to you that time management is a very important piece for you as a teacher. Be aware that if your students are doing a research paper, it will take a while for you to grade and offer feedback on early drafts.
 * Terms -** Terms are a great tool for making the students learn the material and practice writing. I do a terms assignment for every chapter in World History. Here are a few tips regarding using terms in social studies courses...
 * Institute a minimum length rule. Mine is 5 words. The definitions must be at least five words or I automatically mark them wrong.
 * Give the students examples early on of what good definitions are and what poor definitions are... For example "the president of the United States" for Woodrow Wilson is not a good definition. Though factually correct at a time, it is not complete enough to be accurate in the context of a WWI unit. When you mark this wrong initially you will get some resistance, but over time students will get better and understand.
 * Have the students select the terms that they think are the most important from the text. Have them choose a certain number.
 * Have the students use the terms in sentences or in a paragraph. Doing so will allow you to check if your students really understand the term, or if they were just copying out of a dictionary or off of their friends.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab - Purdue University writing lab resources: links to a variety of writing in the Social Sciences links. National Council of the Social Studies - A variety of resources throughout this website for writing and many other topics. NCSU Resources - North Carolina State resources for writing in the social sciences.