BEST PRACTICES IN SOCIAL SCIENCESElementary

Topics…..

• Social Science requirements and standards.• Role Social Sciences plays in improving student literacy and

writing skills.• Resource: M-DCPS Department of Social Sciences Website,

Pacing Guides, Year at a Glance, and Civics in a Snap Lessons.• BEST PRACTICE for the Intensive Acceleration Courses in 3rd and

4th grade. • ConnectED.mcgraw-hill.com website and many of it’s available

resources.

AGENDA

Quick overview of requirements

According to MDCPS’ Student Progression Plan:• Grades K-1= 60 minutes of instruction per week• Grades 2-5 = 120 minutes of Social Sciences

Instruction per weekElementary Grade Level Themes:• K- Living, Learning, and Working Together• 1- Our Community and Beyond• 2- Who are we as Americans?• 3- United States’ Regions and Its Neighbors• 4- Florida History• 5- U.S. History (Colonization through Reconstruction)

Quick overview of requirements

MS Requirements for Promotion:• 6th grade World History - Ancient Civilizations • 7th grade Civics (EOC 30% of student course

grade and 100 points of school accountability grade)

• 8th grade U.S. History (Colonization through Reconstruction)

What are the Literacy in the Florida Standards?

1. Balancing Informational and Literary Text

2. Building Knowledge in the Disciplines

3. Staircase of Complexity

4. Text-based Answers

5. Writing from Sources

6. Academic Vocabulary

1 & 2: Non-fiction TextsAuthentic Texts

3: Higher Level of Text Complexity Paired Passages

4&5: Focus on command of evidence from text: rubrics and prompts

6: Academic Vocabulary

Shift 1 Balancing Informational & Literary Text

Students read a true balance of informational and literary texts. (SS example: students read a historian’s account of Florida’s role in the Civil War).

Shift 2 Knowledge in the Disciplines

Students build knowledge about the world (domains/ content areas) through TEXT rather than the teacher or activities (SS example: The Civil War text/account is the base of instruction)

Shift 3 Staircase of Complexity

Students read the central, grade appropriate text around which instruction is centered. Teachers are patient, create more time and space and support in the curriculum for close reading. (SS example: Instruction MAY require students to read same text multiple X’s)

Shift 4 Text-based Answers Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based conversations about text. (SS example: Questions are about the TEXT)

Shift 5 Writing from Sources Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to inform or make an argument. (SS example: In written response to an essential ?, students must use evidence from text)

Shift 6 Academic Vocabulary Students constantly build the transferable vocabulary they need to access grade level complex texts. This can be done effectively by spiraling like content in increasingly complex texts. (SS example: Civil War relevant vocabulary from text is learned through the text analysis experience).

Defining the Literacy

Social Sciences Website

Your ONE-STOP SHOP for everything Social Studies!

Pacing Guides/Lessons

PACING GUIDES FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

K-5 Pacing guides with timelines, year at a glance, and Civics

Integration Lessons ( in grades 3-6)

PACING GUIDES FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

Identifying essential benchmarks

Sample Third Grade Timeline- highlighted

essential benchmarks.

PACING GUIDES FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

Sample 4th Grade Pacing Guide- highlighted essential benchmarks.Pay attention to first page of the guides and color codes

PACING GUIDES FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

Civics in a Snap Lessons for K-5

Click on the Civics in a Snap Icon Then you are taken to this page where all Civics in a Snap Lessons can be downloaded:

Icon also embedded in Pacing Guides

TIMELINES FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

Sample Timeline for

Kindergarten- essential

benchmarks highlighted and

Civics in a Snap resource

embedded

ELA Florida Standards in Social Science Pacing Guides

Sample: Grade 2

K-5 Pacing Guides contain

ELA Florida Standards

Benchmarks and Focus

Activities/Suggestions to

reinforce literacy and

writing skills.

OVERVIEW of

PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS

Stimuli-Based InstructionDefinition: The use of primary or secondary sources of information, emphasizing content/ skills explicitly stated in standards/ benchmarks, to increase student content knowledge, analytical skills, and engagement. (e.g. political cartoons, graphs, quotes, etc.)

Social Science Best Practices

Stimuli-Based Instruction(more examples)

C-E-RClaim-Evidence-Reasoning

Definition: Requiring students to state a claim (e.g. an answer to a question), provide evidence to support the claim, and state a reason why the evidence answers the question.

Let’s Apply Inference/Observation Skills to Social Studies

1. There are no women in the painting.2. The men are signing some sort of document.3. This is a very important event.4. These men are very important people. 5. George Washington is depicted in the painting.

Directions:

Place an ‘I’ before the statements that are inferences and an ‘O’ before the statements that are observations OR you may wish to make a T-chart.

Claim Evidence Reasoning Sample Student Response

• Claim: This painting shows an important event.

• Evidence: George Washington is in the painting and is considered the father of our country and an important historical person.

• Reasoning: Since the attention is on the signing of the paper and George Washington, an important person in U.S. history, is in the painting, it is logical to assume that this painting is about an important event. It is also logical to think that the signing of this paper or document had an important impact on history.

Social Sciences WebsiteFor more details and descriptions of best

instructional practices- click on: Best Practices Quick Start

Support for Writing- also found in Pacing Guides

Sample 3rd Grade:

Under Suggested

Activities- writing

prompts/suggestions

found for most major

topics.

Intensive Acceleration Courses for 3rd and 4th Grade: Social Science resource embedded

4th grade

sample:

SS Textbook

Correlations

Embedded

Instructional Resource for Special Events and Programs

Under Current News:

Instruction Packets

PD Announcements, Essay Competitions, Special Programs and Competitions

Look Under Weekly

Briefing Tab:

Get to Know YOUR McGraw- Hill SOCIAL SCIENCE

RESOURCES

• This website is an excellent tool for enhancing your social studies curriculum and becoming more familiar with all the program has to offer. In some grades it is your only textbook resource.

• How to access the site:• https://mdcpsportal.dadeschools.net/employee/default.aspx

Student edition info.

• To differentiate instruction• Click on Home Tab• Chose either version of student addition• Headphone icon (Audio on or off)• Size of text• Level of difficulty (Approaching grade level or on grade level)• Standards covered• Content and academic vocabulary• Spanish language option• Highlighter

• Upon entering the site, click on the second tab on the top titled, Lesson Plan. Click on the appropriate arrow to select the unit

• After clicking on Lesson 1, this screen appears.

• Each lesson will provide you with the standards, prepare, teach and present, close and assess, curriculum connections, and access point activities.

• The Teach and Present tab will provide you with the most information for teaching the lesson. This page provides all the necessary information ,including activating prior knowledge, differentiated instruction, etc. The bar to the right provides various digital components to the lesson, including, videos, lesson presentations, etc.

• The next arrow below the Teach and Present is the Close and Assess. This tab provides worksheets to use throughout the lesson.

• Below the Close and Asses tab is the 21st Century Skills Curriculum Connections. This tab provides you with extra cross-curricular activities.

• Below the 21st Century Curriculum Connections tab is the Access Point Activities. This tab provides multiple activities that correlate to each standard throughout JUST THE LESSON.

• Resources Tab:• Searches can be conducted by:• NGSSS & Standard• CCSS Reading Informational Text• Professional Development• Reader’s Theater• Idea Factory• Content Library & Unit• Unit – Unit Resources = Common Core Assessments

• Accessing the Leveled Readers:• On the McGraw-Hill homepage, locate the icons on

the top right-hand side. Click on the open book. Search according to specific need.

Share the wealth!!! This presentations (and more to come) posted here:

Look Under

Current News:

ELA Elementary

ICAD Support

Team Social Sciences- one team- one message: Improve student achievement!

District Department of Social Sciences

Mr. Robert C. Brazofsky, Executive Director Phone: 305 995-1982 E-Mail: rbrazofsky@dadeschools.net Dr. Sherrilyn Scott, Supervisor Phone: 305 995-1971 E-Mail: sherrilynscott@dadeschools.net Ms. Jackie Viana, Supervisor Phone: 305 995-2772 E-Mail: jviana@dadeschools.net Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff, Holocaust Education Phone: 305 995-1201 E-Mail: mkassenoff@dadeschools.net Mr. Nicolas Valdes, CSS Phone: 305 995-1781 E-Mail: nicolasvaldes@dadeschools.net Ms. Kelly Webner, CSS Phone: 305 995-2352 Email: kwebner@dadeschools.net Support StaffMr. Michel Delgado, Senior Computer Operator Phone: 305 995-1469 E-Mail: mdelgado4@dadeschools.net

In conclusion… Social Sciences MUST be more than this!

Social Sciences Website

Your ONE-STOP SHOP for everything Social Studies!

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