Category: #SocialStudies

February 16th, 2021

2/16/2021

K-5 Sample Literacy Lessons
Opinion Mini Unit

In partnership with Ed Tech, Science and Social Studies, the ELA team has created sample lessons for the Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning unit in Bridge to Curriculum. Colorado Academic Standards and the proficiency scales from multiple contents are represented in the units.

They are a three week mini unit as part of the larger Claims, Evidence and Reasoning unit of study. Included are:

Daily lessons for reading and writing.
Materials linked for digital access (or printed or available in your library
Prioritized standards
Learning Goals and Success Criteria for each day
Embedded tech tools and standards

Lessons are designed to be taught in person or remotely. These lessons do not include work from the Foundational Unit (phonemic awareness, phonics, word study).

Ideas are also included for instruction beyond the three week scope of these mini-units.

Enjoy - and please reach out to a member of the team if you have any questions!

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February 03rd, 2021

2/3/2021

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“We are striving to forge our union with purpose. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.” —Amanda Gorman, ‘The Hill We Climb’

February may be the shortest month of the year in terms of number of days, but anyone who has taught through the month of February knows that it is a mighty month. We have Groundhog Day (although, there’s something about the past year that feels a little like a continual version of Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day!), President’s Day, and, of course, the month-long celebration of Black History Month. Black History Month is an opportunity to focus on highlighting courageous leaders such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. It is also a month to celebrate Black voices and perspectives through the sharing of stories, poetry, oration, and narratives that demonstrate the experiences and contributions of foundational Americans. It is 28 days to affirm cultural traits and contributions and reframe thinking. In Jeffco, we not only want to make sure we take the time to celebrate Black History Month, but also to honor that these stories should not only be taught this month, but all throughout the curriculum.

As Teaching Tolerance reports, students throughout the country often encounter curriculum that does not fully address the history of Black Americans. “What students often get instead is a condensed version of factoids, a February full of “holidays and heroes,” when they can explore sanitized experiences of Black people without any context.”1 The Social Studies curriculum team is currently adjusting unit-specific materials to push teaching beyond chronicles of “famous firsts”, exceptional Black people, and trauma spotlights in relation to marginalized populations in the United States. Honoring Black history is inextricably connected with the broader objectives of racial justice and racial healing for people from all communities, and pushing ourselves to think intersectionally about other marginalized social identities that can lead to compounding struggles. As Audre Lorde states “There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives”. Some highlights include:

3rd grade curriculum has shifted to a regional studies model to allow for students to explore the indigenous cultures across the western region as both a cornerstone of historical experience but also as a keystone of current events.
4th grade Colorado history has expanded historical narratives to include figures such as Dr. Justina Ford and the Trujillo family.
5th grade units focus on identity and reframes the story of Indigenous people and the roots of slavery.
Moving towards early US History in 8th grade finds students exploring the historical context of a newly formed country and the divisive idea of chattel slavery and its place in America’s history.
High school students explore the unresolved issues of inequality that are elevated in the Civil Rights Movement and the Equal Rights Amendment. Teachers are encouraged to expand key figures such as Rosa Parks from beyond a single token act of sitting on a bus to her dedication and service in the fight for equal rights that started long before 1955 and lasted throughout the remainder of her life. Students also engage in world events to expand their knowledge of inequities and intolerance, which is evident in their studies of the Nazi Holocaust in 11th grade.

So why share all that? The social studies team, through the strong partnership with the Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion team, are collaborating in the work of allyship and are working to move Jeffco beyond the bite sized pieces of Black history to infuse our curriculum with the rich history of our country that is Black History, Indigenous History, Womens’ History, and also continues to elevate the history of the United States. We are also working with other content areas such as English/ Language Arts, to create strong connections across content areas and through disciplinary literacy to expand opportunities for students to engage in these topics.

To conclude, we are excited to see the lessons of Black history, and ways the teachers and schools will honor the resilience, creativity, and vitality of Black people in the face of inequity and violence, past and present. And just how we encourage the use of other commemorative months such as American Indian Heritage Month (November), Asian Pacific Heritage Month (May), and Women's History Month (March) to highlight stories and contributions of various American groups, we also strive to do the same within the curriculum and resources available to teachers and students in Jeffco. Below you will find a list of resources to support learning, discovery, and lesson planning this month from several trusted sources. Jeffco teachers can find various resources across grade levels in Bridge to Curriculum that support examples mentioned above.

Resources:

Contact information:
Sarah.Hurd@jeffco.k12.co.us and Natalie.Schaefer@jeffco.k12.co.us - Curriculum & Instruction TOSAs/ Social Studies
Citations:

Dillard, C. (2019, January 11). Why We Need Black History Month. Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/why-we-need-black-history-month

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January 14th, 2021

1/14/2021

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The Elementary Element
Your one stop Grab-n-Go resource shop!

We have heard loud and clear that teachers are looking for clearer communication. AND timely resources to help support their daily instruction.

So we bring you The Elementary Element!

Tired of multiple Schoology posts from various contents? We hear you! Our goal is to streamline the postings you see from content areas into one per week in this newsletter form. Ed Tech will still provide just in time information through Schoology.

Check out The Elementary Element to find newly created or discovered resources from your C&I content teams, AMP, Ed Tech partners, READ team specialists, and Early Learning colleagues. We’re looking to provide timely materials that will support your instruction and planning today - sample lesson and unit plans, proficiency scale resources, links to great resources from the field, and MORE!

Bookmark the link to the document, and then look for updates made weekly. As always you can reach C&I and Ed Tech during office hours (M-F, 7:00 - 4:00). Please stop by with any questions you might have about the use of the resources, or anything else!

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November 11th, 2020

11/11/2020

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What is Disciplinary Literacy?

By Toni Bower, Disciplinary Literacy Coordinator

There are many different definitions of Literacy, but all with the same basic thoughts. Literacy is the ability to use language arts in combination with speaking and listening skills to understand and use information in different ways. In other words, literacy is to read, write, speak, listen and think critically about information and apply or share the learning in writing or orally.

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) states, “Tim Shanahan and Cynthia Shanahan, in their article “What Is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does It Matter,” contend that disciplinary literacy emphasizes the knowledge and abilities possessed by those who create, communicate, and use knowledge within the disciplines. It honors the thinking within disciplines of study and invites students to engage in the academic discipline while developing a voice as a member of that community.”

Literacy instruction is fundamental across contents and grade levels. According to the Common Core State Standards, (CCSS), “The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility within the school. Standards for K-5 include expectations for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to English Language Arts (ELA). Standards for grades 6-12 are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the other for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reflects the unique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students’ literacy skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must have a role in this development as well.” The intent is for the standards for ELA to be integrated into all content areas. And, as the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction indicates, “The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Literacy in Science, Social Studies, History, and the Technical Subjects are connected to College and Career Readiness Standards that guide educators as they strive to help students meet the literacy challenges within each particular field of study. This national effort is referred to as disciplinary literacy.” (“Literacy in all Subjects”, 2019).

Often the terms Discipline Literacy and Content Literacy are used interchangeably, but they are different. Content Literacy is generally explained through the lens of reading that “tends to emphasize the teaching of a generalizable set of study skills across content areas for use in subject matter classes” (Shanahan & Shanahan 2012). An example of this is with comprehension strategies. “Thus, although researchers may examine the use of a comprehension strategy, such as the use of paraphrasing, within the context of science text, the effectiveness of such a strategy within science reading would not make paraphrasing a discipline-specific reading strategy. There is nothing about paraphrasing itself that is special to reading science texts; rather, one would find paraphrasing to be as useful in the reading of any text of similar difficulty and correspondence with readers’ background knowledge.” (p.9). In contrast, “Disciplinary literacy has been defined as ‘‘the use of reading, reasoning, investigating, speaking, and writing required to learn and form complex content knowledge appropriate to a particular discipline’’ (McConachie & Petrosky, 2010, p. 6).” (Spires, et al., 2018, p. 1402)

There are many resources available for educators to use to help guide them through integrating ELA with the other contents. Disciplinary Literacy is more than just pulling a science or social studies article in the reading class, or saying that students are writing in their core content classes.

Fundamentals of literacy begin at the early learner levels. The foundational skills are then continuously developed and defined as children progress through their academic careers. College and career readiness standards are also interwoven with Disciplinary Literacy. In Jeffco, we want our students to have the skills necessary to be successful in whatever paths they choose.

It is important for every teacher in every content area to be aware of and to carefully consider the literacy of their discipline. By highlighting specific ELA standards which many contents see as foundational, teachers can have a starting place in identifying the literacies connected to their disciplines. Building on the foundational skills of K-5, ELA standards will enable teachers of all grade levels to use high leverage literacy skills in ways specific to their contents. “Elementary classroom teachers build the foundational literacy skills necessary for students to access all learning. Additionally, they develop content specific to deep literary study, oratory tradition and linguistic analysis; skills specific to English language arts. Literacy reaches beyond this knowledge in one content area to include reading, writing, listening, speaking and thinking critically in each discipline beginning at an early age.” (“Literacy in all Subjects”, 2019).

References
Disciplinary Literacy and the 2020 Colorado Academic Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cde.state.co.us/coreadingwriting/disciplinary-literacy

English Language Arts Standards " Introduction " Key Design Consideration. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/introduction/key-design-consideration/

Literacy in all Subjects. (2019, January 14). Retrieved from https://dpi.wi.gov/standards/literacy-all-subjects

Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2012). What Is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does It Matter? Topics in Language Disorders, 32(1), 7-18. doi:10.1097/tld.0b013e318244557a

Spires, H. A., Kerkhoff, S. N., Graham, A. C., Thompson, I., & Lee, J. K. (2018). Operationalizing and validating disciplinary literacy in secondary education. Reading and Writing, 31(6), 1401-1434. doi:10.1007/s11145-018-9839-4

Course: 2020 Colorado Academic Standards Implementation, Topic: Module 1: It's Not Rocket Science

Course: 2020 Colorado Academic Standards Implementation, Topic: Module 2: Are You Literate?

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October 22nd, 2020

10/22/2020

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Considerations for Teaching During An Election

By Sarah Hurd & Natalie Schaefer

As we enter the 2020 US Election, we wanted to provide some resources and guidelines regarding teaching during an election year. We want our graduates to be able to express an understanding of civic participation and the rights and responsibilities of a citizen, and learning about elections is an excellent and authentic application. National and local elections provide a prime opportunity for teaching a variety of social studies concepts as well as Jeffco Generations Skills. These include: the Democratic process, civic engagement, civic participation, media literacy, evaluating sources, identifying bias, and the voting process. At the same time, even well intentioned lessons may unintentionally create arguments or name calling, community divisions in the classroom, unsafe feelings or feelings of insecurity in the classroom, or make it appear that the teacher or school are attempting to collect personal information from students and families regarding political opinions or perspectives. Our goal is to provide some resources for embedding the election into classroom lessons and reiterate district parameters about election behaviors for district employees.
The first set of resources we would like to highlight are aligned with the Jeffco Generation Skills of Civic & Global Engagement and Self-Direction & Personal Responsibility. We included these scales because the targets are universal for all students, it is the sophistication and activity to demonstrate each skill that is different from grade level to grade level. We selected these two scales because they highlight key skills such as students participating effectively in civic life and taking ownership of personal actions, upholding a high standard of behavior. During elections, both of these skills are important for students to see and practice.

The next set of resource ideas come from a trio of trusted organizations.
Facing History and Ourselves has put together a resource titled: Teaching Resources for the 2020 US Election. Their resources include Teaching Ideas to explore election news and related history and Explainers to introduce key terms and concepts. These resources and activities can be used for all or part of a class period. Also available are classroom routines and guides geared towards community-building and fostering inclusive, constructive discourse among your students in both remote and in-person settings. And finally, they also have online professional development, including webinars and workshops focused on teaching during an election year and how to build connections between history, curriculum, and students' everyday lives. We find their site to be well organized and easy to navigate to specific lessons and routines.
iCivics has created their set of Curriculum & Teaching Resources for elections. This site offers a plethora of choices for teachers and students to engage in. These range from games to lesson plans to webquests. A free login is required to access much of their content and can be time consuming to sift and sort through. One place to consider starting is a blog post titled The Top 5 iCivics Election Teaching Tools to Explore. If you are thinking about doing a mock election, this is a lesson option from iCivics that focuses on students supporting, campaigning, and voting for class policies to learn about the election process. iCivics also has several “games” available in Spanish, such as Win the Whitehouse and Cast your Vote.
And Teaching Tolerance has published their collection of resources organized by the themes Countering Bias, Civic Activities, Getting Along and How To that offers a range of resources for engaging students on some of our most pressing societal issues in their Voting and Elections | Resources for a Civil Classroom. Again, this site offers a plethora of choices. The Civic Activities portion offers options such as stories from Rock the Vote to Do Something tasks for all grade levels to build civic engagement awareness. There is also a portion under How To for school administers.
Teachers may also want to think forward and provide some answers to possible student questions or concerns before they arise . One example of a lesson to consider is Contentious Elections And The Peaceful Transition Of Power from the Bill of Rights Institute. Another option could be The Election is Over... Now What? from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Overall, we thank you for your interest in building civically-minded students, we know it is important and sometimes intimidating. We would like to end this post with some District reminders about engaging in the political process as an employee.

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May 08th, 2020

5/8/2020

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Curriculum Changes Overview PK-12

If you are looking for a quick overview of the curriculum changes to come in all content areas for the 2020-2021 school year consider checking out this video.

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March 19th, 2020

3/19/2020

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Social Studies Curriculum Update

As was shared on March 5th, as well as in previous announcements in the Monday Minute and Leadership Memo, the adopted 2020 Colorado Academic Standards are leading to some changes in Jeffco units of study. When teachers load their YAAG’s (Year-at-a-Glance) next year, there will be some noticeable differences. Today we are going to provide some more details relating to the changes in Social Studies across K-12.
Revisions Applicable to All Grades in Social Studies:

The right side sections within the Academic Context and Connections have been re-titled to Colorado Essential Skills, Inquiry Questions, Nature and Skills of the Discipline (e.g., Economics), and Disciplinary, Information and Media Literacy. This alignment of the right-hand side of document illuminates considerations of essential skills, inquiry, and disciplinary practices relevant to the given Prepared Graduate Statements (PGSs) and Grade Level Expectations (GLEs).
All applicable math PFL Evidence Outcomes (EOs) have been moved into the economics (PFL) GLEs and EOs.
The stronger partnership between Social Studies and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team will be evident in all grade levels with a renewed focus on multiple perspectives and elevation of minorities. This partnership is also represented in how the requirements of HB19-1192 will be fulfilled in the high school curriculum and supported K-8 to build knowledge and skills beforehand.
Proficiency Scales aligned to prioritized standards will be available in each unit of study, starting with the first units in each grade level as organized in Bridge to Curriculum.

Revisions for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade:

The history EOs include more disciplinary-based language (i.e.: primary and secondary sources, compare/contrast, sequence, etc.) for better alignment within and across grade levels.
The geography and civics EOs have been revised to promote critical thinking, inquiry, and consideration of multiple perspectives.
The economics GLEs and EOs shifted to improve alignment and increase rigor by including common economics language.
The PFL EOs focus on costs and benefits of making informed financial decisions.
Kindergarten and 2nd grade will have the same units of study, with updated standards and aligned proficiency scales. 1st grade will combine two units of study from the current state to make a new unit and allow for Science to restructure their units.

Revisions for 3rd grade:

The language in the history EOs was revised to include more disciplinary-based language, such as primary and secondary sources, that better aligns them across grade levels and underscores the importance of disciplinary inquiry.
The PFL Evidence Outcomes engage learners in higher-level thinking and action to plan and set financial goals.
Units of study in 3rd grade will shift to a regional focus and divide the state into 4 quadrants. This will allow for more flexibility across the year as teachers will be able to teach the units in any order they would like, as well as providing options on depth and breadth of content. For example, if a school team decides to only teach one unit, all of the prioritized and supporting standards as well as proficiency scale requirements can be met in one unit. Or if a team decides to teach all four of the units, the standards and scales can be paced across the examples in each regional study.

Revisions for 4th grade:

Content examples were provided to add clarification to the EOs, such as adding Native Americans as required content.
Removed risk management from the EOs, leaving a cohesive focus on opportunity cost.
4th grade units of study will be reorganized to focus on Colorado. The current units of Choices and Opportunity Cost, The Impact of Place on People, and Regions of the United States will be retired and corresponding standards will be placed in one of five new units of study that are organized chronologically from early civilizations in the Colorado region to modern day civic applications across the state. This move also allows for a more equitable approach that will allow for all people of the Colorado region to be included in the story.

Revisions for 5th grade:

5th grade will remain focused on the American Revolution time period but units will be revised with a greater focus on equity and adding multiple perspectives to early American history. Some units will have a new title and focus while others will simply be updated to the new evidence outcomes and proficiency scales.

Revisions for Middle School (6th grade through 8th grade):

The foci of both the 6th and 7th grade shifted from a historical to a regional lens (Western and Eastern Hemisphere respectively), in an effort to better integrate, align, and focus the 6th and 7th grade standards. 6th and 7th grade units of study were rewritten and now spiral over 2 years. Teachers will notice that the units of study have the same name and the YAAG reverses the order from 6th to 7th grade. This was designed to help with continuity of concepts and building knowledge of the globe across two academic years.
Grade 6 PFL: The revised EOs focus on the role of consumers, competition, resource distribution, and marketing within market economies.
Grade 7 PFL: The revised 7th Grade EOs focus on comparing financial systems, workplace conditions, consumer choices, and the role of government among global economies.
Few revisions were made at the 8th grade level.
- Revisions include improving the clarity of the time period to be studied and language to improve understanding.
- Content examples were provided to add clarification to the EOs.
- Resources and examples were added to provide equity as well as support for HB19-1192.
Grade 8 PFL: In an effort to address disconnects between PFL EOs and middle grade-level social studies concepts, the Grade 8 PFL GLE and EOs were revised to address fundamental consumer and employment issues as relevant to the study of U.S. History.

Revisions for High School Geography:

Evidence Outcomes were added about the impact of climate patterns and land use over the course of history.
The practices of the discipline, as well as focus on interconnectivity and human-environment interaction have been emphasized through the addition of specific geographic language.
There was some shifting of EOs between GLEs to clarify focus and alignment with the GLEs.

Revisions for High School Civics (9th grade through 12th grade):

Duplicate content has been removed and gaps in the content of the political process and increase the focus on civic virtue and democratic principles have been filled.
Changes have been made to units of study to reflect the requirements of HB19-1192.

Revisions for High School History:

All United States History EOs have been moved into GLE 2 and the World History EOs have been moved to GLE 3.
Inclusion of inquiry as central to students’ understanding of the historical method is outlined in the PGSs, GLE 1, and the EOs, creating a sequential skills-based approach to the study of history.
Changes have been made to units of study to reflect the requirements of HB19-1192.
World History and US History units have been adjusted to ensure that students will be able to complete new content addressing terrorism, minituration of technology, the Space Race, and the Digital Age.

Revisions for High School Economics:

The focus shifted to decision making, micro-economics, macro-economics, and global economics which more closely aligns with the true principles of economics.
The PFL expectations focus on the four themes of financial planning and decision-making.
- GLEs 5 through 8 are organized into four fundamental personal finance themes: Earning Capability, Investing, Spending and Saving, and Risk Management.
- Adjusted language for rigor, higher-level thinking, logically grouping concepts to reinforce skills introduced in the earlier grades, and leading learners to apply basic lifelong financial decision-making skills.

Units of Study and Year-at-a-Glance documents should be available in Bridge to Curriculum following the regular timeline with everything being visible by the end of May. Proficiency scales and resources will be uploaded over the course of June and will continue into the 2020-2021 school year. Minor changes and adjustments to units will continue to occur next year as well based on teacher feedback and revision teams. We are excited to share this work with everyone in Jeffco and look forward to feedback and implementation. We also want to take a moment to thank the teachers that have partnered with Social Studies to accomplish this work this year. Our teacher teams have rolled up their sleeves to prioritize evidence outcomes, create proficiency scales, and pilot new units of study. Thank you for all of your hard work and partnership!

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February 16th, 2021

K-5 Sample Literacy Lessons
Opinion Mini Unit

February 03rd, 2021

January 14th, 2021

The Elementary Element
Your one stop Grab-n-Go resource shop!

November 11th, 2020

What is Disciplinary Literacy?

October 22nd, 2020

Considerations for Teaching During An Election

May 08th, 2020

Curriculum Changes Overview PK-12

March 19th, 2020

Social Studies Curriculum Update

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February 16th, 2021

K-5 Sample Literacy LessonsOpinion Mini Unit

February 03rd, 2021

January 14th, 2021

The Elementary Element ​Your one stop Grab-n-Go resource shop!

November 11th, 2020

What is Disciplinary Literacy?

October 22nd, 2020

Considerations for Teaching During An Election

May 08th, 2020

Curriculum Changes Overview PK-12

March 19th, 2020

Social Studies Curriculum Update

AUTHORS

Archives

Categories

K-5 Sample Literacy Lessons
Opinion Mini Unit

The Elementary Element
Your one stop Grab-n-Go resource shop!