Writing is an art that is based on certain rules and standards such as punctuation and grammatical systems. Originally, grammatical rule had to be developed over time, as the first writing systems existed without the benefit of such rules. For example writing was letters in a line, and while words existed they were not Read More
SOCIAL STUDIES DIARY
The School Library Should Be Your Laboratory
June 16, 2009
In recent years, the school library seems to have diminished in importance, but shelf books are an essential aspect of the social studies. As a hands-on resource, there is still something special about a book that cannot be substituted by a computer. A book is intimate; it is a private world that, for a Read More
Reading Difficulties in Secondary Social Studies
May 2, 2009
What had I learned about reading in a social studies class?
1. Older students with low reading ability will avoid reading.
2. Students are aware of the inability to read and they tend to hide this problem from others.
3. A lack of reading ability in an older student can produce a large degree of hostility.
4. Although older students with poor reading skill may seem to be a lost cause, they are not a lost cause.
5. For many, if not most students, assigned classroom materials are inappropriate for instructional purposes and must be modified and/or supplemented.
6. Older students, like younger students, learn to read or improve their reading skills by reading. Reading, like any other skill, can become a habit that improves with practice.
7. Reading can become a social affair in a social studies classroom, and can be used to build relationships.
8. The inability to read at an expected reading level does great harm to a student’s confidence and a student’s sense of self-identity that may follow them through life.
9. Social studies learning demands a certain level of reading comprehension; thus these skills become social studies skills.
10. Most surprising of all, students with weak reading and comprehension skills can learn to read relatively well in a short period of time, provided that they read on a regular daily basis and have supervision. Read More
1. Older students with low reading ability will avoid reading.
2. Students are aware of the inability to read and they tend to hide this problem from others.
3. A lack of reading ability in an older student can produce a large degree of hostility.
4. Although older students with poor reading skill may seem to be a lost cause, they are not a lost cause.
5. For many, if not most students, assigned classroom materials are inappropriate for instructional purposes and must be modified and/or supplemented.
6. Older students, like younger students, learn to read or improve their reading skills by reading. Reading, like any other skill, can become a habit that improves with practice.
7. Reading can become a social affair in a social studies classroom, and can be used to build relationships.
8. The inability to read at an expected reading level does great harm to a student’s confidence and a student’s sense of self-identity that may follow them through life.
9. Social studies learning demands a certain level of reading comprehension; thus these skills become social studies skills.
10. Most surprising of all, students with weak reading and comprehension skills can learn to read relatively well in a short period of time, provided that they read on a regular daily basis and have supervision. Read More