Reading is the Disciplines: History and Being Critical
By Whitney Jean
It can be challenging for
adolescents to interact with written text and reading comprehension in different
subject areas and assessments. For this
blog, I choose to focus on history since it is my specialty.
There has been a lot of talk
about the importance of literacy and as it relates to history or social
science. To understand history, it s important to not only rely on textbooks
but primary sources and documents. From my experience, a lot of textbooks can
be sugar coated or even misleading. There is even a Texas textbook refers to
slaves as “workers”. There are a lot of textbooks that are bias and even
untruthful. If a school curriculum makes it mandatory to read or follow a
curriculum with those books, it is important to have students compare such text
to primary sources that give a more truthful side.
For many years, textbooks have
Columbus being the hero but there is another perspective, another story. It
will be more beneficial for students to understand primary sources and being
able to interpret and interact with them in this case. We can look at diaries
or writings that describe the horror Columbus caused. From these primary
sources, students can form a better opinion.
In today’s society, it is
important for youth to be able to look at situations, analyze them, and form
their own opinions. In history when interacting with text we can interpret
things of the past and even compare them to events going on in the present. I
feel that it is necessary, for the liberation of black and brown minds, that
students are able to inform themselves and understand issues around them and critique
them. In the reading it explains, “The ability to read historical
documents including contemporary explications about societal, economic and
political issues provides perhaps the most direct link to literacy as
preparation for citizenship, which presupposes an ability to conduct informed
debate.” Students should be able to
articulate what they are going through or what is going on around them and have
a stance.
At Niles North High School
we had a class called ALCUSH or American Literature, Composition, and U.S. History.
This course was amazing and helped us link literature with the history we were learning
at the time. During this class we focused on units about the genocide of indigenous
people, slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, WW I and II, and
Chicago history. For this class we rarely relied on textbooks and focused on
narratives, observations, literature, and primary sources like speeches and old
fliers. This strengthen the knowledge of the content.
In my placement social
science has not been introduced yet and even literacy is questionable. But when
I teach my first lesson on the election, I will be using readings and speeches
of the candidates’ kind of like the reading shows us with Lincoln. I will let
students form their own opinions without showing bias, even though it will be
tough!
Question/answer:
Ask questions about the reading and provide tentative answers
·
Why is it important to have students look at different
sources and not only text books?
·
Given this information on how literacy is used with social
studies and history, do you feel that common core is fair in making all social studies
standards related to literacy?
·
What would be the benefits?
·
What would be the difficulties?
Reference the
standards below:
Key
Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3
Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Craft
and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Integration
of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.9
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Range
of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Hey Whitney,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoughtful post! I think it is important for students to look at different sources of text because you want them to read about both sides of the story. Growing up, I only remember learning the "good" side of Columbus. It was not until I went to Niles West that I learned the other side of the story. I also think it is important for the students to compare and contrast the differences in the texts. I think that the common core needs to have separate social studies and history standards because there is more content that does not relate to literacy. However, I do believe that having literacy standards connected to history is key because students interpret texts when it comes to reading about historical events. It will be interesting to see if Common Core ever makes standards for history and social studies.
Thanks again,
Tina Skukan
Whitney,
ReplyDeleteI myself find more engaged in history when I am shown a primary source. It makes it more real to me than just reading dates ib a text book. Also, it helps paint a picture of the people who lived during that time. I remember reading newspapers from when the Japanese were sent to camps in the US. Our teacher would have us read and analyze the newspaper from various POVs, and it helped me see how bad the US. for unfairly imprisoning people instead of just reading in a book, "During, WWII japanese were sent to camps" because that alone makes it seem 'normal' so yes using various sources makes history more engaging
It is important to have students look at different sources and not only text books because just as adults used to inform us that some sources on the internet could be not real, I feel the same is true today about textbooks. Like the example you mentioned above about the textbook that referred to slaves as "workers", proves as a perfect example. We also see that textbooks often have a very Americanized, patriotic view on American history which can be very misleading.
ReplyDeleteI feel that common core takes away some of the personalized aspect of how social studies can be taught and comprehended by making it all from a literacy viewpoint. Personal reflection and opinion are major important aspects of social studies which I would say are a little different in literacy. The benefits would be getting students to analyze events and interpret what it means to them on a student to student basis.
It is important to have students look at different sources and not only text books because just as adults used to inform us that some sources on the internet could be not real, I feel the same is true today about textbooks. Like the example you mentioned above about the textbook that referred to slaves as "workers", proves as a perfect example. We also see that textbooks often have a very Americanized, patriotic view on American history which can be very misleading.
ReplyDeleteI feel that common core takes away some of the personalized aspect of how social studies can be taught and comprehended by making it all from a literacy viewpoint. Personal reflection and opinion are major important aspects of social studies which I would say are a little different in literacy. The benefits would be getting students to analyze events and interpret what it means to them on a student to student basis.
*applause emoji*
ReplyDeleteWhitney I couldn't agree more about the stance of liberation with black and brown folks through the lenses of multiple historical texts and sources. It is so important to not only provide the tools (texts, digital media, etc.) necessary for students to think critically about the cultural implications within history and society today, but we also need to guide and support the learning strategies needed to critique and analyze text works.
Like you said, history/social studies is a core subject that creates the foundation of liberation and resistance. So, as teachers we need to empower our colored youth to apply themselves into to the world they live in and rebel against the oppressions embedded in institutional systems through the texts we decide to engage them in.
couldnt have said it better myself! it is important to incopearte these literacy styles!Students should be able to relate to what they are learning about!
DeleteAmazing post! Your first question really stood out to be though. After school how many people pick up a text book? Nobody, I think it is critical to teach students how in interpret other informatory sources! They need to understand what is happening around them and learn and react.
ReplyDeleteHey Whitney,
ReplyDeleteTo answer your questions, I think the main problem with history textbooks is that they are a watered down version of history. They are constructed to touch on what someone has determined to be the main points in history. Everything is constructed out of a mainstream opinion or story that has been regurgitated for years. Some stories that are known to be misleading and untrue persist simply because that is the way things have always been written. The great thing about history though is that if you teach it in a way that makes it come alive it can be so empowering, especially for students of color. It is so important for us to know our history. Social science isn't really emphasized in school, but I think it is the most important subject, because it teaches you who you are in the world and how you got to where you are.
I think the standards could be better, but at the same time they do leave a lot of room for doing really critical work within the social science discipline. Primarily the standard that talks about author perspective is really important, because to understand history you must first think about who is telling the story and why. However, there are things that I would want to teach in history that I don't think you can measure. I think historical empathy is essential, but how do you quantify that?...You can't, but how do you truly learn and understand history without it?
Great post! I see you included my girl Zora :)
Yes, Zora is my favorite. She talks about intersectionality a lot and her quote is so relevant! It is important to the talk about our experiences and write about them. We can look at these accounts through primary sources and voices of people experiencing certain oppressions
DeleteBecause students can lose their enthusiasm with textbooks. Also like Yvette said, so many history books are so outdated and should be entirely rewritten because they take the perspective of a white man.
ReplyDelete