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=**Including Literacy Education in Social Studies: Article Abstracts**=
 * The following articles demonstrate ways in which to incorporate literacy into Social Studies curriculum and Instruction.**


 * Public Opinion on Long Island about the Vietnam War: A School Year Project Using Local Sources and Perspectives in the Classroom and in Student Research Papers**
 * Charles Howlett**
 * //The History Teacher//, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Aug., 2004), pp. 457-472.**



In the article, //Public Opinion on Long Island about the Vietnam War: A School Year Project Using Local Sources and Perspectives in the Classroom and in Student Research Papers// author Charles Howlett describes a yearlong research project on Vietnam war that he designed for his 11th grade social studies class. Mr. Howlett goes on to describe how this project is focused on local primary sources which the students must analyze and interpret. Mr. Howlett argues that by researching local opinions of the war students with have greater levels of empathy regarding the subject. In addition, rather than take the traditional text book approach Mr. Howlett has students focus on local sources and Individuals so that the students can see how national issues can be viewed through the eyes of ordinary individuals in addition to how local grassroots movements can impact national politics. The aspects of this article that provided me with more insight regarding literacy in my content area include, the use of primary source documents, research based inquiry, and collaboration between high school and college in regard to the research process. I was also very impressed by the amount of extra time Mr. Howlett dedicated to this project. In addition, Mr. Howlett directed students to use modes of inquiry and citation methods that are normally not encountered by students until they reach college. For, instance Mr. Howlett instructed students to refer to the Chicago Manual of Style when citing sources. Additionally, Mr. Howlett spent an entire week explaining how historians conduct research and how his students could apply these methods to their own research on the Vietnam War. The most important example that came across from reading this article was the value of finding projects that will interest and actively engage students. Furthermore, this project serves to prepare students for the type of research expected of them should they choose to go on to college. The work of historians closely follows that of all the other disciplines and these skills can aid writing across disciplines. On the other hand, giving a project like this requires a great deal of time, commitment, and investment. A teacher wanting to offer a project like this must be prepared to go above and beyond the normal expectations if the project is to be successful like Mr. Howletts. I think this article is a great example of what can be accomplished if the proper time and resources are available to students, and I’d love to offer something similar in my future classroom.




 * Vogler, Kenneth, “Where Does Social Studies Fit in a High-Stakes Testing Environment?” //The Social Studies//, (September/ October 2003): 207-211. **

Integration in the face of high-stakes exams is the primary focus of Kenneth Vogler (assistant professor of Educational Studies at the University of Tennessee at Martin). Professor Vogler writes about his experience as an 8th grade social studies teacher in Massachusetts. According to Vogler, the district cut instruction time on social studies due to the fact that “A high percentage of our students had failed previously administered editions of our states high stakes test, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)… Therefore, more instructional time should be devoted to English and mathematics, and less instructional time should be spent on subjects such as social studies, which are tested but do not have a MCAS passing score requirement for high school graduation.” However, rather than concede defeat, Vogler instead sought to salvage what he could by tweaking the state standards and adopting an innovative approach to teaching social studies. Rather than fight the system, Volger met with other teachers and students in order to create an integrated curriculum with a key focus on social studies. For example, Vogler’s unit on the Industrial Revolution in New England featured aspects of English literature, science, and math. Additionally, “As part of the science and technology aspects of the unit students learn about how rivers and canals were used for power to run textile mill” The students also assumed the role of a textile mill owner and through the utilization of geometry had to draw a detailed blueprint of their mill. Moreover, students had to calculate the output and productivity of their mill. In advocating for standards based reform and an integrated approach to social studies some could argue that Vogler has adopted a realist approach in light of the recent testing craze. However, not all social studies educators agree with Vogler’s approach. In fact, many would argue that Volger is helping to perpetuate a system bent on destroying social studies curriculum as we know it. However, I disagree. I believe social studies and English teachers must cooperate and integrate curriculum in order to develop learning and provide literacy reinforcement outside of the English classroom.


 * Gewertz, Catherine. 2010. “A High School Takes on Literacy.” //Education Digest// 75, no. 7: 50-54. Academic Search Complete, EBSCO host (accessed November 18, 2012). **

“A High School Takes on Literacy” by Catherine Gewertz concerns the steps taken by Buckhorn High School to improve the literacy level of its students. Located in Alabama, Buckhorn High School consists of nearly 1500 students many of whom had literacy skills far below their grade level. For instance, in 1999 School administrators estimated that “one third of entering freshman read at or below 7th grade level, many at the 4th and 5th grade level.” Once the school district realized they had a major problem they reached out to the Alabama’s state department of education for help only to have the department reply that there was nothing they could do. Faced with this crisis Buckhorns administration took matters into their own hands and sought out literacy experts, strategies, and experts in order to help their struggling students. As a result of their efforts Buckhorn developed new innovative approaches to teaching literacy. Despite the administrations enthusiasm not all teachers were onboard with the idea of teaching literacy. In fact, one teacher mentioned the article echoed the title of our text book when she remarked “I thought, hey, I’m a high school teacher – we need to be preparing (students) for college, doing serious, deep work.” This teacher echoed a sentiment held by many teachers who believe they shouldn’t have to teach high school students reading skills. However, like the teacher in this study, I believe many of these teachers would change their minds if they saw the success that resulted from the implementation of skills to enhance literacy.

The approaches implemented to increase literacy by the faculty at Buckhorn include, “talk-alouds,” (which allow students and teachers to openly discuss and clarify shorts segments of reading) art projects, word walls (Students write a definition and draw or depict its meaning in a creative way) foldables “colorful projects with sections that open to show a word’s origin, meaning, context, and use.”Many of the activities described in the article reminded me of activities mentioned in our own textbook. For instance, the foldable method seemed to be very similar to the four square learning strategy as both methods are designed to look at a word through a variety of ways. Other methods mentioned included graphic organizers, and using “chunking” to break down text that can at times seem overwhelming to struggling students. The article also identifies the librarian and reading material contained in the library as a key factor contributing to improvements in student literacy. According to the article, the availability of free reading material that is of interest to students has profoundly positive effects toward enhancing literacy. This article and our textbook both argue that we need to provide greater opportunities for students to learn in ways that work best for them. This concept is also supported by recent developments in psychology which argue that humans have multiple learning styles. In order to best serve students needs in literacy development I believe that we as teachers must provide them reasonable alternatives, and strategies to learn. Although implementation of these strategies may cause teachers to spend extra time preparing activities it is in the best interest of our students, and our nation as a whole to ensure these strategies are implemented.


 * Reidel, Michelle, and Christine A. Draper. 2011. "Reading for Democracy: Preparing Middle-Grades Social Studies Teachers to Teach Critical Literacy." //Social Studies// 102, no. 3: 124-131. //Academic Search Complete//, EBSCO//host// (accessed December 9, 2012).**

I n “Reading for Democracy: Preparing Middle-Grade Social Studies Teachers to Teach Critical Literacy” authors Michelle Reidel and Christine A. Draper argue, “Learning how to locate, understand, evaluate, and use writ- ten and visual information is essential practice for citizens in a democratic, multicultural society. A strong democracy, one rooted in action and engagement, depends on the ability of the people to not only comprehend what they read but to also question and challenge it.” Thus, the Reidel and Draper both contend that Social Studies teachers must do more to incorporate literacy skills into their classrooms. Specifically, Reidel and Draper recommend the use of use of texts that take diverse perspectives so that students can delve deeper into ideas that may not be apparent upon first glance. According to Reidel and Draper, more must be done to allow students to write and read critically, rather than simply copying down information or memorizing facts. Moreover, the authors claim that reluctant social studies teachers represent the greatest threat to learning. Reidel and Draper both argue that Social Studies teachers can no longer claim that it is “not their job to teach reading and writing.” Rather, Reidel and draper claim that reinforcement and development of literacy in Social Studies is essential if we are to develop critical thinking young citizens capable of being actively engaged in the democratic process.

**WEB 2.0 and The United Nations** The WEB 2.0 tool I reviewed, and would incorporate in our lesson on the United Nations is http://www.dipity.com/. Dipity allows students, and educators to create interactive timelines. Dipity would be a beneficial resource for a lesson on the United Nations because students could create timelines of events the UN has been / or is currently involved in -- Or, create a timeline of the UN's growth as an organization. In addition, Dipity allows users to add photos and captions.



iTunes-university provides a wealth of lectures, presentations, and tutorials for educators and students. In addition, plenty of United Nations resources can be found here.
 * Resources:**
 * 1. http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/**
 * [|iTunes University]**

2. https://unp.un.org/ This link provides a vast amount of information on the UN along with resource links for educators.

3. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/09/un-general-assembly-live-blog.html This link provides updates and information on contemporary issues within the UN.