Social Education 77(2), pp 102–106 ©2013 National Council for the Social Studies Technology for Inquiry, Innovation, and Integration Getting to the Core: Using Digital Resources to Enhance Content-Based Literacy in the Social Studies Ilene R. Berson and Michael J. Berson

With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English Language on content area trade book lists. Social Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, teachers studies informational texts have a pri- across the United States are expanding their integrated approach to social studies mary purpose of conveying information instruction and literacy studies. They are challenged to infuse text and narratives about the natural or social world, and linked to projects that engage students in reading and writing and that explore they include distinctive text structures, topics meaningful to them. In this article, we present free, easily accessible, high features, and language. This text ranges quality digital resources that enhance content-based literacy in the social studies from newspaper and magazine articles and highlight exemplary models of integration. to digital information to nonfiction trade books to textbooks and reference Among the many changes accompany- riculum as well as text types. Many edu- materials. Conversely, narrative text is ing the transition to the Common Core cators, therefore, are seeking resources primarily written to entertain or relate State Standards (CCSS) is a shift toward that expose students to different genres, an experience, and follows a story struc- having students read increasingly com- build background knowledge and sup- ture with characters, setting, goals, plot plex nonfiction or informational mate- port content learning, explore diverse or action, resolution, and a theme. There rial to “build knowledge, enlarge experi- perspectives, and introduce students to are also texts that include elements of ence, and broaden worldviews.”1 Before specialized vocabulary.3 CCSS offers both instructional and narrative books the CCSS, more than 75 percent of read- text exemplars, including stories, drama, (e.g., biographies, poetry). When select- ing in the early grades was fiction.2 As poetry, and informational texts,4 but ing from these web sources, teachers a result, students in the middle grades teachers will need to build upon these not only need to examine the books for may not have a well developed schema resource lists with additional high qual- informational text structures and fea- for different topics because of limited ity children’s literature in the social tures, but they also should review the exposure to social studies content in studies. books for content accuracy, currency, elementary school. In the intermediate, Identifying appropriate resources has and bias (e.g., gender, ethnicity, ableness, middle, and secondary classrooms, the been simplified in recent years with easy socioeconomic status). Common Core promotes discipline- web access to lists of books reviewed specific literacy strategies that stimulate and recommended by professional asso- Scaffolding Texts and Introducing students’ curiosity, provoke questions, ciations and agencies. When selecting Multiple Perspectives and supply evidence for historical books from these lists, however, teach- The Common Core encourages inquiry- accounts. ers should be aware that the books may based learning in which teachers facil- lack the characteristic text and linguistic itate scaffolded reading experiences, Award Winning Texts features found in informational books. rather than delivering content through The Common Core State Standards It is not unusual, for example, for books direct instruction. One strategy is to emphasize the process skills of the cur- that use a narrative structure to appear introduce students to reading materi-

Social Education 102 Associations and Agencies that Award or Identify High-Quality Children’s Literature in Social Studies

Name Selection Criteria Website Most distinguished informational book www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/ Association for Library Service to Children published in the United States in English awardsgrants (click on Book & Media Awards, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award during the preceding year then click on Sibert Medal) High quality children’s and young adult Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for literature in the categories of Picture Book, www.hbook.com/bghb/ Excellence in Children’s Literature Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction

Distinguished children’s books that depict Carter G. Woodson Book Award Winners www.socialstudies.org/awards/woodson/ ethnicity in the United States

Children’s books that promote the cause of www.janeaddamspeace.org/jacba/index_ Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards peace, social justice, world community, and jacba.shtml gender and race equality

National Council for the Social Studies High quality books for grades K-12 that www.socialstudies.org/notable Notable Trade Books for Young People address social studies themes

National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Exemplary writing of nonfiction for children www.ncte.org/awards/orbispictus Children Excellence in children’s fiction, nonfiction, Society of Children’s Book Writers & www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Golden-Kite- picture book text, and picture book Illustrators Golden Kite Award Award illustration als that share a topic. “Grouping texts texts at varying levels of difficulty. By ence works, plus a good assortment of thematically helps students to see how exposing students to various sources edited classics, reference works, and information is connected, view infor- on the same topic, teachers add more poetry. mation from different lenses, experi- depth and perspective to the lesson. ence a variety of genres, and develop Children’s Books Online domain knowledge critical to compre- Free Digital Texts (the Rosetta Project) hension development.”5 The CCSS’s emphasis on using infor- www.childrensbooksonline.org/index. The thematic lists we present here mational texts (in addition to literary htm provide literature recommendations works) to teach research, writing, and This is a large online collection of nine- focused on specific social studies topics communication skills opens the door teenth- and early-twentieth-century for children and adolescents. Teachers for extensive use of historical docu- illustrated children’s books that are may draw on these sources and group ments, speeches, biographies, and other reproduced as single-page, full-color texts, linking easier texts with challeng- works that provide students with a deep image files, creating appealing replicas ing ones. For example, to build back- and meaningful understanding of the of the originals. The text-file transla- ground and individualize resources social studies. The following online tions of many of the stories into other for students based on text difficulty, depositories provide free, easily acces- languages are an added attraction. picture books may be paired with his- sible, high quality digital resources that torical memoirs and newspaper articles. enhance content-based literacy: Folktexts One of the best ways to look at dis- Folktexts, compiled and edited by D.L. ciplinary literacy in the social studies Project Gutenberg Ashliman, University of Pittsburgh, is through point of view and multiple www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html, perspectives. Besides making sure Project Gutenberg offers over 42,000 offers a variety of folklore and mythol- that an individual text is challenging free ebooks that may be downloaded ogy texts, arranged in groups of closely enough, teachers may enhance the or read online. related stories. level of content by introducing mul- tiple sources of information. Providing Bartleby.com is one of the pioneering International Children’s Digital multiple sources on the same topic can electronic text sites. Its strong points Library help students see a variety of perspec- include a very useful search mechanism, http://en.childrenslibrary.org/ tives, and it can help students adjust to a large collection of integrated refer- A digital collection of thousands of March / April 2 013 103 Topic Weblinks

American Library Association Contemporary Immigrant Experiences in Children’s Books American www.ala.org/emiert/sites/ala.org.emiert/files/content/usefullinks/contempimmigrant.pdf Immigration Miss Rumphius: New to America, Living the Immigrant Life http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2007/02/new-to-america-living-immigrant-life.html

American Library Association Discovering the Bill of Rights through Fiction Bill of Rights and www.ala.org/offices/publishing/booklist/booklinks/resources/billrights Constitution Miss Rumphius: Constitution Day is Coming http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2008/09/constitution-day-is-coming.html

The Best Children’s Books.org: Character Education Books www.the-best-childrens-books.org/Character-Education-books.html

Books for Understanding: Public Policy and Civics www.booksforunderstanding.org/civics.html Character Education/Civics Institute for Humane Education: Character Education/Citizen Activism http://humaneeducation.org/sections/view/childrens_character_education

Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics: Children’s Books that Build Character www.charactercounts.org/booklist.php

Children and American Library Association Children Caught in War Conflict www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/resources/childrencaught.cfm

American Library Association Huffing and Puffing through Economics www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/resources/huffingpuffing.cfm Economics KidsEcon Posters Literature Connection www.kidseconposters.com/literature-connection/ Rutgers EconKids http://econkids.rutgers.edu/

The Best Children’s Books.org: U.S. Geography Books www.the-best-childrens-books.org/united-states-geography.html

American Library Association Picture-Perfect Geography www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/resources/pictureperfectgeography.cfm Geography Miss Rumphius: Reading Maps missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2007/04/reading-maps.html

National Education Association: 50 State Booklist www.nea.org/grants/13235.htm

Miss Rumphius: Stately Knowledge missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2008/07/stately-knowledge.html

American Library Association Children Caught in War www.ala.org/offices/publishing/booklist/booklinks/resources/childrencaught

American Library Association Growing Up Around the World www.ala.org/alsc/compubs/booklists/growingupwrld/GrowingUpAroundWorld

University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Children’s Book Center: Global Reading Global www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=280 Perspectives Books for Understanding: International Topics http://www.booksforunderstanding.org/international.html

Miss Rumphius: China, Here I Come! missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2007/03/china-here-i-come.html

Open Wide, Look Inside: School Around the Globe http://blog.richmond.edu/openwidelookinside/archives/30

University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Children’s Book Center: 50 Books about Labor Labor www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=104

Social Education 104 Topic Weblinks

Book Links: Multiracial Characters booklistonline.com/media/booklinks/CommonCorePDFs/booklinks_ccss_jan13_multiracial-characters.pdf Multicultural Characters and Book Links: Classroom Connections Multicultural Tales Tales booklistonline.com/media/booklinks/CommonCorePDFs/booklinks_ccss_jan13_caldecott_multiracial-tales. pdf

Peace and Social University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Children’s Book Center: Peace and Social Justice Justice www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=77 The Best Children’s Books.org: American History Books for Kids http://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/American-History-books.html

U.S. History Books for Understanding: United States www.booksforunderstanding.org/usa.html

Reading, Writing, and History: Bringing Great Historical Literature into the Classroom The pdf file from www.jfklibrary.org can be accessed at http://bit.ly/13SQKBn

University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Children’s Book Center: Global Reading World War II www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=274

Book Links: Classroom Connections Exploring Ancient China booklistonline.com/BOLPub/media/booklinks/CommonCorePDFs/booklinks_ccss_exploring-ancient-china. pdf World History The Best Children’s Books.org: World History Books for Kids www.the-best-childrens-books.org/historical-fiction-books-world-history.html historical and contemporary books Library of Congress repository of free resources to aid in the from around the world, available in www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/digitalcoll/ transition to the common standards. It 61 languages. digitalcoll-children.html includes explanatory materials about the As part of its expansive repository standards and teaching resources with of primary sources, the Library of written and videotaped instructional Congress maintains a collection of exemplars. Moreover, many of the state One of the classic children’s books in its Children’s boards of education have designed web- Literature collection of its Rare Book sites as portals for professional develop- best ways to look section. These are available for online ment and dissemination of resources. reading and download in pdf. For example, the Illinois State Board of at disciplinary Education Common Core Teaching and Aaron Shepard’s World of Stories Learning Strategies for Grades K-5 and www.aaronshep.com/stories/index.html Grades 6-12 includes documents that literacy in the A categorized collection of stories from guide student interaction with increas- around the world for online reading. ingly complex text.6 Strategy and lesson social studies is The listings give the appropriate age for suggestions for close analytic reading reading, length of the story and origin. and competency in the comparison and through point of Stories are text only, no illustrations. synthesis of ideas are outlined by grade level, along with assessment approaches. view and multiple Resources for Classroom Disciplinary specific reading strate- Implementation gies require building prior knowledge, perspectives. Fostering learning experiences for chil- specialized vocabulary, skill in decon- dren across grade levels requires more structing complex ideas, posing disci- than just selecting high quality texts. pline relevant questions, and assessing AmericanFolklore.net offers many folk How teachers use these resources ulti- the veracity of evidence to evaluate stories from the USA, Canada, and mately influences children’s comprehen- claims. Educators help students rec- Mexico as well as Native American sion, vocabulary acquisition, and lit- ognize and evaluate evidence of the folk stories. eracy learning. Achievethecore.org has a discipline to support an argument with

March / April 2 013 105 content-specific knowledge. Teachers regarding disciplinary literacy in the lum in exciting and innovative ways. guide students through complex texts social studies, including student com- By using literature to teach social by using strategies that develop con- petence in history literacy, economic studies as an investigative process, ceptual understanding of language, literacy, geo-literacy, civics literacy, educators will foster disciplinary lit- deepen content knowledge, and set and global literacy. eracy and engage learners. Achieving expectations for transfer of learning these shifts in teaching and learning to real world situations. National Center for Literacy starts with professional development Examples of web portals that provide Education (NCLE) and access to communities of practice literacy instructional approaches to www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/ that are easily accessible on the web. promote disciplinary literacy in social NCSS is collaborating with NCLE, The ultimate goal is the transforma- studies classrooms and offer strategies a coalition of 30 leading non-profit tion of instruction. Classrooms of the for implementation include: organizations committed to improv- near future will emphasize student ing literacy teaching and learning in discovery and cultivate knowledge of Blueprint for History Education all content areas, to transform literacy details with discipline-specific con- http://blueprintforhistory.wordpress. teaching and learning with discipline- cepts. Assignments with a real-world com/ specific applications. purpose that authentically apply skills The History Blueprint is a resource for of social scientists will not only engage curriculum, assessment tools, student lit- Oregon Department of Education learners but also foster their readiness eracy support, and teacher professional Common Core State Standards - for college, careers, and their roles and development, aligned with the Common Literacy in History/Social Studies responsibilities as a citizen. Core State Standards, designed to www.ode.state.or.us/search/ revolutionize history instruction, and page/?id=3350 Notes increase student learning and literacy. Resources have been compiled to guide 1. Common Core State Standards Initiative, Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & teachers in meeting the Common Core Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Edutopia’s Guide literacy standards through history/ Technical Subjects (Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and www.edutopia.org/common-core-state- social studies instruction. the Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010): standards-resources 3. A compilation of websites, articles PBS Teachers Social Studies 2. Nell K. Duke and Susan Bennett-Armistead, Reading and Writing Informational Text in the and other resources to help teachers www.pbs.org/teachers/socialstudies Primary Grades (New York: Scholastic, 2003). understand the Common Core State Provides access to free multimedia 3. Catherine Gewertz, “Educators in Search of Common-Core Resources,” Education Week 31, no. Standards and implementation strate- resources and professional develop- 22 (February 29, 2012): 1,12. gies. ment for educators. 4. See Appendix B of the Common Core State Standards (2010). ny 5. Barbara Moss, “Making the Common Core Text engage English Language Arts Stanford History Education Group Exemplars Accessible to Middle Graders,” Voices http://engageny.org/english-language- http://sheg.stanford.edu/ from the Middle 20, no. 1 (2012): 63. arts Lessons and curricular materials focus 6. See www.isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat- read-lit-k-5.pdf; www.isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ The New York State Education on application of reading strategies that ela-teach-strat-read-text-k-5.pdf; www.isbe.net/com Department has organized Common promote historical inquiry. mon_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat-read-lit-6-12.pdf; www. isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat-read- Core-aligned education resources, and text-6-12.pdf instructional content to provide guid- Stanford History Education Group, ance to teachers in implementation. The Beyond the Bubble English Language Arts Curriculum https://beyondthebubble.stanford.edu/ Ilene R. Berson, Ph.D., is a professor of early includes several grade-level modules Beyond the Bubble draws from the childhood education in the Department of Child- hood Education and Literacy Studies at the Uni- that focus on social studies themes. vast digital archive of the Library of versity of South Florida. Her research explores early Congress to create innovative and childhood social studies with a focus on the engage- Kristen McDaniel’s List: Social authentic history assessments. ment of young children with digital technologies. She Studies Disciplinary Literacy can be contacted at [email protected]. Michael J. Berson, Ph.D., is a professor in the Secondary Edu- www.diigo.com/list/kmickeyd/social- Conclusion cation Department at the University of South Florida studies-disciplinary-literacy The implementation of the Common and a Senior Fellow in The Florida Joint Center for The social studies consultant for the Core State Standards presents an Citizenship. His research focuses on child advocacy and technology in social studies education. He can Wisconsin Department of Public opportunity for schools to integrate be contacted at [email protected]. Instruction has compiled resources the social studies into their curricu-

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