5 SIMPLE WAYS TO INCORPORATE COMMON CORE LITERACY STANDARDS IN SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE

“The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility within the school.” The implication of this statement means that today, more than ever, the responsibility of teaching literacy skills rests not only with ELA teachers but also with other subject area educators. Science and Social Studies, which require nonfiction reading, are subject areas in which nonfiction literacy and writing skills can be taught. The National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP) Framework reinforces the need for improved literacy skills, as the framework calls for students to be able to pass assessments that are comprised of 55% and 70% nonfiction reading by the end of grades 8 and 12, respectively.

Teachers who have been trained in Social Studies and Science (but do not have training in reading instruction) may approach these standards with trepidation and uncertainty. It is understandable and not surprising for them to have reservations about stepping outside of their areas of expertise. Fortunately, there are some simple ways that Social Studies and Science teachers can begin to incorporate the literacy standards into their existing curriculum and instruction.

Below are 5 ideas based on some of the literacy standards that teachers can use immediately as they infuse these skills into classroom instruction. Each idea is prefaced with the standard, followed by an easy-to-implement example:

Free Resources: CCSS Standards based Practice Questions in Math and English Language Arts.