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Critical Comprehension of Social Studies Texts
Critical Comprehension of Social Studies Texts
Critical Comprehension of
Social Studies Texts
BY GLENN DEVOOGD
G
eorge Orwell’s adage that “history is written by country so different from British colonies in Africa or
the winners” is often repeated in classrooms India. In contrast to their experiences in Africa or India,
around the country. But the knowledge that European Americans had a relatively easy time moving
our standard history is only one version of past in and homesteading the land vacated by the natives. By
events is rarely acted upon when considering alternative avoiding this topic, some social studies texts also leave
pedagogies or content. All too often, we educators ac- other important issues unaddressed, such as the unin-
quiesce, repeating the winner’s version of social studies tended negative consequences of easy travel and the evo-
written in the textbooks and failing to recognize that we lution of diseases. These issues are not only of concern
are not fulfilling our pledge to a country that, ideally, to Native Americans but to all people.
strives to treat people fairly regardless of their beliefs, This emphasis on the “winner’s perspective” pres-
power, or socioeconomic status. ents a skewed view of history that allows readers to make
Examples of this “winner’s bias” in textbooks are incorrect assumptions about the identity and character
common, but since we are so familiar with history as it’s of European and Native Americans—both past and pres-
been taught over the years, they are hard to recognize. ent. These incorrect assumptions allow readers to con-
Take, for example, one line in a typical eighth-grade so- struct a view of themselves and others that may lead to
cial studies text that describes the death of approximately further oppression. Therefore, it is important not to limit
fifteen million native people in South and North America students to one particular version of history. Instead, in
as a result of disease when Europeans first explored and order to dismantle forms of institutionalized oppression,
immigrated to the New World. There are whole chapters they should be allowed to explore other perspectives that
in the same book that describe exploration of the Ameri- give voice to those marginalized by society. Critical lit-
cas and the European–American movement to the west- eracy is an approach to comprehension that encourages
ern territories of what is now the United States, but only the reader to identify and dismantle the perspectives of
one line concerning the fifteen million natives who died power and the biases in texts.
during and as a result of this expansion. The fact that so
little is written concerning this extremely important fact in Critical Comprehension
U.S. history is evidence of bias in this social studies text.
It is unjust to Native Americans to minimize or to
avoid discussing the toll of disease shortly after the first
O ne of the main principles of critical literacy, or
critical comprehension, is its demand for an honest
consideration of explanations and stories that give equal
European immigration. When one begins to think in this weight to the perspectives of the poor and marginalized.
manner, other problematic issues inherent in the way we Critical literacy is a term used to describe the way that
typically think about our history begin to emerge—both readers (and viewers) can challenge texts, films, conver-
in relation to issues of fair representation and issues of sations, and pictures that privilege the perspective of
truth. Most U.S. history books discuss Pre-Columbian the status-quo “winners” in histories and in stories. This
Native Americans in several chapters, but issues of dialogue with the text is used to challenge the defenders
power and perspective are given limited consideration. of the status-quo system who support a history that mar-
Typical texts do not explore the inevitable effects that the ginalizes people on the basis of ethnic group, gender, or
sudden weakening and deaths of so many native people even philosophy. In the end, the goal of a critical literacy
had on the rapid immigration and expansion of Euro- approach is to actively pursue the ideal of “liberty and
pean immigrants in the U.S.—and how that makes our justice for all.” Practitioners seek to reach this goal by
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