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Literacy of Secondary Social Studies and History

Patrick Nobby

Arizona State University

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Abstract

Literacy within the sphere of social studies and history in secondary levels focuses on the ‘soft’

abilities rather than simply remembering facts and dates. The skills taught in historical literacy

are necessary for functioning later in life, after graduation and outside the classroom. The skills

enumerated are the ability to analyze information critically and synthesize information from

multiple sources into one coherent idea.

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Literacy of Secondary Social Studies and History

“To graduate high school fully prepared for college and the workforce, students need

more than basic literacy skills. They need to master the distinct approaches to literacy that are

used in academic disciplines such as science, mathematics, and history” (Chauvin). Some

complain about the American education system, stating that it needs to be rehauled to better fit

the demands of modern life and teach students necessary subjects such as how to do taxes or

balance a checkbook. And while the necessity of this is debatable and is often, the current model

focuses more on the ‘soft’ abilities of students, for lack of a better term. Students require the

ability to read, of course, but the literacy brought up by Ramona Chauvin and Kathleen Theodore

from the SEDL relates to the abilities taught by each of the unique subject fields. Literacy within

history and social studies specifically means educators conveying skills to those they teach,

beyond simple information recall. This means specific strategies within the classroom to help

promote skill growth within those necessary areas, as well as knowledgeable focus on them with

each student.

When writing on the specifics of literacy within content fields, Stephanie McConachie

and Anthony Petrosky from the University of Pittsburgh state for history “(students should)

receive formative feedback from the teacher on their progress and process of creating historical

interpretations. Reflect on what they have learned (content) and how they have learned (habits of

thinking) and how their thinking on both have changed” (McConachie). In relation to this, they

state “(teachers should) Research and assess student understanding of historical content,

concepts, and interpretations by analyzing students’ use of inquiry strategies, reading, writing,

and reasoning strategies. Use multiple forms of formal, informal, and formative assessment data

to guide instruction” (McConachie). These two quotes in relation to one another point to one of

the key facets of history literacy, in that teachers must focus on student’s capabilities to reason
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and deduce facts from given information, rather than just teaching to a test, or forcing students to

endure pure information recall. As will be expanded upon, this position then intends that students

utilize these skills to function in society for whatever subject area a given topic or task then

relates to.

In 2019, the International Literacy Association released a brief containing specifics on

digital literacy in relation to it’s importance in adolescent development. “Adolescent literacy is at

the heart of supporting adolescent students” (International). In support of this statement, the

association lists requirements, starting with “deep understanding of the variety of text types both

digital and traditional that adolescents are asked to negotiate daily” (International). This starting

statement immediately connects with the overall theme, in which students must take away skills

they can use outside the classroom, especially with ‘asked to negotiate daily’. The next

requirement puts forth the idea of “awareness of the principles of motivation and engagement.

Mediated choice that is connected to adolescents’ lived experiences is central to ensuring that

adolescents participate meaningfully in literacy events and activities” (International). Teaching

to the experiences of the students and taking into account their culture and life goes beyond

literacy and into general good education practice. Christopher Emdin in For White Folks Who

Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education

discusses the realities of white teachers working in urban areas, and relates a time when he ran a

conference for non-indigenous teachers working on a reservation. Emdin wonders how it might

have helped them, then realizes “that although the teachers had gained insight about their

profession, it wouldn’t be much help if they didn’t fully understand their students” (Emdin).

Understanding the lives of the student in one’s classroom allows educators to build upon the

literacy skills already held. The third on the list states “recognition of the connections among
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disciplines and the need for focused and appropriate disciplinary literacy instruction to support

the varied text types and reasoning within the content areas” (International). This statement

begins to touch on the idea of skills outside the classroom, in specificity absorbing information

from multiple sources and synthesizing them into one coherent idea. The fourth on the list reads

“knowledge of pedagogy that supports the development of thoughtful readers and writers who

develop a metacognitive stance in their work with texts across the curriculum” (International).

This furthers the earlier idea, teaching students how to thoughtfully read and take in information

through the vehicle of historical class documents so that they may utilize those skills to form

their opinion based on information on any number of topics. The fifth and final portion of the list

goes “recognition that this work needs to include support at the preservice level and continued

professional development once teachers enter the classroom” (International). The final statement

regards teachers largely, but remains just as important as it addresses what teachers need in order

to properly educate students on literacy.

Essentially the literacy within history boils down to, as has been mentioned before, skills

brought outside the classroom. So the question then becomes, why exactly should literacy based

history be taught in K-12 schooling? The first reason for focusing on literacy in the classroom is

of course improved recall of content material. “Implementing these principles along with

articulating an explicit lesson closure—where the teacher reviews and clarifies key points and

gives students an opportunity to ask questions—can lead to deeper understanding and retention

of content” (Chauvin). Beyond the content, the reasoning then becomes that “our increasingly

complex workforce and society demand that students have disciplinary literacy skills (Chauvin).

So in finishing, modern students require the ability to utilize modern skills in order to

function well simply as human beings in the 21st century. Teaching within any content area
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should be geared towards making sure that students are equipped with skills that will actively

help them later on. Rote memorization does nothing in this field other than making sure that each

pupil has good information recall. In the end, history in particular turns students into good

citizens, capable of participating in society as a whole and as is necessary for them to do. The

reason for this is history based literacy. “Contextualizing literacy learning sets the stage for

success that is realized through the use of evidence-based strategies specific to the language of

the discipline. Just as we use different lenses in photography for particular purposes, we

communicate using language in various ways depending upon the task at hand” (International).
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References

Chauvin, Ramona, and Kathleen Theodore. “Teaching Content-Area Literacy and Disciplinary

Literacy.” Sedl, SEDL Insights, 2015.

Emdin, Christopher. For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood - and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality

Pedagogy and Urban Education. Beacon Press, 2017.

McConachie, Stephanie and Petrosky, Anthony. “Disciplinary Literacy A Design Principles by

Core Academic Area.” Wiley Online Library, University of Pittsburgh , 2010.

International Literacy Association. (2019). Engagement and adolescent literacy [Position

statement and research brief]. Newark, DE: Author.