Using Standards Based Grading in Social Studies

July 16, 2010

Here is a draft of how I am going to split the skills from the content in Social Studies this year. I call the skills, “Thinking like a Historian”. I will spend the fiirst month building the language of these skills in my classroom. Please comment on what might or might not work.

I still have to create rubrics and models ( examples) of what is Excellent, Satisfactory and Not Yet for these skills.

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Goals: Students will have the skills and the practice to “Think like a Historian”. Students will understand that History is a construct. Students will construct their own personal histories. Students will construct the History of the US. Students will make connections between their history and US History. Students will identify the values of the events of American History. Students will take issues and questions they see in their own lives / world and use “thinking like a Historian” skills to investigate these issues. (e.g. police harassment of them- racism in police forces- ethnic groups that traditionally control police political positions – role of the police officer in society)

What are the skills the students need to develop in order to “Think like a Historian”?

These skills are to be honed, improved, pushed forward all year long.

Students will complete these Outcomes:

A. Reading: Students need to be able to read primary and secondary sources.

Primary Source:
- Who created this document?
- Why did they create this document?
- When did they create this document?
- What is this document trying to say?
Secondary Source:
1. Who created this document?
2. When did they create this document?
3. Why did they create this document?
4. What is the author trying to say?
5. What evidence does the author use to prove their idea?

B. Writing: Students need to be able to write like a Historian. This requires them to write a well organized essay that constructs the how and or why of history using primary and secondary evidence.

1. What Connections are there

2. What evidence is relevant?

C. Listening: Students need to develop skills to listen to each other and engage

in constructive conversations.

2. Note taking strategies and skills.

D. Speaking: During discussions and oral presentation.

E. Questioning: Students use prior knowledge to create questions that will help find a deeper more complex understanding of the historical event, artifact, person, era, or source.

What are the Themes that the students will investigate during US History and Government?
These have to be constructed by the students. With guidance and coaching to support their understanding

Geography: humans relationship to physical environment
Civics: forms of government
Technology
Change
Culture

9 responses to “Using Standards Based Grading in Social Studies”

Paul Aleckson

February 15, 2011 at 1:20 pm

We incorporate the writing skills – 5 paragraph essay, interpreting and analyzing primary sources, and writing a Document-Based Essay into our grading system.

See my blog at http://bringsocialstudiesalive.blogspot.com/ go to older posts and look at Thinking Like a Historian.
Paul Aleckson

February 15, 2011 at 1:17 pm

Go to my social studies website at http://www.dce.k12.wi.us/srhigh/socialstudies/toppage12.htm and then click on the powerpoint titled Thinking Like a Historian. I am sure that you will find it helpful. Paul
Stephen Lazar

July 19, 2010 at 6:15 pm

Looks like a great start.

I would add something to your source sections about what is unsaid, perhaps: What is left missing or unsaid by the document? and/or What questions does it raise?

I also think what it means to think like a historian needs a little more specificity. I really liked how this article Liz Becker shared talked about what it means to think like a historian. For what it’s worth, here’s a definition I used for one of my classes “Students will be able to think like a historian by seeing and explaining diverse perspectives, identifying and explaining historical precedents to current social issues, and explaining the ethical issues raised by actions” (there’s a pretty good chance I adapted that from somewhere else, but can’t for the life of me remember where).
Ellsbeth

July 17, 2010 at 5:23 pm

Thank you for posting your standards. I have been looking for other people who are interesting in Standards Based Grading practices in Social Studies. I am curious what courses and grades you will be teaching with your standards this year. Are there any particular resources you are using to develop your own class standards? I am in the process of creating my own right now and I’m excited to see what other people are doing. Thanks!
AtlTeacher

July 17, 2010 at 1:34 am

Your history project sounds interesting! Let us know how it goes.
brklynsurfer

July 17, 2010 at 1:02 am

@daniel Agreed, I need to flesh out what is writing, reading, etc
@atlteacher I will try and to give them sources from all sides, I was mainly trying to find something they could sink their teeth into and then for us as a class to go beyond the current issue and look at the Executive Branch and law enforcement as a whole. Given that most of my students live in the area mentioned in this NY Times article, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/nyregion/12frisk.html?_r=1
I do not know how far I will get with that one though.
1. Good one. Will do.
2. Through formative assessment during group discussions. Students will say things like , “Cheryl I see your point about Thomas Jefferson writing the DOI but, I believe we was not the best founding father because he owned slaves”. The student had to of listened to the other student to say that.
3. How would they be more towards History class? I am trying to separate the content form the skill. They could apply these skills in English class too. I am OK with that. I like history on the humanities side of the departments.
4. I am using snapgrades this semester. In snapgrades you can set up standards. Then attach assignments to a specific standard (or multiple standards. When students look at the website they can see how they are doing in each standard. I want to weight the standards to the most recent assignment as much as possible.
5. I really want the students to generate their own definitions. In the month of September we will be doing a project on American History Timeline. In this Project I will give them as many dates, documents, people, evidence as our school copier will print. In fact too much information to make sense of American history. They will as a class determine the value of each piece of evidence. They will then construct the timeline. From there I would them to look for patterns and differences in American history to come up with the themes ( I will push them towards the NYS standards).
I will ask them for questions they have on the how and why of this American history.
Those questions will guide class discussions and student projects.
AtlTeacher

July 16, 2010 at 11:39 pm

Also, how might you address specialized vocabulary in the class?
AtlTeacher

July 16, 2010 at 11:33 pm

Forgive me for paying attention to the wrong thing because I know you want us to comment on the Standards-Based Grading and not your commentary, but I just have to comment on your statement about police. I hope you plan to balance your presentation of the police and ensure that students examine them from the officers’ points of view as well. In the media, so much is said about police harassing people, but police are also harassed and disrespected every day by people. Anyway, I’m off by soapbox on that one. 🙂 Moving on to the more important stuff…

1. For your Reading skills, might you add “What was the effect of this document?”
2. How will you assess listening skills?
3. Might the speaking and listening skills be refined more towards History class?
4. How will these skills look in your gradebook?
Daniel Faulkenberry

July 16, 2010 at 9:38 pm

Particularly for B, the way you’ve defined goals for students to meet by acting in some manner “like a historian” seems a bit of a circular definition. That is to say, instead of asking them to “write like a historian”, perhaps you should define particular qualities or attributes you would like their writing to demonstrate.

I also think that, in the same manner that you’ve elaborated on the theme of geography, it might help to define the other themes a bit more explicitly.