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"8 Close-Reading Strategies to Develop Literacy Skills in Social Studies"

8 Close-Reading Strategies...
One of the biggest problems students face when learning about Social Studies is a lack of understanding of assigned readings. Whether it be from not being able to read on grade level, or the more likely culprit, a lack of background knowledge and analytical skills needed to digest the texts, students are suffering. The linked article discusses useful strategies to help students "get" what they are reading, and though it is primarily targeted toward Social Studies teachers, it can also be used in all other subjects in one way or another. The first strategy mentioned says to have students identify and write down vivid and/or expressive words used to describe what is being discussed and explain why those words help to emphasize the main point of the reading, helping students drill down to the most important part of the assigned text. Another strategy is to have students "wreck their text." In other words, assign a reading (best if on the shorter side) that you really want your students to understand and remember, then have them read, reread, and rewrite in their own words. Doing so will force them to think deeply about what they are reading, and translate into a valuable resource for teacher and student both. Overall this article is helpful to teachers to spark ideas of ways to engage our students with the reading, rather than having them simply read and inevitable forget the material, while also helping them develop literacy skills that will last a lifetime. 
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  1. Nick LeachAugust 29, 2019 at 1:36 PM

    I remember doing an activity similar to the one you described. We had to rewrite a paragraph in our own words and none of the words could be the same. It was really hard, but it did force us to really understand what each word meant and what the entire passage was saying. These close reading strategies can also be used for science topics that you would want to be nailed down like the water cycle or the the relationships between cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems in organisms.

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  2. ThompsonSeptember 4, 2019 at 7:39 AM

    Don't forget to add your word count.

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