Common Core Shifts Literacy in Social Studies

Shift 1

Balancing Informational & Literary Text

Students read a true balance of informational and literary texts.

Shift 2

Knowledge in the Disciplines

Students build knowledge about the world (domains/ content areas) through TEXT rather than the teacher or activities.

Shift 3

Staircase of Complexity

Students read the central, grade appropriate text around which instruction is centered. Teachers are patient, create more time and space and support in the curriculum for close reading

Shift 4

Text-based Answers

Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based conversations about text.

Shift 5

Writing from Sources

Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to inform or make an argument.

Shift 6

Academic Vocabulary

Students constantly build the transferable vocabulary they need to access grade level complex texts. This can be done effectively by spiraling like content in increasingly complex texts.