I've been blogging for years, but my posts have always been few and far between. SO, in an effort to change that, I'm committing to 30 days of posting about one teaching tip. I'm not actually sure I have 30 whole entire tips to share but we're about to find out...
Tip #1 - Adding daily, high-interest reading to my social studies classroom is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I usually use ReadWorks passages, but sometimes I write my own just for fun. I choose short, interesting passages that are related to the region we're studying in geography, and I assign 5-10 minutes of silent reading time. Then the kids write 2-3 "smart facts", which we discuss after I've taken attendance and prepared for the beginning of class. So far, the kids really seem to enjoy it...probably because I absolutely love it and tend to be ridiculously enthusiastic about every smart fact they share. Here are some ideas for making this work in your classroom.
1. Choose passages on or below your students' average reading level. ReadWorks gives a level for each passage. Offering differentiated articles to students on higher and lower levels would be ideal if you have time to organize it all.
2. Students can read ReadWorks articles online if they have access to devices in class. You can set up free class accounts and assign individual passages or Article-a-Day sets for kids to read. You can also have them write entries in their own Book of Knowledge (provided on ReadWorks) instead of writing on paper.
3. A class set of articles and notebook paper answer sheets work just as well if you don't have enough devices for everyone. Some days I don't have Chromebooks in my class, and the kids are just as happy to read paper copies of the articles.
4. Look for articles about weird, amazing, or out-of-the-ordinary topics that probably won't be in a textbook. We read the Article-a-Day set about European composers, and it really caught my kids' interest. They wanted to look up YouTube clips of Beethoven, Chopin and Brahms to share every day. It's a good day when a middle school kid can't wait to tell you about the Wagner piece he heard on a movie last night at home!
5. Protect the silence of reading time and walk around the room occasionally to see what the kids are writing for smart facts. The students who are staring off into space, or chatting with a neighbor, will get the message and at least look down to read a few sentences.
What are your thoughts on getting kids to read in the social studies classroom? Please share in the comments section below!
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