Social Studies and the Literacy Connection

Often times it's easy for learning to get separated into content categories. I've always been the type of student who liked to keep each subject isolated- both in my binders (yes, I was the kid with binders for every subject, color-coordinated folders, and dividers dividing my dividers...) and in my mind. Heaven forbid my MATH notes should be nestled within the same binder (let alone the same section!) as my SCIENCE notes!! However since taking many Education classes as Meredith I have learned an important lesson that will be instrumental in my being a good educator- subjects overlap. In fact, some of the best science lessons include math skills and concepts! Once my mind was completely blown opened to the idea that all subjects are (and should be!) interconnected, I was able to see great learning opportunities arising. Chapter 13 of our text really spoke to that. Although I'll admit I felt a little of my past anxiety when I saw the words "social studies", "literacy", and "connection" all in the same title, I quickly pushed them aside and dug into the great insight the text had to offer. At the risk of sounding like a complete dork, I really like this text book! The way Ellis writes is both personable and intelligent and I found myself feeling like I had just had a conversation with the author rather than simply reading a chapter of a text book.

Anyway, I was able to see some great connections between social studies and literacy. After all, literacy truly is at the hub of all learning. The subject of social studies offers many great opportunities for students to incorporate literacy skills to enhance learning. Not only are they important for reading and interpreting text, literacy skills can add to the students' learning experiences through written and discussion activities. Students can journal, write responses, or create their own historical "diaries." Social Studies is also a great way to work on public speaking skills (come to think of it, I DO have a vague memory of standing in front of the entire 4th grade dressed as Harriet Tubman and reading "my memoir"... I guess the subjects of my past have been more interconnected than I thought!). These will be important strategies to incorporate in my future lessons.

Aside from simply aiding in learning, literacy skills are important for us as citizens of a democracy. The students who are currently sitting in elementary classrooms are tomorrow's future voters, politicians, and leaders. It is our job as teachers to make sure those students are receiving the best education we can offer them.