Reading comprehension instruction may be critical for students to learn from social studies text, particularly for students who are not yet proficient in reading. Understanding factors that correspond to high levels of student engagement during text-based social studies instruction appears particularly important. Data were collected from 50…

This study aims to augment the current understanding of how practicing teachers perceive and implement disciplinary literacy and in what ways they collaborate with researchers in a disciplinary literacy project. To do this, we collected and analyzed transcripts of the meetings from a disciplinary literacy project that was a university-school…

This study examined the effects of an intervention in writing with digital interactive books. To improve the writing skills of seventh- and eighth-grade students with a learning disability in reading, we conducted a quasi-experimental study in which the students read interactive digital books (i-books), took notes, wrote summaries, and acted as…

Presents a study of United States History textbooks that identifies possible shortcomings of several readability formulas as tools in determining the appropriateness of reading materials. Suggests additional factors to consider when selecting textbooks and techniques to help students understand reading materials. (AEM)

Describes how social studies teachers can help students interact with textbooks to promote better comprehension and retention of information. Suggests methods for linking existing knowledge to concepts in the text, for organizing information to encourage retention, and for making the expository style of texts more accessible. (LS)

Two methods for aiding social studies students in developing better reading skills are suggested. The cloze and maze techniques are completion tests requiring the reader to insert words through multiple choice or from the surrounding context of the sentence. (JR)

From their study of science and social studies reading problems in urban secondary schools, the authors present specific suggestions for the responsibility of the content teacher in selecting appropriate reading materials and helping students to understand their content. (Author/SJL)

Identifies variables needing research related to reading. Variables include teacher training and behavior, textbook characteristics including readability, teaching strategies and techniques, reviews of reading research, and diffusion of findings to the classroom teacher. (Author/CK)

A workable plan to help social studies teachers develop the competencies they will need to teach students to read social studies materials in grades K through 12 is provided in this document. A directed reading lesson is included which suggests practical techniques for improving reading skills. A unit sample and some suggested techniques for…

Some practical ways to improve reading skills in social studies classes without sacrificing content objectives and goals are presented. It is emphasized that social studies teachers are best suited to teach reading skills in their own subject field. Social studies teachers need to focus on three reading skills: vocabulary development and word…

For its 53rd annual meeting, the Association of Educators and Researchers met in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Marriott Charlotte City Center. This year's conference theme was "Building Literacy Communities", which was also used as the title for this year's Yearbook, Volume 32. This organization has long been the home of some of the nation's…

This book is intended to help prospective teachers, students in teacher training schools, and in-service teachers to improve high school and junior high school students' reading in their various subject-content classes. Chapters one through six and thirteen through seventeen contain material that applies to all academic subjects in the secondary…

Approaches to improving students' skills in reading social studies materials are presented in this book. The first chapter discusses reading problems and orientations to reading in the social studies. The remaining three chapters deal with three problem areas: making a suitable match between pupil reading abilities and instructional materials,…

Contends that children's literature is a powerful tool for linking social studies learning and literacy development in primary age children. Describes a thematic unit on immigration and the transcontinental railroad that utilized literature and "read alouds" as a means to exploring these topics. Gives a list of children's books on immigration.…