Social+Studies+Common+Core




 * This packet contains a collection of primary and secondary resource suggestions that can be used for each different time periods in United States history (1877-Present)**
 * This packet also contains project ideas and essential questions that you might find useful in your classroom while covering a specific topic and/or time period in United States History.**
 * Any questions and/or suggestions please feel free to contact me.**

LDC - Literacy Design Collaborative:
The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) offers a template approach to create LDC tasks, modules, and courses designed to teach students to meet the new Common Core Literacy Standards (CCSS) while also learning to meet content demands at high levels of performance. The Literacy Design Collaborative is a project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

__**LDC Booklet:** **The 1.0 Guidebook to LDC**__ The Guidebook is our core explanation of the LDC framework and how teachers are implementing it across the country.



__**LDC Rules of the Road**__ The LDC Design Team created an instructional system that is now known as “LDC.” This document establishes the technical specifications for this system. We call these specifications “The LDC Framework.” The audience is current LDC project leaders and potential LDC partners interested in designing LDC modules.



__**LDC Template Tasks: **__ LDC template tasks are fill-in-the-blank “shells” built off the Common Core standards. They allow teachers to insert the texts to be read, writing to be produced, and content to be addressed. When filled in, template tasks create high-quality student assignments that develop reading, writing, and thinking skills in the context of learning science, history, English, and other subjects.

Remember also to __download__ the relevant modules before beginning to edit the template.
 * Click on this link:** [|LDC Module Development Templates] **to find the LDC templates you need to create your modules. Note that there are three broad catagories of "writing tasks":**
 * **Argumentative** (this requires the student to develop a thesis or argument; explain the evidence for the thesis; acknowledge the evidence for the "counter-thesis"; and come to a conclusion)
 * **Informational-Explanatory** (this is the more common social studies assignment where you write a straightforward expository essay)
 * **Narrative** (this is simple storytelling that follows a recognizable chronology and seeks to explain cause and effect relationships over time)

__**LDC Sample Social Studies Modules**__
LDC Modules help teachers teach students to succeed on assignments created using LDC Template Tasks. Click on the link below to see sample social studies modules based on the LDC approach. [|Sample LDC Social Studies Modules] = =



Common Core Standards - New York State:
[|New York State Common Core Standards Website] The following document is available as a PDF file that can be downloaded by clicking on the link below. Please note that you need to scroll to page 59 to find the beginning of the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects for Grades 6-12. Note also that this document is organized as a 3-column chart listing a progression of student skills for:
 * ** Grades 6-8 **
 * ** Grades 9-10 **
 * ** Grades 11-12 **



[|NYS Common Core Implementation Timeline] Timeline for the full implementation / integration of the Common Core Standards.
 * [|Engage NY Common Core Resources] **As part of the New York State Network Team training Institute, the NY State Education Department has developed EngageNY, a website for Common Core implementation and other educator resources. A video series explaining the new standards, an overview of the necessary instructional shifts, and some curriculum exemplars are all available on the EngageNY website.

Common Core Standards - New York City:
[|NYC Common Core Standards] New NYC DOE website with common core resources.

[|Common Core Social Studies Lessons] Interesting link to videos of lessons that incorporate CC strategies.

[|Success at the Core] Website with Common Core PD lessons. Includes videos of classes.

New article about NYS support for integrating Common Core into social studies from Gotham Schools website:
[|Gotham Schools - CCLS in NYS] Interesting article about how NYS plans to integrate CCLS into social studies. Note that CCLS = CCSS.

New York State Standards:
Teachers are expected to integrate these with the Common Core Standards by the 2013-14 school year. Beginning in January of 2014, Social Studies Regents will assess skills identified in the Common Core Standards. See also links below for additional resources about the development of curricula and lessons incorporating CCSS on the EngageNY website and the NYS timeline for this implementation: [|NYS P-12 Common Core Standards] Link to NYS's developing Common Core Standards.

[|NYS Standards and Core Curriculum for all Subjects] Click on link to access. Also see quick link below.

[|NYS Standards for Social Studies] Link to Social Studies Core Curriculum and Learning Standards.

===**NYS CCSS: __Sample Performance Tasks__ for Informational Texts: History/Social Studies & Science, Mathematics, and Technical Subjects** ===


 * Students //determine the central ideas// found in the Declaration of Sentiments by the Seneca Falls Conference, noting the parallels between it and the Declaration of Independence and //providing a summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas// of each text and between the texts. [RH.11–12.2]
 * Students //evaluate// the //premises// of James M. McPherson’s argument regarding why Northern soldiers fought in the Civil War by //corroborating// the //evidence// provided from the letters and diaries of these soldiers with //other// primary and secondary //sources// and //challenging// McPherson’s //claims// where appropriate. [RH.11–12.8]
 * Students //integrate// the //information// provided by Mary C. Daly, vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, with the data presented //visually// in the //FedViews// report. In their analysis of these //sources of information presented in diverse formats//, students frame and //address a question// or //solve a problem// raised by their //evaluation// of the evidence. [RH.11–12.7]
 * Students //analyze the hierarchical// relationships between phrase searches and searches that use basic Boolean operators in Tara Calishain and Rael Dornfest’s //Google Hacks: Tips & Tools for Smarter Searching, 2nd Edition//. [RST.11–12.5]
 * Students //analyze// the concept of mass based on their close reading of Gordon Kane’s “The Mysteries of Mass” and //cite specific textual evidence// from the //text// to answer the question of why elementary particles have mass at all. Students explain //important distinctions the author makes// regarding the Higgs field and the Higgs boson and their relationship to the concept of mass. [RST.11–12.1]
 * Students //determine the meaning of key terms// such as //hydraulic//, //trajectory//, and //torque// as well as other //domain-specific words and phrases// such as //actuators//, //antilock brakes//, and //traction control used// in Mark Fischetti’s “Working Knowledge: Electronic Stability Control.” [RST.11–12.4]

**PARCC ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM:**
[|PARCC] The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a consortium of states working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers. These new K-12 assessments will build a pathway to college and career readiness by the end of high school, mark students’ progress toward this goal from 3rd grade up, and provide teachers with timely information to inform instruction and provide student support. The PARCC assessments will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-15 school year. New York is one of the states included in the PARCC consortium.

[[file:PARCC_Overview_January2012.ppt]]
[|NYC New Website] New CCLS website that links Common Core exams to PARCC.

SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM:
[|Smarter Balanced Consortium] Smarter Balanced is a state-led consortium developing assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts/literacy and mathematics that are designed to help prepare all students to graduate high school college- and career-ready. NYS is part of the PARCC Assessment Consortium, not the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, but the Smarter Balanced and PARCC Consortia are collaborating to develop a Technology Readiness Tool to support states as they transition to online assessments.

[|Free Webinars on Common Core Standards]
 * Collaborative Learning Inc.** - invitation to join live experts as they clarify, discuss and elaborate on the most important topics in education today.

Below is a link to a YouTube site that houses video vignettes of the writers of the standards. These vignettes were developed to help diverse groups – educators, policymakers, parents – better understand the breadth and depth of the Standards and how they will improve teaching, make classrooms better, create shared expectations, and cultivate lifelong learning for //all// students. If you click on the “uploads” tab you will be able to see all 30 of the videos. These videos were developed by CCSSO in partnership with The Hunt Institute. Attached you will also find a User Guide. [|The Hunt Institute - Common Core Standards]
 * The Hunt Institute CCSS Videos:**

Regents Reform and NYS Common Core State Standards:
Memo sent May 12, 2011 regarding the way in which the implementation of the CCSS may change the NYS Regents exams.

Common Core Standards - Represent a Nationwide Effort to Raise Student Achievement Levels:
The first national Kindergarten-12 “Common Core State Standards” were finalized on June 2, 2010. They represent a collaborative effort by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). The actual writing of the standards was done by organizations working on behalf of 48 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia.

These **English language arts** and **mathematics** standards represent a set of expectations for student knowledge and skills that high school graduates need to master to succeed in college and careers.

To develop these standards, CCSSO and the NGA Center worked with representatives from participating states, a wide range of educators, content experts, researchers, national organizations, and community groups. These final standards reflect the invaluable feedback from the general public, teachers, parents, business leaders, states, and content area experts and **are informed by the standards of other high performing nations** (emphasis added).

College- and career-readiness standards have been incorporated into the K-12 standards. The criteria that we used to develop the college- and career-readiness standards, as well as these K-12 standards are that they should be:


 * **Aligned with college and work expectations; **
 * **Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills; **
 * **Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards; **
 * **Informed by top-performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and, **
 * **Evidence and/or research-based. **

The standards development process has incorporated the best practices and research from across the nation and the world. While we have used all available research to shape these documents, we recognize that there is more to be learned about the most essential knowledge for student success. As new research is conducted and we evaluate the implementation of the common core standards, we plan to revise the standards on a set review cycle. Note that the NYS embrace of the Common Core Standards reflects new federal initiatives to bring greater academic rigor to American K-12 education. The state governors and various foundations - including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - have also been instrumentatl in promoting the idea of a new more rigorous national curriculum. The argument is that we need to raise academic standards and expectations to will make the US more competitive internationally. Current data suggest that education in the United States has been falling behind that of other advanced nations. Everyone seems to agree that the US needs to do better at preparing America's youth for 21st century career opportunities.

This is not a theoretical discussion. We have been told that state assessments in a few years (beginning in 2014) will be based on the new more rigorous standards developed by the states. Indeed there is a movement to create uniform national assessments that would replace state assessments (e.g. NYS Regents exams). While a few states - notably Texas and Alaska - have declined to participate, New York has decided to embrace this reform effort, prompted in part by a desire to qualify for "Race to the Top" federal grant money.

[|Link to Common Core Standards]

How does this affect us?
Our mandate is to align our course calendars with the NYC and NYS Common Core Curricula for Social Studies. We are being told that beginning in 2014 students will be taking state assessments that will be based on these new curricula. You will note that the curricula emphasize the teaching of higher-level thinking skills. It remains to be seen if the new assessments will more effectively test depth rather than breadth of understanding. Accordingly, we all need to become familiar with the new NYC and NYS curricula so that we can align our teaching practices with the skills and goals identified in both the NYC and NYS Common Core Standards. We will begin by reading the New York City [|Scope and Sequence for High School Social Studies]education. Try to identify the following:
 * What essential questions do we already address in our curricula? What essential questions might further enrich our curricula?
 * What academic skills do we teach - and what skills do we need to put more emphasis on?
 * Is the content identified in this document congruent with our calendars of lessons? Are there revisions we should consider?