Thinking Historically: Strategies for Literacy Integration

It seemed like half the state of Kansas was in Wichita yesterday for the annual KSDE conference. Good times. I made new friends, met old ones, and learned a ton of new stuff.

Like any conference, part of my day was spent participating in presentations and hanging out at the ESSDACK booth. But I also got the chance to lead a conversation about the integration of social studies and literacy skills. It was a fast and furious 50 minutes with the goal of introducing folks to a variety of ideas and tools.

The full room chatted about push / pull factors that explain why people moved west in the 1850s and why people moved out of Detroit in 2009. We shared ideas about how to use Google Cardboard with kids. And we explored ways to use a couple of L shaped pieces of paper to help students see details in primary sources.

So . . . yeah. Good times. Put a bunch of social studies nerds in one place and everything is right with the world. Check out the preso below and be sure to head over to the Social Studies Central page for handouts, materials, and additional resources.

You might want the PDF version instead. And don’t forget to head over for even more literacy integration goodies over at Social Studies Central.