With more than 600 students in our ESOL program, there will be many taking Social Studies courses. This coursework creates some unique challenges for the English learner.
WHAT’S
DIFFICULT?
·
Curriculum assumes prior
historical, geographical and civic knowledge and culturally based values which
may be unfamiliar to students.
·
Specialized vocabulary often
refers to abstract concepts.
·
Discourse is primarily
expository; language functions include both lower ad higher-level thinking
skills.
·
Reading texts include
sentences with multiple embedded clauses, complex past tense forms, and
extensive use of pronouns.
·
Decontextualized language is
used in relationship to unfamiliar concepts.
·
Students may have had little
experience locating information, using maps and graphs, and using effective
strategies for listening, reading, and writing.
·
Assess students’ prior
knowledge about social studies topics.
·
Select high priority content
objectives from the school’s grade-level curriculum; include both lower and
higher-order thinking skills.
·
Provide academic language
activities in which students read, listen to, discuss, make presentations on,
and write about social studies content.
·
Teach and have students
practice learning strategies with all social studies activities.
If you’re stuck or need
help, come by room 404 or call ext. 292.