Writing in Social Studies

If you’re a social studies teacher struggling to teach writing, you have landed on the right page.

Why is writing important for learning history?

• Fundamental learning activity that promotes a deeper understanding through organizing thoughts, ideas, and facts
• Produces active learners
• Clarifies ones understanding of the key facts

5 Important Parts of Social Studies Writing

1.) Understand the Writing Prompt

• To fully understand the task of the writing prompt, students must understand the signal terms that tell the writer what type of writing is required.
• Underline the signal words in the writing prompt- describe, explain, evaluate, compare, determine, defend, outline, support, etc.
• Next, divide the writing prompt into parts to get a better understanding of everything that must be included.
• Refer back to the writing prompt throughout the research/document analysis process. When analyzing sources, always think about how the information in each source answers the writing prompt.
• Post the writing prompt on colored paper around the room to serve as a constant reminder of the task.

2.) Use Sources to Gather Information

• Use a graphic organizer or chart to gather information from the sources (images below).
• Emphasize that the title is the most important part of a source.
• Next, determine which type of source, author or artist, date of source, primary or secondary, possible author bias, and point of view.
• Divide the source into quadrants and analyze each sections of the source by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Annotate the sources. Students love making annotations, especially if they get to use Flair pens, highlighters, or colored pencils.
• Write at least 2-3 pieces of evidence from the source. ALWAYS REMIND STUDENTS: The evidence MUST answer the question in the writing prompt.

3.) Beyond the Source: Make Connections

• For each piece of evidence, students write one inference to extend their evidence with outside information that is not included in the sources. Students need to make connections to historical facts that they have previously learned in social studies.
• There are many ways to extend evidence: compare, contrast, prove, examples, or additional information.
• ONLY include historical facts that relate to the topic, support evidence, and answer the writing prompt.
• This is the MOST CHALLENGING step of the writing process.
• MODEL, MODEL, Model great examples! Guide students to think about information previously learned.
• Create class extensions: At the end of the research/source analysis, make a chart for each source and list some topics that students can use for extended evidence. For example, after analyzing Columbus’s letter to the treasurer, I listed historical events that occurred due to Columbus’ discovery such as the Columbian Exchange, growth and exportation of sugarcane, additional Spanish conquistadors who explored and conquered land after Columbus, and so on.
• Play a video on the topic and have students list facts. They can use relevant facts as extensions.
• Use any other resources such as textbooks, study guides, maps, etc. to help jog their memories.
• Use the source below to help students extend evidence.

4.) Constructed or Extended Response

• Constructed responses require 1-2 paragraphs, while extended responses require an organized essay.
• After analyzing all sources, review gathered information and organize it into topics. These topics, or buckets (DBQ term), answer the writing prompt question and serve as the main idea(s) of the constructed/extended response.

• Explain each main idea in a separate paragraph with evidence and extended information (your own knowledge of social studies). Use the completed graphic organizer with this information.
• For constructed responses, use the RACES (RESTATE, ANSWER, CITE, EXTEND, SUMMARIZE) writing strategy. Begin by restating the question and answer with one topic/bucket per paragraph. Write 1-2 paragraphs, depending on writing prompt. Click here for RACES WRITING (PERFECT PARAGRAPHS)

• For extended responses, write an introduction paragraph with a thesis statement, body paragraphs (one for each topic), and a conclusion.

The thesis statement is the last sentence in the introduction paragraph below. Notice how the thesis restates the question and includes the three topics (buckets).

5.) Simple Thesis Statements

• Draw a chicken foot diagram.

• Restate the writing prompt on the leg.
• Write one topic on each foot.

• Click here for a complete guide to writing an essay with step-by-step directions for an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

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