Social Studies | Ǹ Nurture Curiosity Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:10:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www-media.discoveryeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/de-site-favicon-2026-70x70.png Social Studies | Ǹ 32 32 WhySocial Studies Is the Secret Engine of Literacy Development /blog/teaching-and-learning/why-social-studies-is-the-secret-engine-of-literacy-development/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:52:02 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=210368 Key takeaways Strong literacy grows from knowledge-rich learning, not ELA time alone. Social studies gives students the context and vocabulary that make reading comprehension possible. By analyzing sources and building arguments, students strengthen both literacy and critical thinking. WEBINAR: April 23, 2 PM ET | Inquiry and Literacy in Elementary Social Studies Register Now Educators […]

The post WhySocial Studies Is the Secret Engine of Literacy Development appeared first on Ǹ.

]]>

Key takeaways

  • Strong literacy grows from knowledge-rich learning, not ELA time alone.

  • Social studies gives students the context and vocabulary that make reading comprehension possible.

  • By analyzing sources and building arguments, students strengthen both literacy and critical thinking.

Social Studies Blog

Educators are under enormous pressure to meet readingproficiencygoals;infactthe most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show thatoverhalf of fourth gradersare reading belowgradelevel. 1And while the instinctmay be toinvestmore time intoELAinstruction(more reading passages, more grammarpractice, more vocabularydrills),dedicated ELA timedoesn’thave to be the only strategy, in fact, research suggests itshouldn’tbe.

A study2recentlyfound that social studies was the only subject with a clear, statistically significant effect on reading improvement, andextra ELA time alone showed no measurable gains.This study is backed by decades of supporting research linking content-rich instruction to stronger literacy outcomes.

The connection between content knowledge and literacy is deep, well-documented, and too important to ignore. Here’s why social studiesdeservesa central placein anyserious effortto develop strong readers and writers.

Background Knowledge Is the Foundation of Reading Comprehension

Readingisn’tjust decoding words on a page.It’sconstructing meaning, and that process depends heavily on what a reader already knows. When a studentencountersa passage about the American Revolution, their ability to understand it hinges on whether they know what a colony was, why taxation without representation mattered, and what life looked like in eighteenth-century America.

Reading comprehension is not a transferable, all-purpose skill.It’sdeeply tied to domain knowledge. A student who is a “good reader” on a passage about baseball may struggle with a passage about the water cycle, not because their reading ability changed, but because their background knowledge shifted.

Social studieshelp students buildthe backgroundknowledge that makes later reading more accessible. It introduces students toareas likehistory,civics, andeconomics, anddeepensknowledge tomake future reading easier, across every subject.

Social Studies Introduces Rich, Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Words likedemocracy,migration, economy,continent,andcivilizationaren’tjust words for social studiesalone. They appear acrossmanydisciplines,from science texts and novelstonews articles and speeches.But social studiesisoftenwhere students firstencounterthese words in meaningful, memorable contexts.

Accordingtothe National Reading Panel,3 seeing vocabulary in authentic context, rather than isolated vocabulary drills, produces robust vocabulary learning. When a student learns the word“explorer” they could memorize the textbook definition(a person who travels to unfamiliar places to learn about them), or they could learn about it while following Lewis and Clark’s journey across uncharted territory, sketching maps, encountering grizzlies, and relying on Sacagawea forsurvival. Suddenly, “explorer”isn’tjust an abstract vocabulary word,it’sadventure and discovery.

Overtime, students learn morenew words, and the more words students know, the more they can read, and the more they read, the more words they learn.

How does Ǹ’s Social Studies Essentials support vocabulary development?

Programs likeSocial Studies Essentialsput this research into practice. Literacy support runs throughout the entire program. Studentsencountervocabulary through student-friendly definitions and strong visuals, then use reflection questions to connect learning beyond the classroom.Collaborative conversations build grade-level speaking,listening,and comprehension skills as students make their way through lessons.

The program’s “Explore” model takes this work a step further by giving students bite-sized chunks of content paired with quick activities that reinforce learning, exactlythe type of meaningful exposure that makes vocabulary words stick.

Election

Students Learn to Read and Evaluate Different Text Types

ELA classes tend to center on literature and informational passages, but Social Studies takesreadinga step further. In a singlelesson, students might analyze a letter from a soldier, interpret a political cartoon, read a treaty, examine a map, compare newspaper editorials from different eras, and study data from a census report.

Each of these text types demands different reading strategies. A political cartoon requires visual literacy and an understanding of satire. Apersonal letterrequiresattention to historical context and perspective. A data table requires the ability toidentifypatterns and draw conclusions from numbers.That variety helps students become more flexiblereaderswho can adjust their approach depending on the text in front of them.

How does Ǹ’s Social Studies Essentials enhance text engagement?

Various Texts

Social Studies Essentialsleans into thisapproach. Students engage intentionally with primary and secondary sources through a mix of whole-group and small-group instruction, with strong modeling to guide them.

Each lesson features artifactexposureoranalysis, reflection, and discussion to help students not only understand the content but also connect it to their own lives.

Social Studies Builds Critical Thinking and Communication Skills

Most importantly,social studieslessonsdon’tjust ask students to absorb information.The lessonsask them to think and ask questions about what they have read.Who wrote this? Why? What perspective is missing? What evidence supports this claim? These habits turn passive readers into active, critical ones.

These are the same skills that standardized assessments, college courses, and real-world communication demand. Social studiesisfull of natural opportunities to practice. When a studentis asked todeterminewhich invention had the greatest impact on the world, the printingpressor the compass, they must gather evidence, weigh competing claims, andbuild a case. This type of analysis sharpens reading and writingskills andbuilds literate students.

How does Ǹ’s Social Studies Essentials improve critical thinking and communication?

Social Studies Essentialsbuilds these skills into every lesson. Activities promptstudentsto practicewriting, reading, listening, and speaking in small groups and whole–class discussions.

Students have regular, structured opportunities to sharpen their communication and critical thinking skills across multiple modes of communication.

Vocabulary Development

Literacy Doesn't Develop in a Vacuum.

ELA instruction matters. Explicit instruction for decoding, fluency, comprehension strategies, and writing are all essentialskills. But literacydoesn’tdevelopfrom onlythis type of instruction.It develops when students have rich knowledge, broad vocabulary,interestingreading experiences, and meaningful things to say. Social studiesdeliversall of that.

The most effective approachisn’tto choose between social studies and literacy.It’sto recognize that social studiesisliteracy instruction,andif we want to build a generation of thoughtful, capable, critical readers and writers, we need to start by giving them something worth reading and writing about.

Learn How You Can Improve Literacy with Engaging Social Studies Content!

Explore Social Studies Essentials >

References

The post WhySocial Studies Is the Secret Engine of Literacy Development appeared first on Ǹ.

]]> Social Studies Blog Election Various Texts Vocabulary Development Developing Disciplinary Literacy Across Core Subjects /blog/teaching-and-learning/developing-disciplinary-literacy-across-core-subjects/ Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:33:59 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=183140 If we want students to learn biology, why not teach them to think, read and write like biologists? If we want them to learn history, shouldn’t they learn to think, read and write like historians? Approaching core subjects from this perspective is at the heart of disciplinary literacy. Now more than ever, it’s become vital […]

The post Developing Disciplinary Literacy Across Core Subjects appeared first on Ǹ.

]]>

If we want students to learn biology, why not teach them to think, read and write like biologists? If we want them to learn history, shouldn’t they learn to think, read and write like historians?

Approaching core subjects from this perspective is at the heart of disciplinary literacy. Now more than ever, it’s become vital that educators instill literacy skills grounded in real careers, creating students with an expert’s eye for real-world materials, regardless of the medium.

Content-area reading uses generic reading strategies, regardless of the text that’s being read. But disciplinary literacy is a way of approaching text with the reading strategies employed by experts in a given field— experts have specialized ways of thinking, talking, and writing.

Introducing Multiple Perspectives is Key

students reading jpg

Historians require the lens of multiple perspectives, reading between the lines of several writers to arrive at their conclusions. Mathematicians seek absolute answers, first and foremost, using abstract reasoning and pattern recognition to make their findings. Scientists employ analytical skills to parse the validity of data in research reports, finding logical links between various findings before formulating their hypotheses.

These experts don’t just rely on one resource. Their expertise is contingent on their own observations, along with the perspectives of others, expressed across several media types. Likewise, the days of using a single textbook as a teaching resource are over. Educators must begin using new types of resources in the classroom, including digital content and media to immerse students in real-world reading, writing and thinking.

The disciplinary literacy approach to reading reinforces the new era of teaching, which welcomes multiple resources and multiple media types, to help students form a grounded understanding of a subject that even experts would respect. Just recently, a superintendent said, “the combination of media integrated into the informational text makes students want to read.”

The hallmark of any focus on literacy — disciplinary or otherwise — is instilling the need and the desire to want to read.

“Each discipline has unique ways of asking questions and solving problems. Similarly, each discipline has unique expectations for the types of claims that are made and the way those claims are supported. These differences play out in the ways that texts are written and in the demands those texts place on the readers. For these reasons, we can say that each discipline has its own discourse community, a shared way of using language and constructing knowledge.”[1]

Disciplinary Literacy and State Standards

Although there is much debate about the purpose or primary job of schools, most who work in education would agree that an important purpose of a school is to develop literate individuals. The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts[1]identify the capacities of a literate individual as follows:

  1. They demonstrate independence.
  2. They build strong content knowledge.
  3. They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
  4. They comprehend as well as critique.
  5. They value evidence.
  6. They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
  7. They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.

These broad statements about what it means to be literate led the standards’ authors to decide that developing literacy in students is a joint responsibility that English Language Arts (ELA) teachers share with content area teachers. And while the foundational skills associated with literacy are infused in the K-5 ELA standards, the more specialized disciplinary literacy skills are listed in theGrades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects[2].The standards that ELA teachers are responsible for teaching are listed under the following headings:

  • Reading: Literature
  • Reading: Informational Text
  • Writing
  • Speaking and Listening
  • Language

Content area teachers are also expected to teach standards related to reading informational text and standards related to writing. Because research has shown that experts in a field have specialized ways of thinking, talking, and writing about information that separate insiders within the field from the general public, the authors of the standards want content area teachers to teach students the specialized knowledge and skills that readers and writers use within the content area or discipline. In an article in the Harvard Educational Review[1], Cynthia and Timothy Shanahan present a model of literacy development that includes three stages.

1. Basic Literacy
Literacy skills such as decoding and knowledge of high-frequency words that underlie virtually all reading tasks.
2. Intermediate Literacy
Literacy skills common to many tasks, including generic comprehension strategies, common word meanings, and basic fluency.
3. Disciplinary Literacy
Literacy skills specialized to history, science, mathematics, literature, or other subject matter.

They argue that until recently, secondary (grades 6-12) educators have not focused enough attention on helping students master the discipline-specific ways of reading and writing that are characteristic of the content area that the teacher is teaching. Instead, the literacy focus in secondary classrooms remained on the intermediate literacy skills that are common to many disciplines, such as previewing the text, activating prior knowledge, using graphic organizers, and summarizing the text. While these skills are necessary and have a definite place in the secondary classroom, literacy instruction that fully prepares students for college, careers, and adult life also includes a focus on the more specialized literacy skills of each discipline. When students are asked to think, read, write, speak, and listen like an expert in the field, they develop the insider knowledge needed to succeed with intellectually challenging tasks.

Applying Real-World Behaviors to Bridge Literacy Across Subject Areas

By studying professionals working within a discipline, researchers recognized that the way historians read, write, and think is different from the way scientists or mathematicians use literacy skills within their work. A broad body of research on adolescent literacy development[2]suggests that while the literacy demands of school and the workplace have increased over time, the way we approach teaching literacy skills has not changed enough. The thinking and reasoning skills that individuals need to thrive in 21stcentury daily life and professional careers are developed as content area teachers focus on teaching both the content of the field of study and the specialized literacy skills associated with the discipline.

The standards forGrades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjectsdo not replace subject area standards, but instead complement them. These standards require teachers to use their content area expertise to help students master the challenges of thinking, reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the various subject areas.

Disciplinary Reading and Writing Skills

In keeping with the standards, the focus of disciplinary reading and writing should be on the following:

Disciplinary Reading Skills

  • Key Ideas and Details
    • Citing Evidence from Text
    • Central Ideas, Details, and Summary
  • Craft and Structure
    • Vocabulary
    • Text Structure
  • Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
  • Text Features
  • Author’s Point of View, Fact or Opinion
  • Comparison
  • Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Disciplinary Writing Skills

  • Text Types and Purposes
    • Argument Writing
    • Informational/Explanatory Writing
  • Production and Distribution of Writing
  • Clarity and Coherence
    • Attention to Task, Purpose, and Audience
    • Writing Process and Revision
    • Use of Technology
  • Research to Build and Present Knowledge
    • Generating Questions and Conducting Research
    • Gathering Relevant Information
    • Drawing Evidence
  • Range of Writing

Let’s take a brief look at the literacy demands of selected subject areas outside of ELA and think about how teachers develop students’ thinking, reasoning, and communication skills by emphasizing the specialized way that experts in that subject area approach some of the focus areas listed above.

Thinking, Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening in Social Studies​

Extensive work has been done on elucidating the skills historians and other social scientists use to do their work. Broadly speaking, historians study documents and other artifacts from the past to develop and communicate an understanding of what was occurring at a particular time in history. They are keenly aware that documents:

  • Present an incomplete picture of an actual event.
  • Represent a particular point of view.
  • Reflect the thinking and perspective of the author.

Historians want to know more than what happened in the past. They also want to understand why certain events happened. Why did people do what they did? How does what happened in the past connect to and inform the present? What does the past tell us about what might happen in the future?

Key ideas in theGrades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studiesstandards for reading include:

  • Analysis and Summary of Primary and Secondary Sources
  • Meaning of History/Social Studies Words and Phrases
  • Description and Analysis of Text Structure
  • Identification, Comparison, and Evaluation of Aspects of Text that Reveal Author’s Point of View
  • Integration of Visual Information, Quantitative and Qualitative Information, and Multiple Sources
  • Analysis of Author’s Claims
  • Comparison of Treatment of Topic in Primary and Secondary Sources

The writing standards do not differ by content area, but assume that the writing will be specific to the content of the discipline. The following is a sample of expectations from the writing standards. These examples are for students in grades 6 to 8.

  • Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
  • Develop a topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  • Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) drawing on several sources and generating related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

Many social studies teachers address the literacy standards as they teach social studies content by structuring their classes with a focus on social science inquiry and asking questions. They present students with primary source materials and guide students to ask important questions related to the documents they are reading. The Stanford History Education Group has developed a free online curriculum entitled, “Reading Like a Historian.”[3]Each lesson in the curriculum is focused on a central question and includes a set of primary source documents. Students are expected to investigate the set of documents using historical thinking skills like sourcing, contextualizing, close reading, and corroboration.

Students using the Stanford materials improved their reading comprehension, historical reasoning skills, and factual recall.[4]A major strength of the Stanford materials is that they provide a model that school districts and individual teachers are using to develop additional instructional materials. The historical thinking skills listed above certainly help students who wish to become historians, but they also provide students with reasoning skills that serve them well in a wide range of situations.

Thinking, Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening in Science​

The traditional science class has included a number of assignments that appear on the surface to replicate the kinds of reading and writing that scientists do. Students read laboratory investigations to prepare for labs. They develop lab reports to tell about experiments they conducted in class. However, many science educators have worked to eliminate the need for students to struggle with the literacy demands of science laboratory work because they wanted to focus on laboratory skills and the science content.

Well-taught science classeshave always emphasized collecting and analyzing data. Students have been taught that scientists respect data; they spend time developing powerful representations of data such as graphs and charts; and they value being able to replicate an experiment and get data that is similar to the data collected by other scientists who did the same experiment. But science classrooms have not always emphasized the literacy skills that are an integral part of the work of scientists.

In their professional work, scientists…

  • Read research reports that include abstracts, section headings, figures, tables, diagrams, drawings, photographs, reference lists, and endnotes. Often scientists do not read the entire document, but only the parts of the report that are of special interest.
  • Use technical vocabulary which often contain Latin or Greek roots. The vocabulary terms sometimes have one meaning in everyday discourse and a different and highly specialized meaning in science.
  • Use categories and taxonomies that represent abstract ways of thinking that are not typically captured in everyday thinking.
  • Analyze research reports of scientific findings through the lens of scientific reasoning. Key questions they consider include the following:
    • What are the functions of the investigation—to explore, check previous results, test the explanatory power of a theory? The functions of the investigation will influence how the reader evaluates the evidence presented.
    • What data has been collected and how has it been analyzed? Is the data appropriate to the questions and conclusions reached?
    • What are the trade-offs of the research design, weighing what we can learn from experiments with controlled conditions versus what we can learn from naturalistic or direct observations?
    • What are the logical links between data, findings, previously related research and widely accepted theory?
    • What are potential sources of bias that may influence the findings and recommendations?[5]

Key ideas in theGrades 6-12 Literacy in Science and Technical Subjectsstandards for reading include the following:

  • Analysis and Summary of Science and Technical Texts
  • Following a Multistep Procedure
  • Understanding Symbols and Key Terms
  • Analysis of Text Structure
  • Purpose of Explanations and Procedures
  • Integration of Information Presented in Diverse Formats
  • Analysis and Evaluation of Reasoning and Evidence Presented in Text
  • Comparison of Findings from Varied Sources

Although the writing standards are the same as for history/social studies, they assume that the writing will be specific to science and technical content. The following is a sample of expectations from the writing standards. These examples are for students in grades 9 to 10.

  • Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
  • Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context.
  • Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively and integrating information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Engaging students inwell-designed scientific inquiryin the classroom allows them to develop the skills and thought processes of scientists. Helping students identify areas of interest within science and then working with them to conduct in-depth research over time lets them gain detailed insight into how knowledge develops. Teaching students how to question evidence and the logic of others helps them develop a set of skills that serve them well beyond the science classroom. For example, these same reasoning skills can be used in making personal health decisions, in making financial decisions, as well as in making decisions related to civic and political issues.

Thinking, Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening in Math​

During the first year of their Carnegie-sponsored research on disciplinary literacy, the Shanahans (see footnote on page 1) worked with experts in history, mathematics, and chemistry to understand more about the specialized literacy skills of each discipline. The mathematicians in the study emphasized the importance of reading and re-reading text. They spoke to the importance of specialized vocabulary and understanding that the meaning of symbols may change depending on the context. Mathematicians also spend much of their professional time reading and interpreting graphs, charts, and tables.

A major goal of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics is to ensure that students spend time thinking about and solving worthwhile mathematics problems. The goal is to have students develop the habits of mind of the mathematician. TheStandards for Mathematical Practice[6]identify eight skills that teachers at all levels should seek to develop in students. The standards state that mathematically proficient students:

  1. Make sense of problems.
  2. Persevere in solving problems.
  3. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
  4. Construct viable arguments.
  5. Critique the reasoning of others.
  6. Use appropriate tools strategically.
  7. Attend to precision.
  8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

In the mathematics classroom, students should have opportunities to address the standards forGrades 6-12 Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, but the emphasis should be on the mathematics practices. Mathematics educators see practices 1 and 6 as reflecting overarching habits of mind of the mathematician. Many see practices 2 and 3 as practices that all contributing members of the mathematics community use on a regular basis as they communicate with others. They see practices 4 and 5 as being particularly relevant to how people use mathematics in many work settings, while practices 7 and 8 relate more closely to the work of theoretical mathematicians.

When students work with rich, real-world problems, they have the opportunity to use and develop many of the mathematics practices. The modern mathematics class requires students to collaborate and work with others to solve problems. Teachers give students opportunities to discuss different approaches to the same problem and ask them to think and talk about whether the answer makes sense in a real-world setting. Students also discuss whether or not their approach yielded a correct answer. Was the approach efficient? Can it be generalized, and will it work for all numbers? Why or why not? Through rich discussion, students develop mathematical thinking and reasoning skills as well as the ability to critique their own reasoning and the reasoning of others. Again, the reasoning and thinking skills serve students well in a wide range of settings and situations.

Picture of Karen Beerer

Karen Beerer

Explore Ideas for Literacy Instruction Across All Content Areas

The post Developing Disciplinary Literacy Across Core Subjects appeared first on Ǹ.

]]> students-reading.jpg Globe Lined Space 48h png Atom Lined Space 48h png Abacus Lined Space 48h png Picture of Karen Beerer Connecting Students with Native Stories /blog/teaching-and-learning/connecting-students-with-native-stories/ Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:33:54 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=182986 Lesson planning involves many steps—reviewing and matching standards to content, selecting strategies, writing activities—but a very important step is reflecting on the perspectives that are presented and whether they are relatable and authentic. For one Arizona teacher, Jillian Hernandez, the opportunity to help the Ǹ team curate a channel highlighting Native Arizona stories and […]

The post Connecting Students with Native Stories appeared first on Ǹ.

]]>

Lesson planning involves many steps—reviewing and matching standards to content, selecting strategies, writing activities—but a very important step is reflecting on the perspectives that are presented and whether they are relatable and authentic. For one Arizona teacher, Jillian Hernandez, the opportunity to help the Ǹ team curate a channel highlighting Native Arizona stories and voices was a meaningful experience that she knew would resonate with her students. Read on to learn more about Jillian’s work with the DE team and about how the Native Stories of the Southwest Channel is highlighting authentic perspectives that allow students to see themselves in the stories.

Jillian headshot cropped jpg

Meet Jillian Hernandez, IB Coordinator

Jillian is about to start her 18th year in public education. She currently works at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School, which is a dual-language immersion school and an International Baccalaureate school. Jillian taught fifth grade for five years at Puente de Hózhó Elementary before stepping into the role of IB coordinator and new teacher mentor. She is very passionate about creating a welcoming, safe learning environment where students learn about and through cultures and languages!

Jillian's Inspiration

I was very young when I started teaching, and I came into it thinking, “I’m going to save the world!” As I’ve continued my teaching journey, I’ve realized that is not the right mindset. While I had the right intentions, I had a lack of tools to really engage students appropriately, honor their identities, and celebrate who they are and what they bring into the classroom. I have learned and un-learned a lot over the last 18 years!

I no longer focus on how I can make the world better, but instead focus on creating a space for my students to learn what they can do to change the world. I stayed in education because it’s never the same—every year is different and offers the opportunity to learn and grow! My students have taught me far more than I have taught them, so that reciprocal learning that happens is what keeps me in!

Representation in Curriculum

When I worked with Ǹ to help create the , I collaborated with two well-respected Indigenous educators. These Native educators analyzed if different content pieces represented Indigeneity respectfully and accurately. I represented a non-Native voice and reflected on how these resources would be used by non-Native teachers to reach non-Native students. We worked in tandem along with the Ǹ team to determine if content was appropriate, if it was the best content out there, and how it could facilitate meaningful, safe, and real conversations around the topics presented.

Indigenous students need to see accurate portrayals of their history that balance and honorthe tragedy of past and present harm inflicted upon these communities—like theloss of language, identity, and forced removal from their land—with the joy, innovation, and intelligence thatcomesfrom Indigenous communities. It’s also vital for non-Native students to reflect on Indigenous peoples’ contributions and perspectives, thedamage caused by colonialism, and how to move forward together.

To collect the content for the , we searched carefully for resources, reviewed them, and determined the best grade level for them. We had deep conversations about what type of content could be open to all students and what was developmentally appropriate for different age groups. DE has done a great job at curating content that doesn’t shy away from the tough realities, but also confirms they will be shared in a developmentally appropriate way for all students to engage with it.

It was important to us that all teachers and all students could learn, engage, and find meaning in this powerful learning experience, and I believe the Channel has accomplished this! We reviewed it multiple times before we called it “finished” to ensure we collected high-caliber content. We accomplished something big, but there is still more work to be done! This kind of work extends beyond Native people of the Southwest. It extends to all Native populations, all representations, and that’s the hard work we do as conscientious educators building content.

Ǹ's Impact

The amplifies stories and offers the chance to connect with others’ stories. Academically we have a structured way of telling narratives, so this channel helps show the contrast between stories that are told in different ways. Some of these stories begin with the end or have a deep teaching purpose, which can help make multiple connections to reading and writing standards while sharing social studies content.

One of our main goals for the was to create engaging learning experiences through videos, text, interviews, maps, and interactive graphic organizers. We specifically wanted to include a variety of maps to show students how to critically think about the social, political, and economic interactions of peoples.The DE team took our input and built the channel around it, which led to thoughtfully curated interactive timelines and graphic organizers for student use.

DE has really helped us to create a community where students can ask what they’re curious about and discuss and debate freely!This type of community is powerful, lends itself toward identifying when harm has been caused, and can repair harm in ways that don’t perpetuate it. Students feel heard, and at the same time learn from each other about perspectives they may never have considered before.

“Whether it’s captions on a video, options in the Spanish language, or different ways to engage with the content, I am always confident that all students will find a space to learn when using DE. That alone keeps students engaged!” Jillian Hernandez

The Teacher Experience

My collaboration with Ǹ was very refreshing because it’s great to work with a community that’s dedicated to critical thinking. The experience truly made me feel that I could find Ǹ content on any topic and know it was thoughtfully vetted. As an educator, I can stand behind DE because I know they’re putting in the hard work!

Since we are an IB school, we build our own curriculum around conceptual-based themes. With Ǹ, building and reviewing curriculum has become so much easier because we have a trusted source for content and accessible resources. Knowing that we have this reliable source saves us so much time!

Ǹ also helped us work creatively when building units. With DE, we aren’t limited to one textbook or one source, which is very helpful since one of our standards requires students to review multiple sources of information. DE provides a way to see multiple viewpoints and the freedom to create lessons around the content my students need or that I’m looking for!

Lightbulb Moments

When I taught 5th grade, we embedded literature text, nonfiction text, and videos into a unit on multiple perspectives to help students analyze how people see things differently. There is a beautiful video on included in the Native Stories of the SouthwestChannel, where an elder in the Zuni community describes how maps are created within this community. He shares about how his family was not comfortable with bird’s eye view maps because it’s only the Creator’s job to see from that space.

We included in a station activity where the students could choose which activities to complete. As we kept track of which activity stations students chose, we noticed that 90% of the students attended the Zuni mapmaking station. I didn’t show anything to preface the stations, instead I just sent them on their own exploration. What caused the interest in the video? Students talked about it! As students engaged in the station’s activities, they talked about it with other students, which led to those students choosing to participate in that station!

The video at that station led to a creative response where students designed maps of their communities that they felt would honor their story. We had conversations about where to place the center of their maps, what their map might look like, why they made the design choices they did, and how others’ maps might differ. This activity eventually led to a Socratic Seminar about their perspectives, how maps can be limiting, how maps can tell a story, how people represent maps, and how dominant culture can overtake the types of stories maps can tell. This activity took the unit in a different direction than we expected, and we went with it!

Our Indigenous students felt this video really resonated with them and portrayed how they give directions on the reservation, which is very different from how we may give directions in Flagstaff. It was a powerful moment as a teacher to step back and watch the students gather this knowledge, synthesize it, and apply it to the way they see the world. Ultimately as a teacher, that’s what we want! For students to hear something, take it in, reflect on it, agree or disagree with it, and back it up with information!

Through this activity, students were sharing their claims and ideas, then offering evidence to support them. One of our 5th grade standards asks students to understand the author’s purpose and cite evidence the author uses to prove their point, and that skill has been evident in almost every single piece of content from DE! Many of the DE resources clearly state the purpose, then offer reasons the author would create this content. These resources help our 10- and 11-year-old students have analytical conversations, and I’ve seen students quickly make the connection between the author’s purpose and their evidence with the help of DE resources!

Advice to Other Educators

Teachers should celebrate and elevate honest stories of history, current events, and the future! I hope more teachers can use DE resources in their classrooms knowing they can open respectful dialogue among students. I know I can count on DE content to be high-quality.

Helping students strengthen their academic skills is a major part of any teacher’s purpose but helping them grow as people is just as important. Providing students with the chance to explore other cultures can help open their eyes to experiences that are different from their own. Ǹ is here to support teachers tackling this exciting classroom challenge, with resources, tips, and content highlighting many perspectives.

The post Connecting Students with Native Stories appeared first on Ǹ.

]]> Jillian-headshot-cropped.jpg native-stories-channel-tile.jpg AZ-map-UPDATED.jpg Zuni-mapmaking-tile.jpg Accessing New Content Through Active Learning /blog/teaching-and-learning/accessing-new-content-through-active-learning/ Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:33:49 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=182867 Imagine you’re putting together a puzzle. Where do you start? With the corners and edges to create a frame? Maybe by looking at the picture on the box? Now, imagine you’re putting together a puzzle without all of the pieces. Impossible! Helping students actively participate in learning and building background knowledge around new topics can […]

The post Accessing New Content Through Active Learning appeared first on Ǹ.

]]>

Imagine you’re putting together a puzzle. Where do you start? With the corners and edges to create a frame? Maybe by looking at the picture on the box? Now, imagine you’re putting together a puzzle without all of the pieces. Impossible! Helping students actively participate in learning and building background knowledge around new topics can help them put together the “puzzle” of new knowledge.

Here to share his ideas about helping students put together the knowledge “puzzle” is Aaron Grossman, 5th grade teacher from Washoe County School District in Nevada. Aaron will cover using Ǹ Experience to craft active learning experiences, tips for helping students build background knowledge, and advice for expecting the unexpected in the classroom.

Grossman Aaron Profile Pic jpg

Meet Aaron Grossman

Aaron Grossman is a 5th grade teacher in Reno, Nevada. Aaron was his district’s 2017 Teacher of the Year and a Nevada 2018 Teacher of the Year Finalist. Aaron was also a 2014 EdWeek Leader to Learn From. Aaron is a DEN STAR, and he co-created where he posts free instructional resources for novice and seasoned educators, all evidence and research based. You can also learn more about Aaron and what his students are up at !

Creating Active Learning Experiences

I always want my students to be held accountable for their learning and ensure they aren’t just clicking through content. Outside of school hours, there’s no shortage of passive experiences for our kids, so when they enter the classroom, I want to ensure they are actively learning. Ǹ resources do a great job of making learning interesting and requiring active participation throughout the entire lesson.

In Ǹ Experience, there are great videos, but the best part is that there are also questions, graphic organizers, or activities embedded into the videos that will hold students accountable for the learning. These strategies and activities are what take the content to the next level for my students—they help students gather new information from something as short as a 2-minute video or go back and review a video if they miss something. Just as much as we want students to cite evidence from a text, they also need to be able to cite evidence from other media – video is just a different text! I could go find a video on YouTube to share with my students to help them learn about the phases of weather, but the support from Ǹ is what helps me know that my students are engaged in the learning and aren’t just passive participants.

Part planning for critical thinking in the classroom is analyzing the rigor of the activity students are completing alongside a piece of content. DE helps create experiences that ask students to move past recalling knowledge and toward thinking of the implications of a concept, idea, or piece of information.

One activity that created an engaging, challenging learning experience for my students is the , which had students create a triangular paper “football” to practice launching the football and determine if an acute, right, or obtuse angle is best for launching the football. Aside from learning about careers through the great video content, students also get a memorable experience around a learning outcome that will eventually be evaluated through a state assessment. Not only do students get an exciting way to learn new content, but they’re also held accountable throughout the learning process with questions and activities along the way!

Building Background Knowledge

I feel very strongly that if we’re going to make successful readers, we have to teach reading through social studies, science, and the arts. That’s part of the reason I love using Ǹ Experience—it helps me ensure that I’m helping my students build background knowledge to be successful when they’re reading.

kids reading jpg

Applying the concept “the rich always get richer,” shows us that students who have some background knowledge are going to learn more than kids with no background knowledge. In our district, we have an adopted reading curriculum with a clear calendar of what topics to cover. I often use Ǹ to find resources that will help build background knowledge for upcoming reading topics through social studies or science lessons. For instance, if we’re going to read a non-fiction article about ecosystems, I can use DE videos or interactives to build background knowledge during a science lesson, without slowing down the actual reading lesson.

In education, we think of background knowledge as part of a student’s “schema,” which is the way each student organizes previous knowledge and finds ways to connect new knowledge. Ǹ Experience has resources on such a wide variety of topics it’s easy to find content that will help my students preview information and complex vocabulary before a reading lesson starts.

The are also helpful for building background knowledge because they bring new experiences to my classroom, allow students to interact with information they may not always see in their normal lives, and enhance social studies and science topics. For example, while some of my students may get the experience of traveling to Washington D.C., many of them will not. Virtual Field Trip helps turn an abstract idea into reality because it offers more than just images; Jill Biden takes the students on a tour of the White House!We want to ensure that students get equal access to information, and these experiences really help us do that!

As a generalist, like many elementary teachers are, it’s hard to be an expert in all fields. There’s no shame in leaning on a curated, quality resource like Ǹ to help you plan across subject areas and build background knowledge for your students! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by what’s available for such a wide array of topics. Whether it’s a video with paired questions, a virtual interactive activity, a Virtual Field Trip, or a Studio slideshow, you’ll find a wealth of resources matched to the complexity of your grade’s standards and that provide your students with additional context!

Advice to Other Educators

Ǹ helps me plan for the little timely moments that I want to create in my classroom. We’re coming up on , and I know that Ǹ is going to have something helpful for me to infuse 5-10 minutes of high-quality content to let my students know why we pause and reflect on this special day. I know the timely moments I want to share with my students, but I don’t have endless amounts of planning or instructional time to devote to crafting the perfect lesson. Luckily, Ǹ is there for me during those times!

Additionally, there are unexpected moments in teaching. Maybe music class gets cancelled, and you have an extra 30 minutes to cover—it is very likely that you’ll find something in DE that connects with your students and meets your standards that you can plug right in during those unplanned moments.

Helping students blossom as scientists, readers, and historians doesn’t have to be viewed as separate processes. Learning is messy and lesson planning can be, too! Consider how you can build background knowledge to prepare for upcoming lessons through active learning experiences in other content areas.

Find More Insightful Teaching Strategies

The post Accessing New Content Through Active Learning appeared first on Ǹ.

]]> Grossman-Aaron-Profile-Pic.jpg EA-Sports-VFT.jpg kids-reading.jpg white-house-VFT.jpg #CelebrateWithDE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day /blog/teaching-and-learning/celebratewithde-martin-luther-king-jr-day/ Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:33:45 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=182797 Celebrate the extraordinary impact of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and share the importance of civil rights with these content collections from DE! Commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with unique and engaging student activities and learning resources about Dr. King, the civil rights movement, and the impact of service to others. By exploring the […]

The post #CelebrateWithDE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day appeared first on Ǹ.

]]>

Commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with unique and engaging student activities and learning resources about Dr. King, the civil rights movement, and the impact of service to others. By exploring the following content channels, you’ll be able to find new ways of celebrating this annual holiday and promoting meaningful discussions in class.

Each of these channels feature a dynamic collection of vetted instructional materials curated by DE curriculum experts and differentiated by grade level. Choose from a wide variety of content types, including videos, Virtual Field Trips, Studio Quizzes, audio, text, and more.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Channel

All Grade Levels

Find everything you need to teach students about ., a pastor who led and inspired Black people to demand equal rights. Dr. King advocated for peaceful resistance to unfair laws, such as boycotting buses that forced Black Americans to ride separately and leading a march to Washington, D.C., to call for jobs and freedom for all. To this day, Dr. King inspires people around the world to work for freedom and equality.

Civil Rights Movement Channel

All Grade Levels

Meet the heroes of the ! These Americans—from college students to religious leaders to politicians—faced danger and even death to achieve equal rights for African Americans. African American people faced discrimination in school, public transportation, stores and restaurants, and even the military. Show students how, in the 1950s and 1960s, African Americans and movement allies came together to stand up for what was right and change US laws, regulations, and society forever.

The post #CelebrateWithDE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day appeared first on Ǹ.

]]> MLK-Day-Channel-1.jpg MLK-Day-Civil-Rights-Channel.jpg Three Tips to Keep Students Learning Over the Holidays /blog/teaching-and-learning/three-tips-to-keep-students-learning-over-the-holidays/ Sat, 06 Apr 2024 05:15:39 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=186991 Emotions and energy over holidays and extended school breaks are guaranteed to go up and down, for both grown-ups and kids. Here are three tips to help your students stay on the learning track during the holidays: 1. Offer flexible, timely content Embrace the flexibility that digital resources provide by sharing resources that students […]

The post Three Tips to Keep Students Learning Over the Holidays appeared first on Ǹ.

]]>

Emotions and energy over holidays and extended school breaks are guaranteed to go up and down, for both grown-ups and kids. Here are three tips to help your students stay on the learning track during the holidays:

1. Offer flexible, timely content

Embrace the flexibility that digital resources provide by sharing resources that students can access when they’re on-the-go visiting family or when they find downtime at home. While instructional calendars are often packed full of expectations, view breaks as an opportunity to build on learning that’s already been done, explore “fun” topics, or think creatively, not as a chance to build new skills. Consider sharing, reading and math reviews, orto allow students to explore content that practices academic skills but doesn’t add additional pressure during a time students should be recharging.

2. Communicate ideas with parents!

Share ideas with parents to help them make learning fun over the holidays. Parents may be searching for ways to keep students’ minds active, but do not know where to start. Teachers know that having resources for students to explore is only one part of learning, so consider sharing ways to help motivate students to spend time learning over the break! Here are some simple tips to share with parents:

  • Consider having your child engage with learning resources during his or her most alert and responsive time of the day. Some students learn best in the morning, while others prefer afternoons or evenings.
  • Allow learning to be casual during holiday breaks. A nice, comfy chair or spot on the couch might be just what your learner needs to boost engagement!
  • Take interest in what your child is learning! Ask questions, let them explain the topics to you, and look at the resources they’re reviewing. Holiday breaks are the perfect opportunity for family time and learning doesn’t have to get in the way of that!

3. Celebrate that students attempted learning during the break.

When planning holiday learning content, adjust expectations by focusing on perseverance or lesson completion instead of time spent on lessons. Give students the freedom to enjoy the program without making it feel like a mandatory assignment. You’ll not only set students up for success but also create a positive experience in which they are more likely to engage in a deeper and organic manner!

While the holidays bring a time to recharge and spend time with family, offering flexible content is a great way to help students stay engaged in learning during their time away from the classroom!

Find More Ideas for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning Outside of the Classroom

The post Three Tips to Keep Students Learning Over the Holidays appeared first on Ǹ.

]]>