Read.Inquire.Write.: A Scaffolded Progression to Support Diverse Learners' Social Studies Argument Writing in Middle School
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| Title: | Read.Inquire.Write.: A Scaffolded Progression to Support Diverse Learners' Social Studies Argument Writing in Middle School |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Chauncey Monte-Sano, Ryan E. Hughes |
| Source: | Social Education. 2024 88(4):234-240. |
| Availability: | National Council for the Social Studies. 8555 Sixteenth Street #500, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Tel: 800-683-0812; Tel: 301-588-1800; Fax: 301-588-2049; e-mail: membership@ncss.org; Web site: http://www.socialstudies.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 7 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education Elementary Education Grade 6 Intermediate Grades Grade 7 Grade 8 |
| Descriptors: | Multilingualism, Social Studies, Writing Instruction, Middle School Students, Grade 6, Grade 7, Middle School Teachers, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Persuasive Discourse, Difficulty Level, Writing (Composition), Primary Sources, Active Learning, Inquiry, Curriculum Implementation, Criticism, Peer Evaluation, Urdu, Asian American Students, Grade 8, Student Experience |
| ISSN: | 0037-7724 1930-3653 |
| Abstract: | Middle school social studies teachers are increasingly working on argument writing in their classrooms so that students can successfully write counterarguments that acknowledge competing perspectives about historical and social issues by the end of eighth grade. The authors' prior research indicates that eighth-grade students "can" grow significantly in writing arguments and counterarguments with the support of their teachers' implementation of six 3-day inquiries that focused on compelling questions with multiple plausible responses, primary sources that represent two opposing perspectives, explicit instruction and guided practice in reading, analysis, and argument writing supported by tools. Yet the authors also saw that students who read below grade level and multilingual learners (MLLs) did not improve at the same rate as their peers who were more proficient in reading and English language, even though students' growth was still significant. The authors partnered with teachers to develop Read.Inquire.Write. (RIW), a curriculum that offers a scaffolded approach to support MLLs and students who benefit from greater literacy support in progressing toward the goal of writing effective social studies counterarguments over the course of three years. One key form of scaffolding that RIW introduces is a breakdown of social studies argument writing into three increasingly complex types -- interpretation, critique, and counterargument -- and a focus on one argument type per grade level in order to build the skills and understandings needed for successful counterargument over time. The argument types progress from one-sided arguments where students make a case for their interpretation of sources in sixth grade, to critiques of others' arguments in seventh, to developing two-sided arguments with counterarguments that rebut others' claims in eighth. The authors' purpose in this article is to share one aspect of the scaffolding the authors created -- the break down into three types of argument writing and progression in using them to build the skills needed for counterargument writing over time -- and how the writing of student Naseem, an MLL who read below grade level, developed in response to such scaffolding. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Access URL: | https://www.socialstudies.org/social-education/88/04 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1441297 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Middle school social studies teachers are increasingly working on argument writing in their classrooms so that students can successfully write counterarguments that acknowledge competing perspectives about historical and social issues by the end of eighth grade. The authors' prior research indicates that eighth-grade students "can" grow significantly in writing arguments and counterarguments with the support of their teachers' implementation of six 3-day inquiries that focused on compelling questions with multiple plausible responses, primary sources that represent two opposing perspectives, explicit instruction and guided practice in reading, analysis, and argument writing supported by tools. Yet the authors also saw that students who read below grade level and multilingual learners (MLLs) did not improve at the same rate as their peers who were more proficient in reading and English language, even though students' growth was still significant. The authors partnered with teachers to develop Read.Inquire.Write. (RIW), a curriculum that offers a scaffolded approach to support MLLs and students who benefit from greater literacy support in progressing toward the goal of writing effective social studies counterarguments over the course of three years. One key form of scaffolding that RIW introduces is a breakdown of social studies argument writing into three increasingly complex types -- interpretation, critique, and counterargument -- and a focus on one argument type per grade level in order to build the skills and understandings needed for successful counterargument over time. The argument types progress from one-sided arguments where students make a case for their interpretation of sources in sixth grade, to critiques of others' arguments in seventh, to developing two-sided arguments with counterarguments that rebut others' claims in eighth. The authors' purpose in this article is to share one aspect of the scaffolding the authors created -- the break down into three types of argument writing and progression in using them to build the skills needed for counterargument writing over time -- and how the writing of student Naseem, an MLL who read below grade level, developed in response to such scaffolding. |
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| ISSN: | 0037-7724 1930-3653 |
