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There are many skills you learn in Social Studies that will help you in other subjects as well as in everyday life. Let's explore some of those now.
How we Answer Social Studies Questions:
Historians support their claims about the past using EVIDENCE. As students of history, we must do the same thing. When answering open-ended questions in class, you must write at least 3-5 sentences. the sentences should contain the following:
CLAIM + EVIDENCE + REASONING
Sentence 1 - Your claim
Sentence 2 - Your Evidence
Sentences 3-5 - Your reasoning (how the evidence supports the claim)
This method can help you answer questions in science and language arts as well. Check out this video and the video to the right to see how this is done.
Give me MORE. Turning your CER into to a Paragraph.
Once you have your CER responses down pat, you can start to make paragraphs. The way you make a paragraph is to
Provide more evidence and reasoning sentences (corroborate)
Add outside information and connections (connections to today's world, another time period in history, etc.)
In history, corroboration means to find many pieces of evidence to support your claims. The more evidence, the stronger your claim. Additionally, adding in connections to
An A+ CER
When I grade your work, I am looking at the following components:
A claim that can be supported with evidence
Accurate/ compelling evidence (the strongest evidence was selected)
Reference/ citation (where you found the evidence)
Clear reasoning of how the evidence supports the claim
Details are given about the time period, people involved, etc. (so me you clearly know the topic)
A connection to modern times or another time period
When possible, an analysis of the sources and their validity, or showing a counter argument (explaining source perspective, possible bias in the source, or disproving counter arguments)
Language Arts Common Core Standards
RI 6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
RI 6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or sections fit into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
Sample Response 1:
Although Hammurabi's law was effective, it was unfair. I know this because law 195 says, "If a man has struck his father, his hands one shall cut off." This quote means that a son shall be harmed for causing harm to his father, but not the other way around.
Sample Response 2:
I say that Hammurabi's code were fair but at the same time the punishment was heavy depending on the crime. One rule says "If he caused a poor man to lose his eye or shattered a poor man's limb, he shall pay one mina of silver." This treats the rich and the poor more balanced so the rich does not have control over the weak. But some of the other punishments are death if one has either killed one man for building a house that collapsed.
Hammurabi's laws weren't fair because if they caused an accident, for example if you accidentally poked someone's eye you would get your eye poked. The law 196 states " If a man has caused the loss of a gentleman's eye, his eye one shall cause to be lost." This means even if someone blames you or even if it was a mistake no matter what your eye will be poked out. Hammurabi's laws treat people on different levels on the social pyramid because if you were higher up than the slaves you would just have to pay and nothing will be done to you but if you weren't a higher up and you were a slave whatever you did to anybody will be done to you. Law 198 states " If he caused a poor man to lose his eye or shattered a poor man's lim, he shall pay one mina of silver." this means that the person who got hurt would suffer in pain but the one who did the damage would just pay and walk off.
Hammurabi's law was not fair because the rich had it better than the poor. Law 198 is very unfair it says "if a rich man has caused a poor man to lose his eye or shatter man's limb he shall pay one mina of sliver." This was unfair as if the rich harmed the weak they would have to pay for a permanent injury. However, if you are poor and strike someone rich like in law 195 "If a man has struck his father, his hands one shall cut off." This means that if the poor striked the rich instead of paying for the permanent injury they would have to lose a hand instead of paying a mina of sliver.
Social Studies Common Core Standards
RH 6-8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/ social studies.
RH 6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g) sequentially, comparatively, causally).
Language Arts Common Core Standards
RI 6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
RI 6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or sections fit into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
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