2016 History-Social Science Framework

Grade 2, Chapter 5 "People Who Make a Difference"

Content:

2.5 Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past have made a difference in others’ lives (e.g., from biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pasteur, Sitting Bull, George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Golda Meir, Jackie Robinson, Sally Ride).

In Standard 2.5, students will be introduced to the many people, ordinary and extraordinary, who have contributed to their lives and made a difference. The teacher may pose questions such as What makes someone heroic? or Who are some people who have made a difference in our lives? A picture book such as Rosa by Nikki Giovanni introduces students to an ordinary person, Rosa Parks, whose actions made a tremendous difference in the lives of others. Students learn about a variety of men, women, and children whose contributions can be appreciated by young children and whose achievements have directly or indirectly touched the students’ lives or the lives of others. Included, for example, are scientists such as George Washington Carver, Marie Sklodowska Curie, Albert Einstein, Louis Pasteur, Jonas Salk, Charles Drew, and Thomas Edison; athletes such as Jackie Robinson and Wilma Rudolph; humanitarians like Clara Barton, Jane Addams, Henri Dunant, and Florence Nightingale; as well as authors, musicians, and artists. Teachers may read biographies aloud as well as utilize biographies written at a variety of reading levels, such as the Rookie Biography series, for students to read independently. As students meet these heroes from long ago and the recent past, they understand the importance of individual action and character in one’s life. As students identify and discuss the skills and knowledge that helped these people achieve their goals, they have opportunities to cite textual evidence, write informational reports, and create presentations.

Students can also make a difference. They may work together in groups to brainstorm problems that exist at their school and in their community, such as litter or bullying. Students can evaluate and vote on a solution, which (for litter) might include hosting a clean-up day, increasing goals for recycling, or working to change a rule. Students can create a plan and work in teams to carry it out. Together they can then evaluate their effectiveness. For example, is there less litter on campus? Teachers can invite community members who are making a difference on issues important in the students’ lives as guest speakers or partners in student projects to make their communities a better place to live. By meeting local “heroes,” students will have role models from their own communities who are making a difference.

Inquiry Question(s):

• What makes someone heroic?

• Who are some people who have made a difference in our lives?

• Is there less litter on campus?

Literacy:

Grade Two Classroom Example: Heroes Making a Difference (Designated ELD Connected to History–Social Science)

In social studies, Mr. Torres’s class is learning about the importance of individual action and character and how heroes from long ago and the recent past have made a difference in others’ lives (e.g., Dolores Huerta, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Yuri Kochiyama, Martin Luther King, Jr.). Mr. Torres takes care to emphasize historical figures that reflect his students’ diverse backgrounds. The class reads biographies of the heroes, views multimedia about them, and discusses the details of their lives and their contributions to society. Ultimately, they will write opinion pieces about a hero they select.

During designated ELD, Mr. Torres selects some of the general academic vocabulary used in many of the biographies to teach his ELs at the Emerging level of English language proficiency during designated ELD. These are words that he would like for students to internalize so that they can use them in their discussions, oral presentations, and writing about the civil rights heroes, and he knows he needs to spend some focused time on the words so that his ELs will feel confident using them. For example, to teach the general academic vocabulary word courageous, Mr. Torres reminds the students where they encountered the word (in the biography they read that morning), provides them with a student-friendly definition (e.g., when you’re courageous, you do or say something even though it’s scary), and models how to use the word through multiple examples (e.g., Dolores Huerta was courageous because she protested for people’s rights, even when it was difficult). He then assists the students in using the word in a structured exchange with a prompt that promotes thinking and discussion (e.g., How are you courageous at school? Be sure to provide a good example to support your opinion). He provides a strategically designed open sentence frame that contains the general academic word so that students will be sure to use it meaningfully (e.g., At school, I’m courageous when ______). He prompts the students to share their responses in pairs and then to ask one another follow-up questions that begin with the words why, when, what, who, and how.

In social studies and English language arts, Mr. Torres intentionally uses the same words he is teaching his students during designated ELD so that his EL students will hear the words used in multiple situations. He encourages the students to use the words in their speaking and writing about the heroes they learn about.

CA ELD Standards (Emerging): ELD.PI.2.1, 5, 11, 12b; ELD.PII.2.5 CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy: SL.2.6,

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