California’s Common Core State Standards

Literacy in History/Social Studies

Middle School Grades 6 - 8

Introduction

The standards below begin at grade 6; standards for K–5 reading in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are integrated into the K–5 Reading standards. The CCR anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-8

Key Ideas and Details

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

Craft and Structure

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.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.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-8

Text Types and Purposes

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
  • a. 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.
    • b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
    • c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
  • d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
    • e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
    • a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
    • b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
    • c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
    • d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
  • e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
  • f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.3. (Not applicable as a separate requirement) Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. Inhistory/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to writeprecise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.

Production and Distribution of Writing

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources (primary and secondary), using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. CA Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WH.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.