Standard: 6-8.RH.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.
Grade level: Grade 6-8
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: History/Social Studies
Teacher Overview
This standard emphasizes the importance of reading and comprehending history/social studies texts at an appropriate complexity level by the end of grade 8. It is crucial for students to develop these skills to understand historical events, perspectives, and contexts, which are foundational for their academic growth in history and social studies. Students should have basic reading comprehension skills and an understanding of how to identify main ideas and supporting details in a text. They should also be familiar with key historical events and terminology relevant to their grade level.
After mastering this standard, students will be able to critically evaluate historical texts, draw connections between historical events and contemporary issues, and engage in more advanced historical research and analysis.
Common Misconception 1
A common misconception is that all historical texts are unbiased and purely factual. This is incorrect because historical texts often reflect the author’s perspective and purpose, which can introduce bias.
Intervention 1
An effective intervention is to teach students how to identify bias and perspective in historical texts. This can be done through activities that analyze the language, tone, and context in which the text was written.
Common Misconception 2
Another misconception is that reading comprehension skills are the same across all subjects. However, historical texts require specific strategies such as recognizing cause and effect, comparing different perspectives, and understanding the historical context.
Intervention 2
To address this misconception, provide students with targeted reading strategies for historical texts. Activities that focus on identifying cause and effect, comparing accounts of the same event, and placing texts within their historical context can be beneficial.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should have basic reading comprehension skills, including the ability to identify main ideas and supporting details, as well as some familiarity with historical events and terminology relevant to the grade level.
Subsequent Knowledge
After mastering this standard, students will be able to critically evaluate historical texts, draw connections between historical events and contemporary issues, and engage in more advanced historical research and analysis.
Instructional Activities
- Analyzing primary source documents
- Comparing different historical accounts
- Debating historical perspectives
- Creating timelines of historical events
- Writing summaries of historical texts
