Building Literacy in the Social Studies

Empower Students to Think, Write, and Learn Like Historians

Writing is more than a skill—it’s a tool for deepening historical understanding. In the social studies classroom, integrating purposeful writing helps students process content, engage in historical thinking, and construct evidence-based interpretations. However, finding time and designing impactful writing opportunities can be challenging. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how writing supports comprehension of the Social Studies TEKS and promotes disciplinary literacy.

Together, we will:

• Incorporate Low-Stakes Writing: Use quick, informal writing tasks to activate thinking, promote inquiry, and make student thinking visible.
• Design Meaningful Extended Writing: Create structured writing tasks that engage students in sourcing, contextualization, and argumentation—the core practices of historians.
• Plan with Purpose: Align writing activities with instructional goals, ensuring they support content mastery and historical reasoning.
• Foster Relevance and Connection: Use writing as a bridge for students to connect personally and cognitively with complex historical content.
• Leave with practical strategies that elevate student voice, deepen content understanding, and make writing an integral part of your social studies instruction.