Interdisciplinary Strategies - Center for Civic Education

274 Pages·2002·7.29 MB·English

by  Myron E. Yoder

Foundations of Democracy

Authority (cid:177) Responsibility (cid:177) Justice (cid:177) Privacy

School Violence Prevention
Demonstration Program

Interdisciplinary Strategies

Social Studies

Literature Reading

Writing Math

Developed by:

Myron E. Yoder, M.Ed. Melissa W. Bell
Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator Allentown School District
Allentown School District Louis E. Dieruff High School
Retired English Teacher,
Adjunct Professor of Education, DeSales University English Department Chairperson,
1995 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Finalist Consultant for Senior High School Graduation Projects
PA Congressional District 15 Co-coordinator PA Congressional District 15 Co-coordinator
“A teacher who can arouse a feeling for one
single good action…accomplishes more than he
who fills our memory with rows on rows of
natural objects, classified with name and form.”

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet and dramatist

Center for Civic Education and the Allentown School District
School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program
2002 - 2003
Preface

Melissa tells all teachers that teaching citizenship is not reserved to the social
studies teachers; it is to be taught in all classrooms, hallways, communities and homes.
We all have a responsibility to teach Civics.

Myron reminds our social studies teachers that “good” social studies requires good
reading, writing and math skills. Melissa further reminds them that literature is based
on the context of the time in which it was written with plots and issues that revolve
around many of the civic themes that we teach.

The work enclosed in this document is the result of many years of working
together with our classes and with the We the People program. We discovered through
our students the need to create interdisciplinary materials. They showed us the
connections that needed to be made. More recently, events in Pennsylvania have
intensified this need and the connections that needed to be made for our fifth grade
teachers in the Allentown School District, Pennsylvania.

This work should not be considered complete and is on going, thus the reason for
some underdeveloped areas at this time. As time and resources allow us, we plan to
continue this work using the Center for Civic Education materials as a basis in the
development of interdisciplinary strategies.

Myron E. Yoder
Melissa W. Bell
Allentown Pennsylvania

PLEASE NOTE:

“PSSA” when used in this document stands for the “Pennsylvania System of
School Assessment.”

This assessment in Reading, Writing and Math is administered to students
at certain grade levels in the state and the scores are used to assess
schools. Low performing school districts could be taken over by the state
and turned over to For-Profit Corporations.
Center for Civic Education and the Allentown School District
School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program
2002 - 2003
Literature and Writing
Connections
We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution

LITERATURE LINKS TO CIVIC STANDARDS

Melissa Bell
Allentown School District

PA 5.2 Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

PA Standard Grade Literature Link(s)

B. Identify personal rights and FREDERICK; What role does diversity play
3
responsibilities. in society?
Does everyone have to contribute in the
C. Identify sources of conflict and same way?
disagreement and different ways
conflicts can be resolved.

B. Identify personal rights and WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE’S

responsibilities. EARS; A “little lie” becomes a rumor that
3 leads to panic and accidental death.
F. Explain the benefits of following Addresses issues of individual rights and
rules and laws and the responsibilities with regard to following
consequences of violating them. rules.

B. Explain the relationship between CHARLOTTE’S WEBB; Examines the
6
rights and responsibilities. responsibilities of members of a community
toward each other and differing ways
E. Identify examples of the rights and people participate to reach a common goal.
responsibilities of citizenship.

A. Explain positions on issues related THE OUTSIDERS; Addresses issues of

to rights and responsibilities of personal responsibilities to the individual
citizenship. 6 and to society. What are the
consequences of violating laws of society?
F. Describe the impact of the
consequences of violating rules
and laws.

A. Describe the essential rights and ANIMAL FARM; Examines the necessity for

responsibilities of citizens in society to become civilized through
systems of government. 9 government by laws. How does an
individual or group meet needs/desires
E. Explain the importance of political without destroying others or society?
process to competent and
responsible participation in civic
life.
PA 5.2 Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

PA Standard Grade Literature Link(s)

C. Delineate skills used to resolve LORD OF THE FLIES; What constitutes

conflicts in society and moral and ethical behavior? How does
government. 9 one define “right” and “wrong”---“good” and
“evil”?
G. Explain the difference between
political and social participation in
government.

B. Analyze the rights, responsibilities ANTIGONE; Addresses the issues of civil

and participatory role of citizens at disobedience and the empowerment of
local, state and national levels of citizens.
government. 12

F. Analyze the role of law for the
protection of individual rights and
for the common good.

B. Analyze the rights, responsibilities BRAVE NEW WORLD; How is an

and participatory role of citizens at individual’s involvement in society
local, state and national levels of diminished by an all-powerful national
government. government? Examines American
preoccupation with equality—perhaps at

E. Explain how participating in civic the expense of individual liberty.
and political life leads to the 12
attainment of individual and public
goals.

G. Explain the responsibility and
process to register to vote and
evaluate the importance of
knowledge to competent and
responsible participation in civic
life.

E. Explain how participating in civic THE FIXER; How does one define

and political life leads to the citizenship in a totalitarian society? Is it
attainment of individual and public 12 possible for an individual to “participate” in
goals. a “non-participatory” form of government?

F. Analyze the role of law for the
protection of individual rights and
for the common good.
PSSA Style Reading Tasks and Prompts
WRITING A PERFORMANCE TASK

Performance Task Parts

1. Passage Selection
2. Purpose Statement
3. Performance Task
4. Reminder Statement

Helpful Hints for Student Preparation
1. Passage needs to be grade appropriate.
2. Purpose Statement

A. It should generate interest and "Hook" the student's desire to read it.
B. Information is given to the student of what his/her responsibilities will be after
completing the reading of the text.
3. Performance Task

A. Must be passage dependent.
B. Connects to the Purpose Statement.
C. Needs to be written before the Purpose Statement.
D. Must be able to achieve the criteria of the 4 on the rubric.
4. Reminder Statement
A. Written in active voice.
B. Written in the form of a statement and not as a question.
C. Has five bullets or reminders as of this date.
D. Bullets: the first two reminders address the rubric and relate to that specific task and
the last three are standard statements.

Resource: Mary Keepers, Reading Assessment Facilitator for the Division of Evaluation
and Reports~ PA Department of Education. -
PSSA Style Reading Tasks and Prompts
Multiple Choice Sample Items

(All items must be TEXT-BASED; students must be able to find the answers Right
There (one place in the text) or Think and Search (two or more places in the text)
or Author and You (text and student prior knowledge also know as Inference
questions).
1. In the passage, the word means :
2. After reading this text, you learn how to .
3. The author wrote mainly to .(entertain, inform, amuse, persuade,
narrate )
4. After reading the text, the reader can conclude that .
5. Which of the following statements is an opinion or a fact .

6. Which of these is most likely to happen in the future .

7. A source for finding more information on is .

8. The article, " " is an example of .(informational text, biographical text,
persuasive text, narrative text).

9. An important idea the author wanted the reader to remember is .

10. The main idea is .
REMINDER: Selected Responses or Multiple Choice Items, Purpose
Statements, Performance Tasks, and Reminder Statements are not
written as questions! Always use active voice!

Resource: Mary Keepers, Reading Assessment Facilitator for the Division of Evaluation
and Reports~ PA Department of Education. -
Melissa Bell
Pennsylvania Congressional District 15 Co-Coordinator

[Enter Title Here]
[Enter Author Here]
WRITING PROMPT: PSSA STYLE
PLANNING :
(cid:190) Think about what you want to write.
(cid:190) Reread the prompt to make sure you are writing about the topic.
(cid:190) Make notes. Use your prewriting skills, such as mapping or outlining.
(cid:190) Carefully read the five statements below the prompt. Each statement refers to one of the
scorable domains: focus, content, organization, style and conventions.

PROMPT:
[Enter Prompt Here, the prompt should be phrased in the form of a statement and should direct
the writer to write a Narrative, Informational or Persuasive passage.]

As you write your paper, remember to:
√ [This statement should stress the focus of the prompt that the scoring will look for]

√ Include specific facts, details and examples which support the reasons you select.
[You may modify this statement to specifically address the mode of writing (Narrative,
Informational or Persuasive)]

√ Present your ideas in a clear and logical order, including an introduction, body and
conclusion.

√ Use a variety of words and well-constructed sentences.

√ Correct any errors in grammar, mechanics and spelling.
PSSA Writing Prompt Guide.doc
Primary Level