The most recent findings in The Nation’s Report Card from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that in 2022 “the average reading score was lower than all previous assessment years going back to 2005.” In addition, “the percentage of fourth graders performing below NAEP Basic ranged from 30 to 79 percent,” with almost half of fourth-grade students in large cities scoring below standard proficiency. Since evidence shows that nearly all children can learn to read, these scores are deeply concerning.
An increasingly successful method for improving literacy and boosting reading skills is integrating reading and writing into other subjects. Since 1997, many studies have shown that curriculum integration increases both reading skills and comprehension and learning of information from the texts. Having students write about the texts they are reading was shown to have an even more significant impact on learning. Retelling or summarizing texts proved most effective with younger students, while more extensive writing provided a bigger learning payoff for older students.
Educators who want to have a greater impact on students and improve literacy rates can gain the expertise they need from the online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction program at The University of New Orleans (UNO). The program offers multiple elective options in topics such as disciplinary literacy, and graduates can qualify for add-on endorsements.
Combining Reading and Writing With Content Areas
According to Professor Emeritus Timothy Shanahan, several studies have examined reading instruction combined with history, social studies and science. Activities like text reading, connecting text-based learning to prior learning and applying the knowledge gained to problem-solving enhanced student performance. The result was increases in content knowledge, content reading comprehension and standardized reading comprehension.
Shanahan reports that a meta-analysis of 16 studies on the impact of reading interventions combined with social studies content proved effective for students with learning disabilities across grade levels. These approaches were successful with struggling readers as well as students from a variety of demographic backgrounds.
How Social Studies and Reading Combine to Boost Performance
Social studies is not one of the core subjects tested in elementary school. This can result in less emphasis and less classroom time spent on social studies while the pressure is on to ensure students can demonstrate proficiency in math and reading. However, the Federal Early Childhood Longitudinal Study provides insight into the link between improved reading proficiency and social studies instruction.
The study concluded that social studies was the only subject with a clear, positive, and statistically significant effect on reading improvement. “On average, students who receive an additional thirty minutes of social studies instruction per day, in grades 1 – 5, outperform students with less social studies time by 15 percent of a standard deviation on the fifth-grade reading assessment, even after controlling for multiple measures.”
Why Social Studies Matters
Social studies aims “to equip students with the knowledge and ability to make decisions that serve the highest public good in the diverse society we live in,” educational resource provider Learning A-Z notes. Students learn about culture, people, places, environments, governance, civic ideas and practices, and more. One of the goals of this instruction is to help students become critical thinkers with a high level of reading comprehension. Social studies provides the opportunity to learn unfamiliar vocabulary words, gain the ability to summarize texts and uncover the deeper meaning of reading material.
Students learn about universal themes in history and how historical events have shaped the world. Social studies curricula equip students to become informed and engaged citizens. This tends to encourage future behaviors such as voting, volunteering, and contributing to community issues.
Ways to Integrate Literacy Into Social Studies Lessons
Whether students spend all day in the same classroom learning all subject areas or receive instruction from subject-specific teachers throughout the day, educators can reinforce reading and writing skills along with various subjects, like social studies. Some tips for integrating writing and reading activities into social studies include:
- Have students read and summarize biographies of notable figures from different historical periods.
- Provide research time for students to read multiple short articles about a part of the world they want to learn more about.
- Incorporate digital texts for students to read with extra features, like letting them hear vocabulary words pronounced aloud and used in a different context.
- Ask students to create lists of questions after reading new material.
These types of activities help improve reading comprehension, learning and retention. Graduates of UNO’s online M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction program are ready to impact students and help improve learning outcomes. This program helps graduates understand, analyze and evaluate current theories in and research regarding learning and teaching. The variety of electives to choose from guarantees that graduates become skilled in the area they want to focus their career.
Learn more about UNO’s online Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction program.