I am a middle school social studies teacher who is interested in incorporating reading strategies into my lessons. The two main strategies I have been using heavily this year are the learning of vocabulary before a lesson and the teaching of historical perspective.

I have found that vocabulary supports learners. According to research, learning vocabulary has become an essential part of learning as vocabulary is often seen in lessons, books, and in the classroom (ALQAHTANI, 2015). The research also suggests that teachers find teaching vocabulary problematic because they are unsure of the best ways to teach vocabulary (ALQAHTANI, 2015). In my classroom, I like to work with my students on the assignment I have pictured below. We use this before the start of every unit. After they complete this assignment, I like to review the next day with a Kahoot or Quizlet activity to really embed the vocabulary into their minds. After this, the vocabulary continuously appears in the lessons, and I like to ask my students to remind me of the definition of those words.

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Learning historical perspective is another reading strategy I like to use. The majority of our readings require my students to analyze the text from the author’s point of view which tends to be in a historical era. I agree with research when it states that historical perspective “provides students with an opportunity to explore how factors in a person's background, context or experiences can shape the way they think” (Developing Understanding of Historical Perspectives). I teach historical perspective by emphasizing historical thinking. A historical perspective requires us to analyze cause and effect and primary sources. I call this “historical thinking.” Putting ourselves in the shoes of those in the past.

Image from Historical Thinking Concepts

In all, I have found these two reading strategies to increase the academic ability of my students.

References 

ALQAHTANI, M. O. F. A. R. E. H. (2015). The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught. International Journal of Teaching and Education, III(3), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.20472/te.2015.3.3.002

Developing an understanding of historical perspectives. Department of Education and Training Victoria. (n.d.). 

Historical thinking concepts. HISTORICAL THINKING CONCEPTS | Historical Thinking Project. (n.d.).