The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) strike a balance between the reading of literature and informational texts and promote the use of a wide range of text types: “Through reading a diverse array of classic and contemporary literature as well as challenging informational texts in a range of subjects, students are expected to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspective.” [English Language Arts Standards: Key Design Considerations] Some items in … [Read more...]
Analyzing Primary Sources: Journalistic Analysis
October 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Your assignment is to prepare to write an article to accompany the image you were given. Take time to carefully study the image details. Then brainstorm a list of questions you would need answered in order to write the article about this image. Be deliberate and creative about the point of view from which you would choose to write the article. Journalistic Analysis printout (.pdf) CCSS writing standards 8, 9, 10 … [Read more...]
Connecting to the Common Core: Grade 5 Writing Prompts & Activities
September 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Primary source images are great resources for integrating language arts with social studies into activities that meet Common Core State Standards for writing. The grade 5 writing prompts and activity ideas below build on the K-4 writing prompts and activities. Text Types and Purposes CCSS Grade 5 Writing Standards Writing Prompts / Activity Ideas 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. a. Introduce a topic or … [Read more...]
Connecting to the Common Core: Grade 4 Writing Prompts & Activities
August 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Primary source images are great resources for integrating language arts with social studies into activities that meet Common Core State Standards for writing. The Grade 4 writing prompts and activity ideas below build on the K-3 writing prompts and activities. Text Types and Purposes Grade 4 Writing Standards Writing Prompts / Activity Ideas 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. a. Introduce a topic or text … [Read more...]
Connecting to the Common Core: Grade 3 Writing Prompts & Activities
August 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Primary source images are great resources for integrating language arts with social studies into activities that meet Common Core State Standards. The Grade 3 writing prompts and activity ideas below build on the K-2 writing prompts and activities. Text Types and Purposes Grade 3 Writing Standards Writing Prompts / Activity Ideas 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state … [Read more...]
Connecting to the Common Core: Grade 2 Writing Prompts & Activities
August 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Primary source images, including maps, are great resources for integrating language arts with social studies into activities that meet Common Core State Standards. The Grade 2 writing prompts and activity ideas below build on the K-1 writing prompts and activities. Text Types and Purposes Grade 2 Writing Standards Writing Prompts / Activity Ideas 1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that … [Read more...]
Learning from the Source: Zooming into Documentary Photography
August 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Zoom into the picture above and you will see a face recognizable to many. The mother in the photo is Florence Thompson, most famously known as the migrant mother. This photograph was one in a series taken in 1936 by Resettlement Administration photographer Dorothea Lange. In this primary source activity, students will examine photographs individually and as a set. They will then analyze a variety of primary sources and texts to use as evidence in an essay that defines documentary photography, … [Read more...]
Connecting to the Common Core: Grade 1 Writing Prompts & Activities
August 21, 2013 by 2 Comments
Primary source images, including maps, are great resources for integrating language arts with social studies into activities that meet Common Core State Standards. The Grade 1 writing prompts and activity ideas below build on the kindergarten writing prompts and activities. Text Types and Purposes Grade 1 Writing Standards Writing Prompts / Activity Ideas 1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, … [Read more...]
Connecting to the Common Core: Kindergarten Writing Prompts & Activities
August 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Primary source images are great resources for integrating language arts with social studies into activities that meet Common Core State Standards. Text Types and Purposes Kindergarten Writing Standards Writing Prompts / Activity Ideas 1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My … [Read more...]
Analyzing Primary Sources: Bloom’s Taxonomy Image Writing Prompts
August 12, 2013 by 2 Comments
![Civil rights march on Wash[ington], D.C.](https://primarysourcenexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bloomswritingprompts-110x110.jpg)
Remembering List the different shapes you see. How many people do you see? How many __________ do you see? List all of the objects that start with the letter “___”. Circle all of the people with _______. List all of the __________ that you see. What makes them different or the same? Understanding Estimate how many _______ might be in this picture. What is the main idea or topic of this picture? What story does it tell? What details in the picture support your … [Read more...]
L. Frank Baum born. Check out our 
San Francisco‘s second Committee of Vigilance organized. Check out our 