This I believe......

This I believe.....Just as I intentionally teach content, I need to intentionally teach students to write and provide opportunities to write in the social studies, and then assess beyond content. This means going beyond the ORQ or answering embedded questions. How do historians write? They examine evidence, respond to big questions, respond to other historians, and turn artifacts into stories. Students have opportunities to engage in these types of writing, but I rarely look at the structure of the writing. I look to see if they get the content. I am not teaching writing....I am teaching social studies! I need to change my perspective and force students to be better writers.