Comprehension Portfolio for a High School Social Studies Classroom

Amanda Sherraden
University of Kansas
C&T 741
Dr. Bradley
December 1, 2014

Part A: School and Class Description

I am in my fifth year teaching but my third year at Shawnee Heights High School in
Tecumseh, KS. It is the only high school in the district and services students from ninth to
twelfth grade. 34 percent of students are considered economically disadvantaged, 27 percent of
students are of a minority background, and students are from both rural and urban homes. In
2012, 79 percent of students received a proficient or better score on the state assessment and 89
percent of students achieved this on the state reading assessment. Average class size is 22 in core
subjects and approximately 12 percent of students are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP)
classes. The Shawnee Heights School District sits just to the east of Topeka. Therefore, some
students live in Topeka where as others are from the rural surrounding areas.
My classes look a little different compared to the reported demographics of the school. I
teach four different social studies classes: World Regional Geography, World History I, AP
Human Geography (APHUG), and AP Government. My average class size for World Regional
Geography and World History I are 26 and the average class size for my AP classes is 18. In
both, World Regional Geography and World History I, I have a class within a class (CWC) where
there are at least ten students with individual education plans (IEPs) or 504 accommodations
with paraprofessional support. In each AP class, there are at least three identified gifted students.
The high school is also 1:1 iPads. Every teacher has a laptop and an iPad and every student has
an iPad. Most students have the ability to take their iPad home to continue their work though
some have to leave it at school due to insurance issues or parent request. Of the students who do
and do not take their tablets home, most have access to the internet outside of school. However,
due to the number of rural students we have at school, some students do not have any internet
access or have spotty service at best.

With this in mind, there are several strengths and challenges that my students and I face
regarding comprehension. For myself, I have to create lessons and activities that are accessible
and achievable to many different levels of students. My lessons have to be challenging for all of
my students but that can be a very wide variety of levels in a given class period. For example, in
a CWC World History I class, I can have a student reading at a second grade level and another
student reading on level which would be tenth grade. In an AP class, I can have students who are
three or four grades below level to as many as two or three grades above level. I have to scaffold
activities to help each of those students be successful. I also need to make sure that I challenge
the students so that they are learning but not so much that they shut down and will no longer try.
Many students have developed an avoidance of strategies when it comes to comprehension
activities, especially with difficult texts and concepts. Therefore, when using these lessons, it is
important that students see the usefulness of the strategy and the lesson is engaging.
Another obstacle I face on a daily basis is student focus. Accompanying this balance in
reading and ability level, there are iPads in every class and with every student. My district made
a choice to leave the iPads open which means that the students can download apps they want to.
Therefore, the students have access to every social media site, every game in the app store, and
every chat method. They also have access to YouTube and can stream music, television shows,
and movies. Aside from teaching teenagers who are constantly distracted by their own lives, their
friends lives, and technology, I teach a subject that is either loved or hated most of the time. It is
not always easy for students to see how history fits into their current lives or to see how events
around the world impact their daily lives. Therefore, my lessons need to be as relevant and
approachable as possible for students.

Objective 1: Summarization
The ability to take something one reads and re-state it in a shorter way using ones own
words is a hugely important skill students need to master. High school students still tend to
struggle with deciding how to pick out the most important facts in what they read. When they
annotate, many highlight and mark everything as important and when students begin reading to
learn from a textbook, they tend to read only the words and forget to read for the purpose of
understanding. When looking at historical and current events, students want to take things out of
order or tell me that everything about every event and every person is important. Therefore, I
continue to look for new ways for students to work on their summarization skills. Though
uncomfortable to many high school students, pictures are worth a thousand words, especially
when maneuver[ing] their way through the informational maze of learning from text (Hibbing
& Rankin-Erickson, 2003). Mentally creating images is natural to proficient readers and learners;
so much so that when images do not come easily [], they see it as a warning that there is a
breakdown in comprehension (Hibbing & Ranking-Erickson, 2003). I use pictures in my social
studies classrooms as a way for students to put together the story of history.
When I taught my Renaissance unit this year, I had students make a comic strip to show
their understanding of the events. Students were asked to show at least one cause of the
Renaissance, three to four changes that came with the time period, how the changes affected
peoples way of life, and to make sure that the events were in order and made sense. In essence,
students had to show the story of the Renaissance. Appendix A shows examples of some of the
better comic strips turned in by students. By creating a comic strip, students were limited to the
number of words they could use. Instead, they had to use detailed pictures to help show what

their words could not say. In this way, students were summarizing the most important aspects of
the Renaissance.
I also asked students to create a story book using pictures and the somebody, wanted,
but, so method as explained by Kyleen Beers (Beers, 2003). First, I asked students to research a
major explorer of the New World (the Americas). Then students had to summarize the person as
they pertained to exploration. Who was the person, what did they want or why did they go to the
New World, what struggles did they meet in achieving their goals, and finally, what was the end
result. When researching this strategy, I found that it had been used mostly in elementary
classrooms but I was hoping that because it was so basic, it would be almost fool proof for my
sophomores. My students did find the strategy to be quite helpful in summarizing though perhaps
a little too easy. The simplicity of the strategy however, allowed us to discuss the use of evidence
and selective details as well as the use of pictures to fully summarize and create a story book.
See Appendix B for an example.
I used the same summarizing method of somebody, wanted, but, so to help my
geography students summarize current events. We used the model to examine different points of
view for the same event (see Appendix C). For example, when we were discussing the
kidnapping of young girls by Boko Haram in Nigeria we were able to summarize the situation
for the girls, the government of Nigeria, Boko Haram, and the world. Some of these points of
view were actually open to using the method multiple times because the view had multiple
wants or goals invested in the kidnapping situation. By using the method, students had more
focus in our discussion and were able to get a clearer understanding of the situation as a whole.
These two methods of summarizing, using pictures and the somebody, wanted, but, so
method, really seemed to help my students improve their summarizing skills. Comprehensively,

students began to see that not every small detail was worth noting and that the order of events is
important for a summary. Paragraphs became more focused and better written, discussions had
more of a purpose, and students felt more confident in performing these tasks. My struggling
readers and learners began to show a clearer understanding; my on level and above average
students began to be able to push their understanding and use evidence to support their thoughts
and opinions. I had known the importance of summarizing but using these models really showed
how focusing on developing that skill can impact all aspects of learning and understanding.
Objective 2: Vocabulary learning, usage, retention
Every content area at the secondary level will spout the importance of students learning
the vocabulary words necessary for that subject. There are words necessary for music, math,
science, English, social studies, art, business, cooking, etc. Some of the words are unique to one
class while others can be shared across curriculums and other words yet have different meanings
in different courses. Students have a lot of words to learn and a short amount of time to learn
them. Therefore, for my APHUG students, I implemented the Frayer model (as cited in Grant et.
al. 2012) to make vocabulary cards. At the beginning of the unit students receive their
vocabulary words for the unit. For each word, the students need to make a note card with the
official definition, the definition in their own words, an example of the word or idea, and a
picture to help students remember the definition.
When I first implemented the model, students were putting off the note cards until the
weekend before the unit exam. This meant that students were making anywhere between 30 and
50 note cards in a short amount of time and they were very sloppily completed. Also, by waiting
so long to complete the vocabulary cards, students were not benefitting from making them.
Therefore, I began having words of the day. Each class period, I had the students make three to

five note cards of words that we would use that day in class. This way, students could help each
other make the cards, hold each other accountable for their completion, and I could re-enforce
the words and ideas for those vocabulary words that day in class using the content and/or
questions from the students. Finally, I made sure that the students weekly reading quizzes were
vocabulary based and that the students were using the words in their Free Response Questions
(FRQs)the writing questions in APHUG. Instead of allowing the students to get by with just
describing the idea of a vocabulary word, I have worked with students to make sure that they are
explicitly stating the vocabulary word and using it to better explain their understanding of the
content.
With this specific vocabulary work, I have seen students begin to use the words in class.
They are using the words correctly in class discussions and using them to further their
understanding and connection making between concepts. Further than that, I have begun to see
students use the same model of vocabulary card making in other classes. Some students are
beginning to make the cards their own using their own color code system and adding nonexamples of the words as well. Though the cards can be time consuming and though they are a
lot of work, the work is paying off in the students understanding of the concepts and their grades
are showing that.
Objective 3: Gradual Release Teaching
When teaching students new material and/or new skills, teachers need to keep in mind
that we cannot just dump the directions on our students and think that they will be successful.
Instead, we need to adopt a model where the teacher models, there is a time of direct instruction,
the students work together, and the students practice on their own (Grant et.al. 2012). This way
the students can see our expectations, we can work together to make sure they understand what

to do, and they can practice with a each other thus creating a safety net before trying the skill or
concept on their own. Though this is a teaching practice we know we should follow as teachers,
it is a difficult one because it can be so time consuming.
One way I implemented the gradual release model was through Cornell notes (Donohoo,
2010). I asked my freshmen in APHUG to take notes over their reading each week. I quickly
learned however, that this was not a practice they were used to. Therefore, I decided to require all
students to do Cornell notes over their reading. This required them to follow the outline in
Appendix D. I chose to use this outline of notes because they are easy to follow, easy to organize,
and by folding back one side or the other, they can be used to study with. To use the gradual
release model with this method of note taking, I used one class period to read a section out of the
textbook and take notes in front of the class. I modeled several different comprehension
strategies while I took notes such as: why I took notes over some concepts and not others, I
modeled my thinking and questioning while I read, and I modeled my note organization. While I
took notes on the board, students copied my notes into their own notes so that they had an
example to follow. For homework, students tried taking their own Cornell notes and then we
traded their notes in the next class to peer edit and comment on. In another class period, about a
week later, students worked together again to take notes over a portion of another chapter in the
textbook and we added summaries to the bottom. This constant practice and slow release of
responsibility has helped create a situation where students notes are now more organized and
more useful to them in their studying.
Another use of the gradual release model this semester was in teaching writing skills.
Writing allows me to see the level of understanding that my students have no matter the content
or concept. Therefore, if my students cannot logically organize a paragraph so that it makes

sense, then I cannot get a true reading of their understanding. With my World History I students,
I began the semester by using paragraph outlines so that the skeleton of the paragraph was
written and all the students had to do was fill in the blanks to make it their own. Students added
evidence, quotations, and analysis. Then, for the next paragraph, students had sentence starters
but had to put the paragraph together themselves. Both of these gave the readers some guideline,
the skeleton more than the starters, to write their paragraph but still allowed them to give their
own voice and their own analysis. I also showed students peer examples in both World History I
and APHUG so that they could both grade and peer edit each other. By seeing the writing of each
other, the students can see how well they are doing and/or can see where they can go.
Finally, I used the gradual release model with primary sourcesa social studies teachers
bread and butter. Primary sources allow a student to get as close to a moment in time as
possible, to have more of the firsthand, lived-through experience that is so crucial for deep
understanding (Morgan & Rasinski, 2012). They allow students to travel back in time and see
the events from the point of view from someone who lived them. While amazingly helpful, these
same primary sources can also be amazingly difficult for students to understand. Primary sources
are written using the language of the time which can be quite a comprehension challenge.
Therefore, when using primary documents, I make sure to use the gradual release model. We
usually look at anywhere between five and ten documents on a given day to piece together an
event. I make sure I read the first document myself, annotate it, and answer the accompanying
questions. Then we do the second document as a class and the remainder are done in a
combination of with a partner and on their own. No matter what, we always go over the
documents before going on to the next activity where we use to documents as a cohesive unit to
help learn what was happening in the past or what is currently happening in the world. As the

semester has gone one, the students need less and less guidance answering the questions that
accompany the documents but there is an almost constant need in figuring out the language of
them.
Comprehension is a huge necessity and huge difficulty for students in every content area.
For social studies, this means that they have to understand what they read in the textbook, in
news articles, in primary sources throughout time, and what they see in pictures and artwork.
This also means that students have to understand how to contextualize. Simply comprehending
what one reads is not enough in social studies classes. Rather, students have to also understand
how events fit together to cause each other and create the past, present, and future. By using the
gradual release model to teach students new skillssuch as how to summarize and to help
students memorize and begin to use vocabulary termsstudents should be well on their way to
being successful in school and in their futures.

Appendix A:

Appendix B:

Appendix C:
Somebod
y

Boko
Haram

Parents

Nigeria
Governm

World

The
kidnappe

ent
To return
the
kidnappe
d girls

Wanted

Power

Their
daughters
to go to
school

But

They
werent
getting it

Boko
Haram
disagreed
and
kidnappe
d them

They
cannot
find Boko
Haram in
the brush
and are
corrupt

So

They use
terror and
violence
to get it

They keep
trying to
get their
children
back and
continue
to mourn
those who
have not
returned

They
have not
yet
succeede
d in
rescuing
the girls

Appendix D: Cornell notes outline

References

To draw
attention
to the
situation
to help
the girls
The
movemen
t has not
lasted

The world
outside of
Negeria
has kind
of
forgotten
about
Boko
Haram

d girls
To go to
school
and get
an
education
Boko
Haram
kidnappe
d them
because
they did
not want
them to
have an
education
The girls
are now
prisoners
of the
terror
group and
cannot
escape

Beers, K. (2003). When kids can't read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Donohoo, J. (2010). Learning how to learn: Cornell notes as an example. Journal of Adolescent
& Adult Literacy 54(3), 224-227.
Grant, M., Lapp, D., Fisher, D., Johnson, K., & Frey, N. (2012). Purposeful Instruction: Mixing
up the I, We, and You. Journal of Adolescent & Adult 56(1), 45-55.
Hibbing, A.N. & Rankin-Erickson, J.L. (2003). A picture is worth a thousand words: Using
visual images to improve comprehension for middle school struggling readers. The
Reading Teacher 56(8), 758-770.
Morgan, D.N. Rasinski, T.V. (2012). The power and potential of primary sources. The Reading
Teacher 65(8), 584-594.