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Runninghead:CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

ContentLiteracyStrategiesinSocialStudies
PatriciaCardoso
UniversityofScranton
November19,2014

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

Abstract
Students with learning disabilities face many challenges in the general education
classroom,themostapparentbeingcontentliteracy.SocialStudies happentobeoneofthe
hardestsubjectstomaster,butwiththeuseofpreteachingstrategies,visuals,andtechnology
thishasthepotentialtobemodified.Inordertopreparestudentsforwhattheyareabouttolearn
within the upcoming day/days, preteaching strategies should be implemented. For visual
learners,studentswithlearningandcognitivedisabilities,EnglishLanguageLearners,atrisk
students, and for those who have a hard time organizing their thoughts or picking out the
importantdetailsvisualsshouldbeheavilyusedintheclassroom.Withourcurrenttechnological
revolution,technologyshouldbeusedtohelpeverytypeofstudentregardlessofdisability,
impairment,orlackthereof.Therearenumerousstrategiesthatcanimprovecontentliteracyin
thesocialstudiesclassroombutthispaperisfocusedprimarilyonthethreepreviouslymentioned
evidencebased strategies. They can be used simultaneously and they all help with the
understandingofcomplexhistoricalorpoliticalconcepts.Whenusedadequately,thesestrategies
canpotentiallyincreasethecontentliteracyofeverystudentinthesocialstudiesclassroom.
Keywords:contentliteracy,socialstudies,visuals,preteaching,technology

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

ContentLiteracyStrategiesinSocialStudies
OutofallthecontentareasSocialStudiestendstobethehardesttomasterbecauseofits
conceptuallydensecontent.ThisisdemonstratedwhenCruz&Thornton(2012)say,Ofallthe
contentareas,subjectmatterssuchashistory,geography,andcivicspresentthemostformidable
learning challengesOne reason for this challenge is social studies high cognitive load,
particularly its specialized jargon and low frequency vocabulary terms. Other difficulties
involvetextbooks;manyhighschoolhistorytextsareactuallyatacollegereadinglevel,andthey
alsoassumepriorbackgroundknowledgeonthesubject,whichmakescomprehensionextremely
hard,especiallyforELLandstudentswithlearningdisabilities.Englishlanguagelearnersare
usuallyonlyexposedtothecultureandhistoryoftheirortheirparents nativecountry,and
studentswithlearningdisabilitieshaveahardertimerecallingpastinformation.
Furthermore,theNationalAssessmentofEducationalProgressfoundthat54%offourth
graderswithlearningdisabilitiesand81%oftwelfthgraderswithlearningdisabilitiesperformed
atbelowbasiclevels.Toputthatinperspective,amongstudentswithlearningdisabilities,
only49%offourthgradersand70%oftwelfthgraderswereperformingbelowbasicinscience
(Berg&Wehby,2013).Whilestilltroubling,wecanseethatstudentsareperformingbetterin
sciencethaninsocialstudies.Therecouldbemanyreasonsforthisbutperhapsthebiggest
reasonisthatscienceisamorehandsonsubject;studentsgettolearnhowscienceworksby
conductingexperimentsandfiguringouthowtodoitthemselves.Insocialstudiesyouhaveto
relyheavilyonwhatatextbooksaysaboutthepast,andwithoutfieldtripstoactuallyobserve
history,inthepastithasbeennearlyimpossibletogetahandsonexperienceintheclassroom.

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

In order to address these problems, several strategies can be implemented in the


classroom.Preteachingstrategies(whichresearchsuggestsworkbestwhenusedbeforeaunitof
study(Berg&Wehby,2013)),visuals,andtechnologycanallbeusefulinincreasingcontent
literacy.Theyareallinterrelated;severalstrategiescanapplytoasingleactivity.Forexample,a
datachartgiventoorganizeinformationcanbebothapreteachingstrategy,ifgivenbeforethe
startofalesson,andavisual;similarly,amapcanalsocountasbothapreteachingstrategyand
avisual.
Analysis
(1)PreteachingStrategies
Inordertopreparestudentsfortheupcomingunit,chapter,orlessonteachersshould
implement preteaching strategies. As the name would suggest preteaching is the advanced
introductionofinformationthatpreparesstudentsforupcominginstruction;itworksbestwhen
implementedatthebeginningofaunit,chapter,orlesson.Aswiththeothercontentliteracy
strategies,itisveryflexible.Itisusefulforstudentsacrossallgradelevels,forstudentswho
haveanywherefrommildtoseveredisabilities,generaleducationstudents,EnglishLanguage
Learners(ELL)andatriskstudents.Itcanbepracticedasawholeclass,smallgroup,oroneon
oneactivity.
Therearethreemaininstructionalstrategiesthatcanaccuratelyexecutepreteaching:
vocabulary, advance organizers, and background knowledge. Vocabulary strategies entail
teachingstudentsthenewvocabularywordstheyareabouttofrequentlyencounterwithinthe
upcominglesson/lessons.Furtherinstructionwillallowstudentstobuildonthatinitialdefinition.
Students who dont understand the main vocabulary words of a unit are unlikely to build

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

sufficientunderstandingoftheconceptsofthatlesson.Oneshouldchoosevocabularywords
strategically;theyshouldbecentraltothemeaningofthelesson/unit,theyshouldbewordsthat
canbepotentialbarriersforcomprehensionofthemainideas,andtheyshouldbewordsthat
couldbeproblematicforstudentswholackbackgroundknowledgeofthesubjectbeingstudied
(Berg&Wehby,2013).Considerationshouldalsobegiventothenumberofwordschosen;
somesuggestonlyfivewordsbutstudieshavefoundsuccesswhenpreteachingmorethanten
vocabularyphrases,(Berg&Wehby,2013).Itisagoodideatokeepitanywherebetween10
15vocabularywords;additionalwordswillmakeitmorechallengingforstudentstoremember.
Advanceorganizersserveasaframeworktopreparestudentsforfuturelearning,they
allowstudentstoorganizetheirthoughtsandidentifythemainideasoftheirupcominglessons.
Justlikevocabulary,theamountanddifficultyofmaterialtobecoveredshoulddeterminethe
levelofdetailtouse.Overall,teachersareverysatisfiedwiththeresultsofadvanceorganizer
implementationintheirclassrooms;81%ofteachersinthestudyplannedtocontinueusingthem
intheirclasses(Berg&Wehby,2013).Intheirsimplestforms,advanceorganizerscansimplybe
aguidingquestionorobjective;theycanbeanykindofdirectstatementoftheacademicgoalsof
thelesson,whichcanalsobeknownasbehavioralobjectives.Whencombinedwithreviewand
connection to the previously learned content, explanation of the relevance of new content,
statementsofconductexpectations,positivestatementsencouragingstudentinvestmentinthe
upcoming lesson, or other briefing comments, advance organizers have augmented
comprehensionofsocialstudiescontentandamplifiedtestperformance(Berg&Wehby,2013).
Reviewing,activating,andbuildingbackgroundknowledgeisthelastofthesuggested
preteachingstrategiesthatBerg&Wehby(2013)propose.Similartoadvanceorganizers,they

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

provideacontextforreceivingnewinformationandananchortowhichstudentscanattachnew
information,(Berg&Wehby,2013).Reviewingandactivatingbackgroundknowledgeisvital
tolearningnewinformationbecauseitserves asareminderofkeyideas thatwill,inturn,
support with building on new concepts. Brainstorming, asking questions, and discussions
regardingaproblemorscenario(aslongasitispurposeful)allserveasactivitiesthatcanassist
studentswiththerecollectionofpriorknowledge.Intheabsenceofanybackgroundinformation,
onanysubject,teachersmustmaketheeffortofbuildingthebackgroundknowledgecriticalto
supportthelearningoftheupcominginstructionalcontent.Forexample,inahighschoolUnited
StatesHistoryclass,ifstudentsareunknowledgeableaboutWorldWarIandtheeffectsithadon
Germany,thentheywillnotbeabletocompletelycomprehendtheeventsleadinguptoWorld
WarII.Thereforeitisessentialtoreinforceoldconceptsinorderforstudentstolearnnewones.
With the implementation of preteaching strategies, such as vocabulary, advance
organizer,andbackgroundknowledge,studentswillbebetterabletocomprehendnewmaterial.
Becauseofthis,therewillbefewerstudentswhodontgraspthenewconcept.Preteaching
strategies help teachers structure and adjust their instruction techniques around student
knowledge, which in turn leads to a reduction of students who dont comprehend the new
information.Thisleadstolesstimereteachingmaterial,whichthenleadstoadditionaltime
spentactivelyengagedwithcontentmaterial.
(2)Visuals
Visuals are made up of photographs, drawing, paintings, murals, maps, political
cartoons,propagandaposters,realia,andgraphicorganizers,(Cruz&Thornton,2012).Visuals
areperhapsthemostversatileofthecontentliteracystrategiesdescribed.Theyareextremely

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

flexible,meaningtheycanbeusedthroughoutallcontentareas,allgradelevels,alltracks,and
they benefit all students, including those in the general education and special education
classroom,especiallythosewithlearningdisabilities.Theycanbeusedforpreteaching,during
lessons,duringreading,afterreading,andasareviewofalessonorunit.Todaysadolescents
arebyfarthemostvisuallystimulatedgenerationthatoureducationsystemhaseverhadto
teach,thereforeinordertoarousetheirinterestinsocialstudiesweneedtouseillustrations.
Moststudentswilllikelyfinditconsiderablyeasiertorecallinformationfromavisual
than text. This is due to the fact that the use of imagery and nonlinguistic strategies make
specifics easier to recall than just reading passages from a textbook. Visuals can expand
vocabularyandhelpstudentsbyprovidingvisualrepresentationsofthetexttheyarereading;
Theyofferconcreterepresentationsofabstractconceptsthatarememorableformoststudents,
(Cruz&Thornton,2012).Notonlydotheyreducethecognitiveloadonstudentsbuttheyalso
providenonlinguisticlanguage,whichmakesiteasierforstudentstolearnandrecallinformation
(Berh&Wehby,2013).Infact,ithasbeenproventhatchildrenasyoungassixcanusehistorical
photographs to compare past and present, put historical periods in sequence, and describe
changesintermsofcauseandeffect,(Cruz&Thornton,2012).
Manybelievethatpicturebooksandpicturedictionariesareonlyconstructiveinthe
elementaryschoolsetting,butprovidingstudentswithrealisticpicturesofeverydaylifecanhelp
themassociatewhattheylearninclasstotheiractuallives.Teachersmustmakesurethatthese
picturesareageappropriate,otherwisestudentswillnotfeelchallengedandmayfeelinsulted.
On the whole picture books can provide visual interest for students in the social studies
classroom,(Cruz&Thornton,2012).Historicalphotographsallowstudentstocompareand

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

contrastthepastandpresent,andwiththesephotostheyhaveconcretehistoricalevidenceofpast
events.Paintingsarereasonablyeffortlesstoconstrue;likehistoricalphotographs,theyallow
studentstoevaluatetheperspectiveofanevent,person,oraseriesofpaintingsshowingclearly
differenteras,(Cruz&Thornton,2012).Politicalcartoonsandpropagandapostersareagreat
wayforstudentstoexplorethepoliticalideasofacertaintimeperiodaswellasconceptslikethe
roleofcitizens,thelimitsofgovernment,andthedefinitionofcitizenship.Realiaistheshowing
ofrealobjectstoteachvocabulary,illustrateaconcept,orprovideaconcretereferentforan
abstractconstruct,(Cruz&Thornton,2012).Thiscanbedifficult,especiallysincethereare
limitedamountsofhistoricalartifactsavailableforteacherstobuy,neverthelessjustbyshowing
studentspicturesofartifactstheycanbeabletoinferaboutitsimportanceandrelationtothe
topic.
Graphicorganizersarethebroadesttopicofvisuals;therearehundredsandtheyallhave
different purposes. Graphic organizers allow a way for students to organize what they are
readingorlearning,andtheyhelpstudentslearntheessentialfactswhileomittingextraneous
details. Generally, they can beorganized into four main types: hierarchic, cause and effect,
compareandcontrast,andcyclicorlinearsequences.AccordingtoCruz&Thornton,GOs
[Graphicorganizers]helpmakeobscurecontentmoremeaningfulandaccessiblebymaking
relationships betweenfacts andconcepts moreexplicit,(2012).Once modeled byteachers,
studentsshouldbeabletousegraphicorganizersontheirown,notonlyinsocialstudiesbut
acrossallsubjects.Visualsingeneralareespeciallyusefulforvisuallearnersandstudentswith
learningdisabilitiesbecausepicturesareeasiertorememberthanlongparagraphs.Visualshave
theabilitytomakelearningmoremeaningfulandlasting,increasemotivationandselfefficacy,

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

andthereforeallstudents,whetherornottheyhaveadisability,aremoresuccessfulinthe
generalclassroom.Socialstudiesareconceptuallyrichsubjectmattersandvisualsaidstudents
withtheunderstandingofthesetopics.
(3)Technology
Wearecurrentlyinthemiddleofthemostvisuallystimulatedgenerationtodate.Today,
93%ofteenagersusetheInterneteveryday,whetheritsthroughtheircomputers,phones,or
tablets.Asmentionedearlier,theNationalAssessmentofEducationalProgressfoundthat54%
offourthgraderswithlearningdisabilitiesand81%oftwelfthgraderswithlearningdisabilities
performedatbelowbasiclevelsasopposedtoonly49%offourthand70%oftwelfthgraders
inscience(Berg&Wehby,2013).Itwasalsotheorizedthatthiscouldbeduetothefactthat
science is a more hands on subject that allows students to form a direct connection to the
material.Whenimplementedcorrectly,technologyhastheabilitytocompletelyturnthisstatistic
around.Becauseoftechnology,socialstudiesclassroomscannowbetaught,usinghandson,
interactive, problembased learning, (Halcomb & Beal, 2010). With the implementation of
technologyinthesocialstudiesclassroom,nolongeristhereaneedforfieldtripstogethands
onexperience;therearenowvirtualtoursthatcantakestudentsallovertheworldwithoutthe
needtotravel.StudentscannowexploretheParthenon,ortheGreatPyramidswithoutever
leavingtheirseat;theycanevenexplorewhatitwaslikehundredsofyearsagothroughtheuse
ofvirtualtoursimulations.TheycanresearcholdauthenticdocumentsfromtheSalemWitch
Trials,theycanlookathowmapswereconstructedthousandsofyearsagoandseehowthey
have changed. Technology has condensed our world in a way that things that were not
fathomabletenyearsagocannowbeeffortlesslyattained;thepossibilitiesareendless.

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

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Thereareaninfiniteamountofresourcesavailabletosocialstudiesteacherstoaidwith
the implementation of technology in the classroom. Holcomb & Beal (2010) suggest some
websites that could be useful in the social studies classroom: VoiceThread, Gliffy,
CommunityWalk, and Footnote. VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/#home), is a website
wherecollaborative,multimediasoftwarethatallowstheinteractivesharingofimages,video,
anddocuments,(Holcomb&Beal,2010).Initstudentscanaddpicturesfollowedbyspeech
aboutthosespecificpicturesandtheirteacherandclassmatescanaddontoit.Forexample,on
thewebsiteaneducatorpostedaprofessionalvs.amateurpoliticalphotographs voicethread,
wherestudentsweretocompareandcontrastimagesofthe2008presidentialcandidatesand
fromthatdeterminewhetherornotthephotographsshowntousbythemediaarebiasedinany
way.Studentsthenaddedtheirownpicturesandcommentsthathighlightedthedifferences.This
provided an interactive learning opportunity that students enjoyed, many students added
humorousdrawingsandcommentsonthephotographs.Italsoprovidedanopportunityforthe
studentstovoicetheiropinionsfreelywhilealsoviewingandconsideringdifferentpointsof
view.Thiswebsiteallowseducatorstoconnecttotheirstudentsinamediumthatstudentsare
usingregularly(Holcomb&Beal,2010).
Gliffy (http://www.gliffy.com), is a website that enables users to create flowcharts,
diagrams,andtechnicaldrawings,(Holcomb&Beal,2010).Itallowsstudentstocreatetheir
owngraphicorganizers,thishelpsthemorganizetheirthoughtsandformconnectionsbetween
ideasandconcepts.InorderforGliffytobeaneffectivetool,teachersmustfirstmodelhowto
useitandexplainhowgraphicorganizerscanhelpthemunderstandandbreakdowncomplex
ideas.CommunityWalk(http://www.communitywalk.com)isanonlineplatformforcreating

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informational,interactive,andengagingmaps,(Holcomb&Beal,2010).Studentscanusethis
websitetopersonalizeseveralmapsandadaptittoaspecificevent.Theymayusepictures,
sounds,andevenwritenotestopersonalizeeachmap.Forexample,inaunitaboutMartin
LutherKing,theycaninsertpicturesfromthemarchonWashingtonandaddsoundclipsfrom
hisIhaveaDreamspeech.TheycanexplorethereasonswhytheBayofPigsinvasionwas
unsuccessfulbyexploringCubaandaddingpicturesfromtheeventandsoundclipsofJFK.
Footnote (http://www.footnote.com) is a website where students can search original
source documents from the worlds archives; it combines historical documents with social
networkingtoprovideuniquelearningexperiences,(Holcomb&Beal,2010).Students can
researchavarietyoforiginalprimarydocumentsfromalltimeperiods.Forexample,students
maysearchfornewspaperarticlesfromWorldWarII,orevenasfarbackastheRevolutionary
WarortheSalemWitchTrials,theycansearchforcensusbureaudataandmayevenbeableto
findtheimmigrationorwarrecordsoftheirancestors.Thistoolgivesstudentstheabilityto
applyhistoricalconceptstotheireverydaylifeandtopersonalizehistory;theyarenowableto
get a unique perspective on these historical events and they can notice the struggles that
everydaypeople,likethemselves,enduredduringthosetimes.
Technologyhasbroadenedourabilitytoteach,nolongerarestudentslimitedtotheir
textbooksandworksheetsforlearning,withtechnologytheyarenowabletogetaninsidelook
into various historical events and they can now develop a greater understanding of another
culture(Carano&Berson,2007).Technologyisintuitiveanddoesnotrequireagreatinvestment
of time to learn; it is able to capitalize on student interest, curiosity, and can spark their
creativity.Ithasthepowertoempowerandmotivatelearnersanditcreatesanimmediatesense

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

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ofaccomplishmentandgratification,allwhileprovidingstudentswiththemeansandabilityto
exploreandengageintheirownlearning(Holcomb&Beal,2010).
SynthesisofTheory&Practice:

Table1
P
Brainstorming
13ColoniesDataChart
13ColoniesMap
VennDiagram:Pilgrimsv.Puritans

WitchyWebquest
MockTrialMaterials

PPreTeaching,VVisuals,TTechnology

ThirteenColoniesLessonPlan
Table 1 shows an overview of the
materials used in the Thirteen Colonies

lessonplan(Appendix)andwhatstrategy
they entail. The lesson was started by

brainstorming;questionslikeWhatdoyouknowaboutPilgrims?andWhatdoyouknow
about Puritans? were asked to assess and activate their background knowledge. This pre
teachingstrategywillhelpthestudentsknowwhattheupcomingunitwillbeon.A13colonies
datachartisthenhandedout,whichtheywillfilloutastheunitprogresses,thispreteaching
strategyandvisualwillaidwithpickingouttheimportantinformationfromeachchapterand
leavingouttheextraneousdetails.Thisisthenfollowedbyhandingstudentsamapofthe13
colonies,wheretheywilllabeleachstateandcoloreachregion(NewEngland,MidAtlantic,
andSouthern).Thisvisualcreatesamentalpictureofthelocationofeachstateandwhatregion
itbelongsto,asapreteachingstrategy,itletsstudentsknowthatthechapterswillbedividedby
regionsandthesectionineachchapterwillbedividedbycolony.
The lesson is then started by breaking students up into pairs, handing them a Venn
diagram and having them find and figure out the differences and similarities between the
pilgrimsandthepuritans.Thisactivityhelpsthemfindinformationontheirownandprovidesa
visual,whichwillbeeasiertorememberthanthetexttheyread.Thelessonthenalternates

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

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betweenreadingoutloudanddiscussion.Thisisnecessarysothatstudentsdontsitforalong
periodoftime;ithelpsthemstayalert.Towardstheendtheyareintroducedtothenextlessonon
theSalemWitchTrials,asummaryonthetrialsandreviewquestionsonchapter5&summary
areassignedforhomework.
Thenextlessonstartsbyreviewingandcheckingtheirhomework.Awebquestishanded
out,theywillanswerthesequestions,inpairs,afterwatchingashortvideoontheSalemWitch
TrialsandgoingontheInternet.Thisisthenfollowedbyadiscussionandstudentsareassigned
rolesinamocktrial.Followingthemocktrial,studentsaretofillthelastworksheetwherethey
willexpresswhetherornottheyagreewiththeverdict(noneofthemshouldagree),whythey
thoughtso,andthentheywillcompareandcontrastthemocktrialwiththeSalemWitchTrials
inaVennDiagram.Thewholelessonforthemocktrialinvolvesbothvisualsandtechnology.
StudentsusetheVenndiagramtocompareandcontrastthedifferencesandsimilaritiesbetween
the mocktrial andthe SalemWitch Trials. Thewebquestallows students todotheirown
researchandfindouttheanswersontheirownratherthanhavingtheeducatorlectureittothem.
Withthislessonplan,itisvisiblethatallofthestrategiescanbeusedsimultaneously.
Conclusion
Throughtheuseofpreteaching,visuals,andtechnologycontentarealiteracyinsocial
studies has potential to facilitate learning. When used appropriately these strategies can be
especiallyhelpfulforstudentswithlearningdisabilitiesbecausetheyprovidealternatewaysof
learningandaddresstheirspecificpedagogicalneeds.Preteachingcreatesawayforstudentsto
beawareoftheirupcominginstructionandhelpsspendmoretimeactivelyengagedwiththe
contentmaterialbygettingridoftheneedtoreteachmaterial.Visualshelpthemorganizeideas,

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

14

pickouttheimportantconcepts,leaveouttheirrelevantinformation,andmakeconnections.
Technologypermitsstudentstogethandsonexperiencewithinthesocialstudiesclassroom,to
findoutinformationontheirownratherthanthroughalecture,andtomotivateandempower
studentsallthroughameanstheyuseregularly.Thestrategiesarebynomeansperfect,however,
when used collectively they have the power to facilitate student understanding of the
multifacetedsubjectmatterthatisSocialStudies.

CONTENTLITERACYSTRATEGIESINSOCIALSTUDIES

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References
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Bruhn,A.,&Hasselbring,T.(2013).IncreasingStudentAccesstoContentAreaTextbooks.
Intervention in School and Clinic,49(1), 3038. Retrieved November 5, 2014, from
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Carano,K.,&Berson,M.(2007).BreakingStereotypes:ConstructingGeographicLiteracyAnd
CulturalAwarenessThroughTechnology.TheSocialStudies,98(2),6569.Retrieved
November14,2014,fromAcademicSearchElite.
Cruz,B.,&Thornton,S.(2012).VisualizingSocialStudiesLiteracy:TeachingContentand
SkillstoEnglishLanguageLearners.SocialStudiesResearchandPractice,7(2),98111.
RetrievedNovember6,2014,fromEducationSearch.
Holcomb,L.,&Beal,C.(2010).CapitalizingonWeb2.0intheSocialStudiesContext.Tech
Trends,54(4),2832.RetrievedNovember5,2014,fromAcademicSearchElite.

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