The On-Your-Feet Guide to Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies

All On-Your-Feet Guide orders receive FREE SHIPPING! Use code SHIPOYFG at check out.

Each of the social science disciplines requires literacy skills that can look completely different from those in other content areas. A disciplinary literacy approach, then, expands content learning by helping students read, write, think, and communicate as experts in history, sociology, or global studies, offering a more relevant way to understand complex concepts and challenging texts.

This On-Your-Feet Guide will help teachers

• Plan instruction that engages students’ natural inquiry and curiosity; 

• Apprentice students toward deeper understanding of social science concepts, terms, understandings, and text;

• Help students use their learning to create, communicate, and participate as social scientists;

• Teach skills required by social studies standards and frameworks; and

• Work with colleagues to design instructional units that incorporate both content and literacy skills.

Students can then use these tools to compare, create, connect, and construct as they do the work of experts instead of only reading about how it’s done.

On-Your-Feet Guides (OYFGs) provide you with the ultimate “cheat sheet” to implement effective change in your classroom while in the moment of teaching. Designed for accessibility, and providing step-by-step guidance, the OYFGs are written by experts who take research-based practices and make them doable for the busy teacher. 

Each On-Your-Feet Guide is laminated, 8.5”x11” tri-fold (6 pages), and 3-hole punched.

Use the On-Your-Feet Guides
• When you know the “what” but need help with the “how”
• As a quick reference to support a practice you learned in a PD workshop or book
• To learn how to implement foundational practices
• When you want to help your students learn a specific strategy, routine, or approach, but aren’t sure how to do it yourself