Willowbrook Social Studies Department

District 88 Social Studies
Writing and Skill development focus
Grades 9-12

“Now more than ever, students need the intellectual power to recognize societal problems; ask good questions and develop robust investigations into them; consider possible solutions and consequences; separate evidence-based claims from parochial opinions; and communicate and act upon what they learn. And most importantly, they must possess the capability and commitment to repeat that process as long as is necessary. Young people need strong tools for, and methods of, clear and disciplined thinking in order to traverse successfully the worlds of college, career, and civic life.”
- Source: C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards

With this in mind, we would like to continue to vertically align the writing process in District #88 in our core courses. The writing focus in each of our core courses is outlined below:

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Freshmen: AP/Core Human Geography

1. Introduce the purpose of claim writing.
2. Students will be able to state a CLAIM – Instead of just describing an issue or event, students will take a position on it.
3. Students will practice finding reliable evidence to support their claims. Students will learn to differentiate between primary & secondary sources of information.
4. Students will explain why they’ve taken a position, and explain how the evidence supports their claim.

Common Core ELA-Literacy.Writing Standard #1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Illinois Learning Standards for Social Studies Grades 9-12
SS.IS.5.9-12: Identify evidence that draws information from multiple sources to revise or strengthen claims.

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Sophomore: AP/Core United States History

1. Introduce the steps of an argumentative essay.
2. Master the interpretation and application of primary and secondary historical sources.
3. Create an argumentative claim supported by background knowledge and primary/secondary sources.

Common Core ELA-Literacy.Writing Standard #2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Illinois Learning Standards for Social Studies Grades 9-12
SS.IS.4.9-12: Gather and evaluate information from multiple sources while considering the origin, credibility, point of view, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources.

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Junior/Senior: AP/Core Economics and AP/Core United States Government

1. Develop more complex claim writing including compare and contrast.
2. Courses will focus on the skill of identifying bias and point-of-view writing.

Common Core ELA-Literacy.Writing Standard #8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Illinois Learning Standards for Social Studies Grades 9-12
SS.IS.6.9-12: Construct and evaluate explanations and arguments using multiple sources and relevant, verified information.