Welcome, Maryland Social Studies Teachers
This section of the site was developed to support your efforts in teaching Maryland students social studies. The Social Studies Toolkit contains nearly 1,000 resources to support you in the classroom. Let us know what you find useful and what changes you would like to see. You may want to bookmark this page as your mdk12.org homepage.
Maryland Common Core State Literacy for History/Social
Studies Frameworks
Frameworks: (PDF)
Disciplinary Literacy Frameworks
Reading in History/Social Studies
Writing in History/Social Studies
In June, 2010, the Maryland State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy, and Mathematics. Last year the draft frameworks for English Language Arts and mathematics were introduced. This year the draft frameworks for the Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects are being introduced. Instruction in literacy must be a responsibility shared by all educators so that all students are on track for college and career. In the Common Core document on Literacy Standards for Reading, it clearly states that "Students must be able to read complex informational texts in all disciplines with independence and confidence because the vast majority of reading in college and workforce training programs will be sophisticated nonfiction." Additionally, in the Common Core document on Literacy Standards for Writing, it states "To be college and career ready writers, students must take task, purpose, and audience into careful consideration, choosing words, information, structures, and formats deliberately." Finally, it is important to note that the literacy standards are not intended to replace the English Language Arts standards, but rather to complement them.*
The Literacy Frameworks are structured using the same format as the English Language Arts and mathematics frameworks. The Common Core State Standards are written in black and the Essential Skills and Knowledge are in red. There are references to the School Library Media (SLM) standards, the technology standards, and also cross references to the language standards, and the speaking and listening standards. In both reading and writing, there are two separate documents: one for history/social studies, and one for science, and technical subjects. This was necessary so that the essential skills and knowledge — what students need to know and be able to do — are specific to the particular disciplines.
While the Literacy Standards refer to grades 6 — 12, it is important to note that literacy is embedded in the English Language Arts Standards in grades Pre-K — 5. In every grade, literacy instruction in all content areas is critical so that a solid foundation is laid for later study.
* Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, pages 60 — 66
Toolkits
State Curriculum
Do you need help understanding and teaching the Maryland content standards? The Social Studies Toolkits were developed to help you plan instruction, find aligned assessments and differentiate your instruction to meet the needs of your students.
Toolkits include:
- LESSON SEEDS
- CLARIFICATIONS
Ask the Social Studies TeamView Bios
Marcie
Taylor-Thoma
Valerie
Johnson
Donna
Olszewski
Jonathan
Willis
Email your questions or comments to the MSDE Social Studies Team using the space below. Please provide your email address so we can respond:
MD Standards
State Curriculum
Core Learning Goals
“In social studies, the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment is needed if our students are going to experience success. The essential social studies that should be taught in every classroom throughout Maryland can be found in the State Curriculum. Teaching the curriculum in a way that helps students make sense of what they are learning helps them to view social studies as a useful subject as opposed to a set of rules to memorize. Finally, formative and summative assessments should reflect the instruction while spanning the various levels of cognitive demand in social studies.”
