Common Core – Social Studies

With the advent of the Common Core, our children are reading more primary source documents.

In Social Studies, this means they are reading the original Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, FDR’s Pearl Harbor “Day of Infamy” speech and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The original words are powerful and profound, and do much to bring important events to life. However, they can pose a challenge to students not used to such formal language and complex construction.

Increasingly, teachers are looking for students to comprehend more complex vocabulary and concepts. In addition, students are expected to synthesize the readings into ‘big pictures’ that address the ‘so what’ ramifications of the concepts introduced by the readings. For some students, this poses no problem. But for many students, this can be a very challenging change.

At WSEA, we understand this, and work with your children to help them improve their reading. We develop individualized programs that focus on reading techniques to improve comprehension, vocabulary, and written responses.

So, if your student is finding the Common Core uncommonly difficult, give us a call. We will help your child succeed.