English & Social Studies Standards

SfA and Reading and Social Studies Education Standards

[See also: Math Education Standards, and Science Education Standards.]

Statistics for Action situates opportunities for practicing reading skills into a dramatic community context: One where peoples health, homes, and children. Even if your students are not directly experiencing environmental contamination, the high stakes, drama, and politics involved may be more engaging than a typical workbook exercise.

SfA activities and resources don’t focus on specific reading or social studies content; they’re not a complete lesson. Activities and articles can be used at the beginning of a unit to give context and stimulate interest, and/or at the end of a unit as a synthesis activity. Many activities combine different ideas, so some of the assessment targets below are grouped together.

 

Reading texts for central themes and evaluating reasoning and claims supported by evidence.

The Change Agent - Statistics for Action collaborated with The New England Literacy Resource Center on the spring 2011 issue of The Change Agent, an adult education magazine. The theme is Staying Safe in a Toxic World. Most articles include stories of people in communities affected by environmental contamination. The articles are short and provide learners with opportunities to read text critically, and applying some math & science concepts at the same time.

R.2
GED Reading Assessment Target R.2
Determine central ideas or themes of texts and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
R.8
GED Reading Assessment Target R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
SSP.3a
GED Science Practices Assessment Target SSP.3a
Identify the chronological structure of a historical narrative and sequence steps in a process
R.2
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.2
Determine central ideas or themes of texts and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
R.8
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

A First Look at Health StudiesIn the Heath Study Stories section, there are multiple stories of communities conducting health studies that don't turn out as planned. You don't need to do the workshop; you can just use the stories.

R.2
GED Reading Assessment Target R.2
Determine central ideas or themes of texts and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
R.8
GED Reading Assessment Target R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
SSP.3a
GED Social Studies Practices Assessment Target SSP.3a
Identify the chronological structure of a historical narrative and sequence steps in a process
R.2
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.2
Determine central ideas or themes of texts and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
R.8
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

A First Look at Challenging ClaimsOne version of this activity includes a newspaper article about a proposed trash facility (p. 10). Participants use the Strategies for Challenging Claims (p. 3-4) to read the article critically. Strategies include distinguishing between facts and speculation, looking for ambiguous terminology, identifying inadequate sampling or non-representative data, and suggesting alternate hypotheses.

R.1
GED Reading Assessment Target R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
R.4
GED Reading Assessment Target R.4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
R.8
GED Reading Assessment Target R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
R.10
GED Reading Assessment Target R.10
Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
SSP.5a, 5b
GED Social Studies Practices Assessment Target SSP.5a & 5b
5a. Identify aspects of a historical document that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g. loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts.)
5b. Identify instances of bias or propagandizing.
R.1
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
R.4
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
R.8
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
R.10
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.10
Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Inside Averages - Participants start with an average stated in words, and six different graphic (column chart) representations of data that could have that average. They match each graph with a common questionable practice (provided) used for finding an average. The activity highlights how looking at a whole data set graphically reveals much more than just a statement of an average value. Students then approach the problem in reverse – starting with an average stated in words, and then imagining different data set that could match it, using graph paper. Instructors could follow up with students by asking about the impact of including (or not including) an outlier, or predicting future data based on trends they see in the data. You can supplement with the video Averages Can Be Political – A 1-min video describing how averages used in environmental testing might not always be the best way to present what's really going on. The example used is tests of trihalomethanes in Miami drinking water.

R.1
GED Reading Assessment Target R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
R.7
GED Reading Assessment Target R.7
Analyze how two or more texts [or data presentations] address similar themes or topics.
R.8
GED Reading Assessment Target R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
SSP.11
GED Social Studies Practices Assessment Target SSP.11
Measuring the center of a statistical data set.
R.1
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
R.7
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.7
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
R.8
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

 

Reading text that uses graphs and data presentations.

R.7.1
GED Reading Assessment Target R.7.1
Draw specific comparisons […] between information presented in different formats (e.g. between information presented in text and information or data summarized in a table or timeline.
R.7.2
GED Reading Assessment Target R.7.2
Analyze how data or quantitative and/or visual information extends, clarifies, or contradicts information in text, or determine how data supports an author’s argument.
SSP.6
GED Social Studies Practices Assessment Target SSP.6
Integrating content presented in different ways.
R.7
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.7
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
R.8
English Language Arts Standards » College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
for all listed below.

The Change Agent - See R.2 above. These articles involve interpreting graphs:

Memorable GraphsParticipants are given a numerical fact in words, along with five different ways to depict it graphically. They decide which they find most compelling and why. Then they discuss principles of making a compelling graphic depiction of data.

Design a Fact SheetUse the sample fact sheet at the end of the article to discuss different ways to use data to make a point: In words,numbers, graphs, and graphics.