Read Like a Historian is an instructional strategy that emerged from Anderson High School\u2019s implementation of the RAISE (Reading Apprenticeship) efforts to improve academic literacy in secondary content areas. Students are taught reading strategies specifically necessary to understanding primary documents and other forms of texts found in the Social Studies classroom. Teacher modeling is an essential component of the Read Like a Historian instructional strategy.<\/p>\n
An all too real challenge facing many high school teachers revolves around their students\u2019 reading levels. Too many students are reading way below grade level by the time they enter our middle and high schools. Without fundamental reading skills, accessing and comprehending the various types of texts found in disciplines such as Social Studies becomes insurmountable for many of our students. The Reading Apprenticeship model provides a wide variety of strategies to help develop academic literacy in students. The Read Like a Historian initiative translates those generic strategies into the context of the types of texts students encounter in Social Studies classrooms.<\/p>\n
Students are more engaged with the documents they encounter in the Social Studies classroom and comprehend more from historical texts resulting in an increase in academic achievement and in student confidence.<\/p>\n