Students who are taught the in-depth approach learn more information, enhance their ability to relate knowledge to other situations, and enjoy their social studies classes more. More important, they perform well on standardized tests. Others concentrate on major themes or issues in building their courses and units. Quite simply, students who write more learn more. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the social studies, where the thoughtful deliberation involved in writing leads to enhanced creativity and helps students connect reading, writing, and other subject areas.
Writing is one of the best ways to utilize the in-depth approach to social studies.
Effective writing assignments require sufficient time to both explore a topic prior to writing and discuss it with classmates and teachers as part of the evaluation process. Group writing assignments have been effectively used as part of social studies. The following list of resources includes references used to prepare this Digest. American Federation of Teachers. Bahmueller, Charles F., Charles N. Quigley, et al.