because of their shared emphasis on text, argumentation, and use of evidence. Beginning
teachers should help students engage with questions and topics of disciplinary significance
rather than learn to memorize discrete pieces of information that do not appear to connect to
broader issues. Beginning teachers also use timelines and maps to reinforce students' sense of
temporal and spatial scale. They teach students how social science concepts and themes
provide insights into historical periods and cultures. They help students understand events and
periods from multiple perspectives by using primary sources, simulations, case studies, cultural
artifacts, works of art and literature, cooperative projects, and student research activities.
Beginning teachers teach students to independently read, comprehend, and evaluate
instructional materials that include increasingly complex subject- relevant texts and
graphic/media representations presented in diverse formats. Beginning teachers also teach
students to write argumentative and expository text in the content area.
Additionally, beginning Single Subject History-Social Science teachers connect understandings
of people, events, and debates to broad themes, concepts and principles; and they relate
history-social science content to broader contextual understandings so that students better
understand their current world. They teach students how cultural perspectives inform and
influence understandings of history. They select and use appropriate primary and secondary
documents and artifacts to help students understand a historical period, event, region, or
culture. Beginning teachers ask questions and structure academic instruction to help students
recognize implicit and explicit bias and subjectivity in historical actors. They create classroom
environments that support the discussion of sensitive issues (e.g., social, cultural, religious,
race, and gender issues) and encourage students to reflect on and share their insights and
values. They design activities to illustrate multiple viewpoints on issues. They provide students
with the opportunity to use media and technology as tools to enhance their understanding of
the content area. Beginning teachers monitor the progress of students as they work to
understand, debate, and critically analyze social science issues, data, and research conclusions
from multiple perspectives. They provide students the opportunity to use and evaluate
strengths and limitations of media and technology as integral tools in the classroom. Beginning
teachers assure that students at various English proficiency levels have the academic language
needed to meaningfully engage in the content.
4. Teaching Science in a Single Subject Assignment
Beginning Single Subject Science teachers demonstrate the ability to teach the state-adopted
academic content standards for students in science and applicable English Language
Development Standards. They balance the focus of instruction between disciplinary core ideas,
crosscutting concepts, and scientific and engineering practices as indicated in the Next
Generation Science Standards. Their explanations, demonstrations, and class activities serve to
illustrate science concepts and principles, scientific investigation, and experimentation.
Beginning teachers emphasize the nature of science, the integration of engineering design, and
the connections between science, society, technology, and the environment. Further, beginning
teachers integrate mathematical concepts and practices including the importance of accuracy,
precision, and estimation of data and literacy into science pedagogy. They provide students the
opportunity to use and evaluate strengths and limitations of media and technology as integral