Literacy in History

As a history teacher, I’ve often felt the disconnect between the incredible stories of New Zealand’s past and my students’ ability to fully grasp them. They’re keen to learn, but historical texts, which are full of complex vocabulary and dense sentences, often using old or outdated words, can feel like a foreign language. I knew I needed to shift my approach from just teaching history to teaching historical literacy. In the past if I am honest I felt that my job was to teach history in terms, what happened, when and why. I would incorporate historical concepts such as source analysis, perspectives and causes and consequences. But something was missing. This year, I decided to design a targeted intervention to help my Year 9 students not just read about history, but truly understand it.

My approach was built on the principles of structured literacy, focusing on three key areas that are crucial for historical thinking: vocabulary, morphology, and text deconstruction. This wasn't about adding more work; it was about integrating powerful literacy tools directly into our existing lessons.

Being a teacher of an option that rotates 3 times a year. In Rotation 2, which ends this week, there was reading PAT data for 27 of the 35 Students. 11 Students were at Level 3 and below and 16 at 4 and above. My next class has a similar ratio - with 12 students at 3 and below and 17 at 4 and above

My first step was to ditch the simple glossaries and start with a Vocabulary Deep Dive. We started using key terms like 'colonisation' and 'sovereignty.' Instead of just giving a definition, we would explore characteristics, examples, and non-examples. This exercise forced my students to engage with the nuance of a term, which is vital in a subject like history.

Next, we began to study  word parts. When we came across a complex term like 'decolonisation,' we would break it down together. We'd identify the prefix 'de-' (meaning 'to undo'), the root 'colon' (meaning 'to settle'), and the suffix '-ation' (meaning 'the process of'). This simple activity transformed a scary, long word into a logical, understandable concept. I watched as students gained the confidence to tackle unfamiliar words by looking for these hidden clues.

Finally, I focused on Text Deconstruction. Many of the primary sources we read contained long, elaborate sentences that would trip students up. My solution was to pause and, as a class, break down these sentences. We'd identify the subject, the verb, and the key ideas, and then rephrase the sentence in our own, simpler words. This process demystified academic language and showed students how to find the core message in a sea of complex syntax.

The results have been incredibly encouraging. While it's an ongoing process, I’ve noticed a real difference in my students' work. Their written responses are more articulate, and they’re using new vocabulary with greater accuracy Most importantly, their confidence has soared. They no longer see a dense historical text as a barrier, but as a challenge they now have the tools to overcome. My classroom is no longer just a place to learn about the past, it’s a place where students are actively building the literacy skills to interpret it for themselves.

My goal for rotation three is to use the first four weeks explicitly teaching literacy. I will develop pre and post assessments in an attempt to quantify and assess the shift that the students have made.