Snapshot 7.12. Understanding War-making Powers
Integrated ELA/Literacy and History–Social Science/Civics in Grade Twelve
(cont.)CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy: RH.11–12.1, 7, 9
Related CA History–Social Science Standards:
11.1.3 Understand the history of the Constitution after 1787 with emphasis on federal versus state authority and
growing democratization.
12.4.4 Discuss Article II of the Constitution as it relates to the executive branch, including eligibility for office and
length of term, election to and removal from office, the oath of office, and the enumerated executive powers.Source
Adapted from
Rentz, Jenna, and Bryan Shaw. “The Power of the Presidency.” Teaching Democracy. A Partnership of Cal
Humanities and the California History–Social Science Project.Content knowledge is supported, as are all the themes, by wide reading. Accordingly, teachers
plan a program of independent reading that encompasses literature, literary nonfiction, and nonfiction
to support students’ knowledge acquisition. See the section on wide reading and independent reading
in chapter 2 of this ELA/ELD Framework and in the overview of the span in this chapter.
Foundational Skills
For information on teaching foundational skills to high school
students who need this strategic support, see the foundational
skills section in the overview of the span as well as chapter 9,
Access and Equity, in this framework.
English Language Development in
Grades Eleven and Twelve
English learners in the final years of high school are
preparing for their adult lives. Their English language
development depends on a carefully crafted comprehensive
program that both ensures their full access to intellectually rich
curricula and to their accelerated development of English, and
in particular, academic English. Their ELD occurs throughout
the day across the disciplines (integrated ELD), during which their teachers use the CA ELD Standards
to augment the ELA and other content instruction they provide. Their ELD also occurs during a time
specifically designated for developing English based on their particular language learning needs
(designated ELD). The type and intensity of support teachers provide to ELs depends on a variety of
factors, including students’ English language proficiency, their prior schooling experiences, and their
familiarity with the content and tasks teachers have planned.
For example, to help ELs at the late Emerging level of English language proficiency write an
explanation of an historical event in English, teachers first consider each student’s primary language
and literacy background. For students with a strong literacy background in their primary language,
the transition to English is likely to occur more rapidly than for students with little literacy in their
primary language. In content instruction with integrated ELD, teachers might offer substantial support
by providing graphic organizers that structure essays into the stages of the text type and sentence
or paragraph frames to use in the essay; such frames include text connectives for creating cohesion
Grades 11 and 12 Chapter 7 | 787