Teaching Social Studies that Matters

Teaching Social Studies that Matters PDF Author: Stephen J. Thornton
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 9780807745229
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
No plan to increase achievement and enact reform in the social studies classroom will succeed without recognizing the central importance of the teacher as the gatekeeperof instruction. In this book, Thornton details why teachers must develop strong skills in curriculum planning and teaching methods in order for effective instruction to occur. Thornton helps teachers to develop a vision of their practice that will build strong social studies programs and inspire students to learn. This book features replicable examples of the kinds of reflective practice that will enable teachers to animate classroom instruction and create a dynamic social studies curriculum and an analysis of how teachers adapt and shape state and district level curricula and classroom materials to fit the specific needs of their students, and a model of how to develop an instructional program with suggestions for lesson planning.

Teaching Social Studies that Matters

Teaching Social Studies that Matters PDF Author: Stephen J. Thornton
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 9780807745229
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Get Book Here

Book Description
No plan to increase achievement and enact reform in the social studies classroom will succeed without recognizing the central importance of the teacher as the gatekeeperof instruction. In this book, Thornton details why teachers must develop strong skills in curriculum planning and teaching methods in order for effective instruction to occur. Thornton helps teachers to develop a vision of their practice that will build strong social studies programs and inspire students to learn. This book features replicable examples of the kinds of reflective practice that will enable teachers to animate classroom instruction and create a dynamic social studies curriculum and an analysis of how teachers adapt and shape state and district level curricula and classroom materials to fit the specific needs of their students, and a model of how to develop an instructional program with suggestions for lesson planning.

Content Matters

Content Matters PDF Author: Leif Fearn
Publisher: R & L Education
ISBN: 9781610489508
Category : Social sciences
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A critical question in social studies education is not whether teachers develop and teach units of study, but what is in the units of study teachers develop and teach. Curricular planning and instruction must focus on what we teach in the social studies classroom. It is not uncommon for students to experience fine units about the westward movement and exit the fifth grade with little or no geographic literacy. Most students leave middle school grades unable to name even one person who made a difference in the history of Indian people in the United States. After three to five years of history classes, high school students routinely self-report that history is boring. And it is the rare middle school graduate who knows how to use a free enterprise economy for his or her benefit. This book explains the content of nine areas in social studies. If teachers know what history, biographical studies, and the United States Constitution mean for instruction, they can increase the probability of better-focused content in their social studies instruction.

Preparing to Teach Social Studies for Social Justice

Preparing to Teach Social Studies for Social Justice PDF Author: Ruchi Agarwal-Rangnath
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807757667
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
This practical book shows how veteran, justice-oriented social studies teachers are responding to the Common Core State Standards, focusing on how they build curriculum, support students' literacy skills, and prepare students to think and act critically within and beyond the classroom. In order to provide direct classroom-to-classroom insights, the authors draw on letters written by veteran teachers addressed to new teachers entering the field. The first section of the book introduces the three approaches teachers can take for teaching for social justice within the constraints of the Common Core State Standards (embracing, reframing, or resisting the standards). The second section analyzes specific approaches to teaching the Common Core, using teacher narratives to illustrate key processes. The final section demonstrates how teachers develop, support, and sustain their identities as justice-oriented educators in standards-driven classrooms. Each chapter includes exemplary lesson plans drawn from diverse grades and classrooms, and offers concrete recommendations to guide practice. This book: offers advice from experienced educators who have learned to successfully navigate the constraints of high-stakes testing and standards-based mandates; shares and analyzes curricular and pedagogical approaches to teaching the Common Core; and examines a range of philosophical and political stances that teachers might take as they navigate the unique demands of teaching for social justice in their own context.

Making Classroom Discussions Work

Making Classroom Discussions Work PDF Author: Jane C. Lo
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 080776664X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
For the past 2 decades, the field of social studies education has seen an increase in research on the use of discussions as an essential instructional technique. This book examines the importance of using quality dialogue as a tool to help students understand complex issues in social studies. This edited volume provides a collection of well-known, evidence-based discussion techniques, as well as classroom examples showing the methods in use. While using discussion as an instructional method is widely considered a best practice of civic learning, actual high-quality discussions are rare and notoriously difficult to facilitate. Making Classroom Discussions Work is designed to guide teacher educators and classroom teachers in facilitating equitable and productive discussions that will boost learning and democratic engagement. Book Features: Emphasizes the rationale for using discussion in social studies teaching. Collects strategies that have been proposed in disparate journal articles and books in one convenient volume. Presents research-based challenges and supports for conducting and assessing discussions in the social studies. Includes methods and tips to help teachers make discussions more equitable in their classrooms.

Social Studies that Sticks

Social Studies that Sticks PDF Author: Laurel J. Schmidt
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
ISBN: 9780325010595
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The announcement that "It's social studies time" often elicits dread from students who mistakenly view the subject as a near-death experience. And who can blame them when this fascinating subject has been stripped of the heartbreak, adventure, conflict, treachery, strategic brilliance, and spectacular foibles - in short, the humanity - that it's supposed to explain? Student apathy and rock-bottom test scores scream that it's time for a change - for unforgettable, not regrettable, social studies. It's time for Social Studies That Sticks. In Social Studies That Sticks Laurel Schmidt introduces a brain-compatible approach to integrated, standards-based instruction, using the four elements of the human learning cycle: awareness, exploration, inquiry, and action. This dynamic approach brings content and concepts to life, while sharpening skills in questioning, thinking, reading, writing, and the visual and performing arts. It promotes academic achievement, models the habits of active citizenship, tunes students' ethical antennae to social problems, and teaches tools students can use to advocate for change. Social Studies That Sticks is a comprehensive, passionate, and user-friendly guide that: identifies essential social studies themes, standards, and skills models maximum use of primary source documents, eye-witness narratives, biographies, and historical fiction describes how artifacts, objects, art, photography, and architecture can be tools for inquiry and learning explores the community of a social studies classroom tackles matters of cultural perspective, point of view, bias, and propaganda transforms current events into historical investigations maps vital steps for social-justice projects provides guidelines for essays, presentations, oral histories, personal narratives, and original historic writing outlines dozens of authentic assessments introduces theLearning Ledger for student self-assessment pinpoints archival material, hundreds of books and websites, and historical resources for research and classroom use. Whether you use Laurel Schmidt's ideas to supplement your existing curriculum or you're ready to make your current textbook ancient history, Social Studies That Sticks will transform social studies time into lessons about history and humanity that last a lifetime.

Teaching Social Studies to English Language Learners

Teaching Social Studies to English Language Learners PDF Author: Bárbara C. Cruz
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136205128
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
Teaching Social Studies to English Language Learners provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of both the challenges that face English language learners (ELLs) and ways in which educators might address them in the social studies classroom. The authors offer context-specific strategies for the full range of the social studies curriculum, including geography, U.S. history, world history, economics, and government. These practical instructional strategies will effectively engage learners and can be incorporated as a regular part of instruction in any classroom. An annotated list of web and print resources completes the volume, making this a valuable reference to help social studies teachers meet the challenges of including all learners in effective instruction. Features and updates to this new edition include: • An updated and streamlined Part 1 provides an essential overview of ELL theory in a social studies specific-context. • "Teaching Tips" offer helpful suggestions and ideas for creating and modifying lesson plans to be inclusive of ELLs. • Additional practical examples and new pedagogical elements in Part 3 include more visuals, suggestions for harnessing new technologies, discussion questions, and reflection points. • New material that takes into account the demands of the Common Core State Standards, as well as updates to the web and print resources in Part 4.

Teaching Social Studies to Multilingual Learners in High School

Teaching Social Studies to Multilingual Learners in High School PDF Author: Mark Newman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 147585840X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 151

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Book Description
Teaching Social Studies to Multilingual Learners in High School: Connecting Inquiry and Visual Literacy to Promote Progressive Learning explores effective strategies for teaching social studies to diverse learners. The centerpiece is a visual literacy framework that integrates inquiry, primary source analysis, and visual literacy to provide a progressive learning sequence to meet the varied needs of learners. The visual literacy framework brings together related aspects of progressive, sequential learning into a cohesive whole. It has an adaptable structure that allows teachers to customize learning activities to meet individual student needs. The progressive learning sequence has varied modes of learning that help teachers move students from basic to proficient to advanced levels of support. The book is organized into two related parts. The first three chapters provide important content and context on social studies, multilingual learner education, and the visual literacy framework. The remaining chapters discuss civics, U.S. history, world history, geography, and economics and social sciences. Each chapter defines the subject area, briefly traces its development as a high school subject over time, and then offers classroom exercises for using the visual literacy framework in these disciplines. The exercises are plotted so that differing levels of the visual literacy framework are explored throughout the book.

History Class Revisited

History Class Revisited PDF Author: Jody Passanisi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131726682X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
Learn new approaches to teaching history in middle school so students are more engaged in the big ideas and eager to examine the world around them. Co-published by Routledge and MiddleWeb, this practical guide will help you consider the unique needs of middle schoolers, who are in the midst of many social and emotional changes and need to see why the study of history matters to their own lives. Author Jody Passanisi shares helpful strategies and activities to make your social studies class a place where students can relate to the material, connect past history to present events, collaborate with others, think critically about important issues, and take ownership of their learning. Topics include: Reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources for deeper comprehension of historical issues Developing a written argument and defending it with supporting details and cited sources Examining the social context of a historical event and tracing the historical underpinnings of present day issues Using field trips, games, and Project Based Learning to make learning history a fun and interactive experience Assessing your students’ progress using self-reflection, projects, essays, and presentations The appendices offer resources for each of the topics covered in the book as well as reproducible Blackline Masters of the charts and diagrams, which can be photocopied or downloaded from our website (http://www.routledge.com/products/9781138639713) for classroom use.

If this is Social Studies, why Isn't it Boring?

If this is Social Studies, why Isn't it Boring? PDF Author: Stephanie Steffey
Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers
ISBN: 1571100032
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
The provocative title of this book plays on a too-familiar response from teachers and students alike. But now many teachers have begun to seek an approach to social studies that takes account of the ways children learn and that builds on their own knowledge and strengths. The authors in this book have found ways to do this. Wendy Hood writes in the Introduction that they have ". . . not only rediscovered social studies education in general, they have also found themselves exploring the many disciplines of the social sciences that combine to make social studies . . . The issues of the disciplines are visible, the content of the disciplines is visible, and the questions central to each discipline are central in these classrooms. While the studies described began in one discipline, they branched out or melted into one or more of the others." In this contributed collection, twenty-three teachers explain their successful strategies for teaching the social studies disciplines in a whole- language context. If This Is Social Studies covers contemporary subjects (the Gulf War), traditional topics (students as historians), well-known projects (Scottish Storyline), social studies in the community, and multicultural matters. Teachers at elementary through middle and high school levels will find this book's holistic approach to social studies a refreshing departure and a source of new, practical ideas. Indeed, the diversity of ideas and styles is as broad as the book's subject!

Teaching as if Learning Matters

Teaching as if Learning Matters PDF Author: Jennifer Meta Robinson
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253060680
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Teaching is an essential skill in becoming a faculty member in any institution of higher education. Yet how is that skill actually acquired by graduate students? Teaching as if Learning Matters collects first-person narratives from graduate students and new PhDs that explore how the skills required to teach at a college level are developed. It examines the key issues that graduate students face as they learn to teach effectively when in fact they are still learning and being taught. Featuring contributions from over thirty graduate students from a variety of disciplines at Indiana University, Teaching as if Learning Matters allows these students to explore this topic from their own unique perspectives. They reflect on the importance of teaching to them personally and professionally, telling of both successes and struggles as they learn and embrace teaching for the first time in higher education.