Page 146 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

118 Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students
grades 4 to 9, Cobblestone publishes 50-page issues devoted to a particular theme (person, event, period, or place) in American history. Each theme is addressed through nonfiction articles, historical fiction, poetry and biography, and includes video and book bibliographies. The same company also produces Appleseeds, a social studies-based magazine for grades 3 to 5, and Footsteps, a magazine celebrating the heritage and contributions of African- Americans. (Although Footsteps’ last issue was May 2006, past issues are available.) In each of these publications, the textual material is accompanied by good illustrations as well as puzzles, games, songs, cartoons, and other material related to the theme. You may want to adapt some of this material for use with your students in learning centers.
For information about historical trade books and other text supplements for use in teaching history to elementary students, see Brandhorst (1988); California State Department of Education (1991); James and Zarrillo (1989); Lawson and Barnes (1991); and Symcox (1991). Other recommended resources include the Levstik and Barton (2005) book on inquiry approaches to history teaching of elementary students, the McCall and Ristow (2003) book on teaching state history with a multicultural emphasis, and the Winston (1997) book on using family stories to address both social studies and literature goals with young students. For information about using computers and associated technology for teaching history, see Parham (1994), Schlene (1990), and Seiter (1988). Finally, for informa- tion about the History Teaching Alliance that offers training and resources for history teaching, see Beninati (1991).
Some textbooks include primary source materials. For example, Joy Hakim’s series, A History of US, features letters, diary entries, photographs, drawings, maps, and excerpts from significant historical documents in addition to her secondary source materials providing an historical interpretation of the events of the past (Hakim, 2002). She invites students to draw their own interpretations of the primary source materials. See www.joyhakim.com/ for information on the series.
Technology Tips
Document-Based Questions
One form of assessment that relies upon primary source material is document-based questions (DBQs), which are used at the high school level on Advanced Placement examinations and in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. However, they can be adapted for use with upper elementary and middle school students as well. DBQs involve a set of primary source documents (e.g., letters, newspaper articles, maps, images, and political cartoons) that are labeled. Students then analyze the documents individually (determining each document’s message, audience, and credibility) and col- lectively to answer questions about the historical event represented by the sources. For example, a DBQ on the life of Harriet Tubman might include a timeline of her life, a photograph of her, maps of the Underground Railroad routes, a list of her rescue mis- sions, and a transcript of an interview with Harriet Tubman. See www.dbqproject.com/ for background information and resources for designing DBQs.
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The Virtual History Museum (VHM) project is, a web-based history-learning site that integrates literacy and history through technology. The site allows teachers or students to design exhibits on a historical topic. It is intended to help all lear- ners, and it includes supports for students with disabilities. See vhm.msu.edu/ for more information on the project.