Page 302 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

274 Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students
Scavenger Hunt: During the next week, list all the activities you observe that involve local citizens keeping your community safe and clean.
What? Where? When? How?
In another lesson, one of the goals might be to develop appreciation of the impor- tance of community and home safety, especially in an age when many children spend considerable time alone. A powerful homework assignment could call for students, with assistance from available people in the household, to conduct home safety surveys. Using the data, follow-up in-class structured discourse could provide guidance for how students themselves might respond to their home safety needs and alert family members about areas needing attention. Students could decide to collect literature to assist in guiding the proposed changes.
When studying other regions or states, students could talk with their families about connections that they have with these parts of the country through family or business contacts, use of goods from places being studied, or vacations proposed or taken in those locations. We also suggest using the Internet to access data and/or to communicate with pen pal students or relatives who live in those places.
During the study of the history of the United States, students could gather a wealth of information regarding the history of their locale—how it came to be, why, who lived there prior to settlement by Europeans, who explored and settled the place, and when it became recognized as a municipality. Local newspapers, graveyards, historical societies, and retirement facilities are invaluable resources for bringing history to life. Examining these resources could be potential “family outings” supported by teacher-provided ques- tions that could be used during observations and interviews. The gathered information could be invaluable input to subsequent in-class discussions.
In a unit on physical regions of the United States, the goals might include under- standing the relationship of natural phenomena to industries and appreciating the pros and cons of humans manipulating the environment. Here, the teacher could encourage students to allocate some out-of-school time to discuss with family members how they have experienced human manipulation of the environment. They could make observa- tions while on a family road trip or during a walking tour of their neighborhood. They could generate a list of the kinds of workers engaged in tasks that change the environ- ment. Students could be encouraged to bring in photographs, postcards, or newspaper articles as validation of these experiences.
How have humans manipulated our environment?
Nature of Manipulation Where? Results? 1.
2.
All of these learning opportunities and a host of others that could be generated can effectively bring to life goals focusing on personalizing history, expanding understanding and appreciation for the past, helping students position themselves in time and space, and acquiring a greater sensitivity toward the environment and the ways that humans have interacted with it.
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