Page 46 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

18 Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students
The problem with the expanding communities lies with the often superficial treatments of lesson topics within the approach that feature parades of trivial facts and low-level activities instead of goal-oriented development of powerful ideas applied authentically.
The approach taken throughout this book empha- sizes three key points: shifting from the expanding
communities sequence to basic understandings about the human condition as the major rationale for selecting content, focusing on disciplinary knowledge and pro- cesses, and structuring this content around powerful ideas that are developed with emphasis on their con- nections and applications.
TeachSource Video Case
Supporting Problem-Based Learning in the Elementary Classroom. This lesson of a fourth-grade classroom demonstrates how problem-based learning can be active, intellectually engaging, and meaningful. As you view the video, consider the following questions: What are the features of problem-based learning? What kinds of activities does the lesson incorporate? What kinds of social studies content would work using problem-based learning?
An additional source for you for this chapter is the following TeachSource Video Case:
Reflective Questions
1. Given your current priorities concerning social studies purposes and goals, what are the impli- cations for your teaching?
2. Given what you have just read in Chapter 1, what was the most powerful insight you have acquired? What is one thing you still wonder about?
3. Imagine that the local school board is recom- mending that the teaching of social studies be tem- porarily suspended. How will you respond? Why?
4. Imagine that an interviewer asks you to compare the priorities of your former K–6 social studies teachers (based on what you recall from instruction) to your own priorities. How would you respond?
5. As you reflect on your current social studies vision and what the authors had to say in this chapter, what will you consider adding or modifying in some way? Explain.
Your Turn: What Is Social Studies?
For most people, trying to put together a large jigsaw puzzle without any idea of what the finished product should look like would be a pretty frustrating experience. For many children, social studies lessons are like puzzle pieces that are examined individually but never connected to a big picture. These children experience years of con- tent and learning opportunities without ever understand- ing, appreciating, or applying ideas drawn from social studies. Rarely can they articulate what social studies is, why it is important and how it impacts their lives.
We suggest that you prepare a written statement describing what social studies means to you and how
you will explain this to your students. Make sure that the statement reflects your social studies purposes and goals and their implications for your teaching. As you develop your plan, take into account the following elements drawn from this chapter:
• Social studies is an pandisciplinary subject.
• Social studies bears a special responsibility for
citizenship education.
• Social studies should focus on teaching fundamental
and powerful ideas about the human condition.
• Social studies should be coherent and goal-oriented
and help students make sense of their world.
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