By Aneta Elizabeth & Imelda Social Studies By Aneta Elizabeth & Imelda

Social studies According to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), “the aim of social studies is the promotion of civic competence-–the knowledge, intellectual processes, and democratic dispositions required of students to be active and engaged participants in public life” Common themes in state standards for social studies: Membership in a democratic classroom community. Location and place relationships. Similarities and differences in personal and family characteristics. Basic economic principles as they relate to children’s lives. Appreciation of one’s own and other cultures in a diverse society.

Young Children’s development in social studies Early childhood setting are where young children typically first learn to become responsible citizens Preschoolers learn about human diversity—language and culture, beliefs and practices, living environments and relationships, abilities and needs—by interacting with a wide range of of adults and peers. Children take on different roles during pretend play, read stories and informational books about interesting people and situations, explore the arts of many lands, and go on field trips.

Teaching and learning in social studies Two general strategies to that are helpful in enabling children apply social studies in their daily experiences: Starting with concrete experiences and moving to general principles. Young children use concrete signs, such as clothing, facial features, furniture, plants, and transportation, as clues about the “when and where” of the situation depicted. Helping children grow from self-awareness to more awareness of others. An important principle of social studies is that personal actions can affect others. When adults share appropriate classroom decisions with children, the children learn that their choices and actions matter. They also learn to act responsibly and feel empowered.

Fitting the learning experience to the learning objective Any best practices that bring children and adults together to work and play for the common good of the group can promote social studies learning. Social studies learning in early childhood development has two components: Social systems are the norms, values, and procedures that affect the human relationships in our daily lives. Social concepts are what we traditionally think of as social studies, including history, geography, and the world.

Valuing Diversity Model respect for others Valuing diversity means accepting and appreciating the differences of ourselves and of others as normal and positive. Teaching Strategies: Model respect for others Avoid judgmental comparisons Include diversity in every classroom activity Diversity isn’t only about differences in peoples Ensure that bias and prejudice are not part of your program Ensure that bias and prejudice are not part of your larger setting

Learning about community roles Children will be exposed to the roles of their parents first. They will be able to differentiate the role mommy has to the one dad has. Children will than start to see the roles their parent have outside the house. They will to recognized different careers. (Teachers, polices, doctors etc.) As they become more knowledgeable of different careers they will be able to identify them in their communities. Teachers can help children identify roles by having field trips, during dramatic play and even by having guests come into the site and talk to them. Visitors can bring in items they use in their class for show and tell.

Creating and following rules A rule is an authoritative direction for how to act or what to do. Setting rules can help deal with interpersonal conflicts. Adults can guide children into making and following rules. Children can make their own rules in games they invent. Children can also have responsibilities such picking a song during circle time, passing out snacks

Teaching strategies Make children aware of safety and health rules. Make rules with simple words and place on eye level. During small group, talk about a problem and have children’s input to work together and feel a solution. Have responsibilities for taking care of the classroom. Include rules and procedure; organizing toys, feeding class pets are just a few things. Model rules for children, create rules for you to follow, give children a chance to correct you. This will help them identify when the rule is being broke.

Creating and participating in democracy Democracy in early childhood classroom means condition of equality and respect for an individual. Children will feel like their voice is heard, they will feel needed, important. Democracy entails compromise and negation. “Reflect problems solving and decision making, managing one's emotion, taking a variety of perspectives, and sustaining energy and attention towards focused goal”. Ask children to consider alternative ways in reaching their goals. Help children develop perspective-taking and turn taking skills. Remind children to listen before adding their ideas to the discussions. Also, ask children to repeat what was said, this will allow us to see if a children is able to listen.

Continue Knowledge when children work in teams, they will sometimes divide work among themselves to accomplish a task. We also have to be careful when is comes to bullying among children. We must immediately stop any hurtful behaviors. Try to expand conservations with children.

Social Concepts understanding simple economics Economics and history tend to emerge form child’s own observations and experiences. Observing the roles of family members and other in the community children can develop basic ideas about reciprocity, including the exchange of money. During pretend play children often use money, for example when they play “supermarket”, they have a chance to pull a price on items as well as selling them. This will also allow them to receive money and give change back.

Teaching History understanding of time Post and discuss program’s daily schedule Talk “what we just did and what comes next” Play sequencing games at group times Provide materials that illustrate distant past and far future Use and encourage children to use an expanding vocabulary of time and sequence words

For Example: Create a classroom yearly calendar including holidays and schools’ events. Talk about the events using words like “before, after, first, last, then and next”. Ask children frequently about sequence of the story. Provide puzzles and other material to practice this skill. Establish classroom environment where multicultural display is accessible to explore.

Teaching Geography Understanding the World Around Us Teach simple concepts that are familiar for students Talk about places in the community that are familiar to them and their families Draw simple maps or diagrams of the classrooms, school and neighborhood Use concrete representation, such as books, photos or art work to connect children to places beyond their own experiences

For Example: Use books and children’s popular movies to discuss the settings and habitats presented as backgrounds. Make “trips” to other countries. Create maps, passports and other materials that will help children connect to new places. Create simple treasure hunts on the school grounds to familiarize children with the practical use of the map.

Teaching Ecology Understanding Our Role as Caretaker of the Planet Help children become aware and appreciate nature Help parents understand why children’s limited screen time is important to access nature’s benefits Teach children to take care of the classroom environment that develops empathy and the sense of community.

For Example: Use new props like binoculars, leaf journals or rock collection jars to rediscover nature around them. Create family-style monthly picnics to emphasize the importance of outdoor play in children’s life. Teach children to respect animals by studying them in the classroom and beyond it.