GACE Social Studies Review Session Presented By: Joe E. Hart jhart@clayton.k12.ga.us

Overview What is Social Studies? Goal of Social Studies Curriculum Ten Themes of Social Studies Social Studies and Social Sciences Community as Source of Data Typical Scope and Sequence

Overview Instructional Strategies Bloom’s Taxonomy Learning Concepts Citizenship Maps and Spatial Sense Multicultural Education Assessment

What is Social Studies? The social studies are: selected information and modes of investigation from the social sciences selected information from any area that relates directly to an understanding of individuals, groups, and societies applications of the selected information to citizenship education. Social Studies for Elementary School Classrooms (Martorella and Beal, 2002)

Goal of the Social Studies Curriculum NCSS states the following view: “The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informal and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.” Social Studies for Elementary School Classrooms (Martorella and Beal, 2002)

Ten Themes of Social Studies The National Council for Social studies (NCSS) has created ten themes that form the framework of the social studies standards <title>socialstudies.org | Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: Executive Summary

Ten Themes of Social Studies Culture Time, Continuity, and Change People, Places, and Environments Individual Identity and Development Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

Ten Themes of Social Studies Power, Authority, and Governance Production, Distribution, and Consumption Science, Technology, and Society Global Connections Civic Ideals and Practices

Social Studies and Social Sciences Geography Organized according to five central themes location- describing positions of people and places on Earth place- detailing the human or physical characteristics of places on Earth relationships within places- cultural and physical relationships between humans movement- relationships between and among places regions- the ways areas are identified

Social Studies and Social Sciences History A selective representation of reality with selective interpretation of events Cause-effect relationships History websites www.historyplace.com http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com Click on Explore Click on US History Timeline Economics relationships among people that are formed to satisfy material needs cost, supply and demand, labor, standard of living, etc.

Social Studies and Social Sciences Political Science analysis of power and processes by which individuals control and manage one another Anthropology study of humankind Sociology study of human interactions within groups Psychology understanding individual mental processes and behaviors

Community as a Source of Data Garbarino’s Four Spheres of Influence home, peers, community, and school Community is a great resource Resource people Field trips Oral histories Surveys and interviews Community service projects

Typical Scope and Sequence “Expanding Communities Pattern” (Hanna) Students are introduced each school year to an increasingly expanding world, starting with self and family to the world at large Start with child as center and move out http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/social.studiesK-5.pdf?p=4BE1EECF99CD364EA5554055463F1FBBF5D074D5FB1F2CAEB3B63B3ECB220CDD26C2114F3C57D8D2ACA0D35EC5A9A538&Type=D

Typical Scope and Sequence K-1: Self, Family, School 2: Neighborhoods 3: Communities 4: State history, geographic regions 5: United States history, culture, and geography 6: World Cultures

Instructional Strategies Activating prior knowledge Constructing knowledge Metacognition Coaching Modeling Informal Reasoning Demonstration Cooperative Learning

Instructional Strategies Guided oral and silent work Graphic organizers Inquiry method Role-playing Simulations Small-group work (social skills) Jigsaw

Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels of questioning Ordering questions in sequence to stimulate the development of students’ higher-order thinking skills Bloom's Taxonomy www.officeport.com/edu/blooms.htm

Learning Concepts Concepts: categories into which we group information within our experience Identify misconceptions and stereotypes in students’ understandings of concepts Analyze concepts according to examples and non-examples Assess concept learning Transportation vs. Not Transportation

Citizenship Skills needed to function effectively in our complex society Social skills Conflict resolution skills Participation in democratic process

Maps and Spatial Skills Maps furnish 8 basic types of information land and water forms relief features direction and distance social data economic information political information scientific information human factors

Maps and Spatial Skills Introducing maps and globes Body maps Start with “me” and expand out Students must understand: maps represent a place maps use symbols maps show a perspective from above maps reduce the size of an actual place

Multicultural Education America is a multicultural nation because of so many cultural and ethnic groups that are represented Addressing perspectives is crucial to multicultural understanding

Multicultural Education Multicultural education will help students: learn how and where to obtain accurate information about a cultural group identify and examine positive accounts of diverse cultural groups encounter positive experiences with diverse cultural groups develop empathic behavior practice using perspectives improve self-esteem of all students identify and analyze cultural stereotypes identify cases of discrimination and prejudice teach social studies multiculturally all year

Assessment Observation Oral Reports Portfolios Performance samples Tests