What Is Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies?

Chapter 1 Take-Aways
1. Social Studies is about our social world: It is about people, what they do, and how they
interact with each other and with the world.
2. Most of our lives and social worlds involve everyday experiences.
3. The more that we, as teachers of social studies, are able to use instructional activities that
give students greater control of their learning activities, the more active their learning
becomes.
4. Primary purpose of Social Studies: Help young people develop the ability to make
informed and reasoned good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an
interdependent world.
5. The 10 themes of the Social Studies Standards:

Culture

Time, Continuity, and Change

People, Places, and Environment

Production, Distribution, and Consumption

Global Connections

Individual Development and Identity

Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

Power, Authority, and Governance

Science, Technology, and Society

Civic Ideals and Practices

6. Three aspects of Social Studies that are essential in our lives:

Supporting the community and the common good of its people

Identifying both common and multiple perspectives-unity, diversity in

human society &

Applying social studies knowledge, skills, and democratic values to civic

action

7. Teachers task is to support learning that really does increase a students competence and
confidence in using important social studies knowledge and skills to have a better life and
to contribute more as a citizen.

How Do Students Engage in Powerful and Meaningful Social Studies?

Chapter 2 Take-Aways
1. Social Studies educators have long advocated that students must form meaning in their
own minds by their own creative efforts (Fraenkel, 1977; Saunders, 1992; Taba, 1967).
Meaning cannot be pushed or poured into the mind by someone elsestudents must
work with social studies ideas until these ideas mean something to them.
2. Meaningful social studies learning is a process of integrating and building various social
studies ideas by adding, modifying, and connecting relationships between ideas.
3. Traditional teaching uses strategies that enhance memorization and recall. Students often
enjoy memorizing facts they view as useful. The issue is whether they goal of social
studies curricular is committing to memory a list of facts or whether it is meaningful
learning that enable individuals to personally explain relationships and decide how to be
involved with social events in ways that are consistent with their values and culture.
4. My goal as an educator is to plan lessons that:
o Motivate students to recall related prior knowledge
o Connect the new social studies idea to students prior knowledge
o Allow students to compare and confront their prior knowledge with the new social
studies idea
o Encourage students to use metacognition to think about their own thinking
5. The Learning Cycle: Exploratory Introduction -> Lesson Development -> Expansion

How Are Social Studies Inquiry Skills Learned?

Chapter 3 Take-Away
1. Inquiry: The diverse ways in which we study our social world and propose explanations
based on evidence for various events. Ask -> Find -> Determine Answers
2. Basic Skills:
o Observing
o Communicating
o Classifying
o Inferring
o Predicting
o Measuring & Estimating
3. Integrative Skills (What I should conduct my students to do):
o Organizing, Interpreting, & Drawing Conclusions from Data
o Isolating & Using Variables
o Formulating Hypotheses
o Solving Problems, Making Decisions, Investigating, Thinking
Critically, Thinking Creatively, & Reflecting
Sample Student Behaviors Involved When Using Integrative Skills:
4. Critical Thinking- Understanding New Knowledge:
o Being open minded
o Asking questions
o Focusing on a question
o Distinguishing relevant & irrelevant knowledge statements, value
statements, & reasoning.

o Respecting evidence
o Being willing to search for more evidence
5. Problem Solving- Resolving a Difficulty:
o Sensing a problem
o Identifying important components of the problem
o Constructing or identifying a problem statement
o Identifying alternative solution plans
o Monitoring the process of working toward the solution
6. Investigating- Testing an Idea or Explanation:
o Writing operational definitions as needed
o Constructing a question to be answered
o Writing a hypothesis that answers the question
o Collecting & Interpreting data related to hypothesis
7. Creative Thinking:
o Demonstrating an interest in exploring the novel & the unexpected
o Willing to try to create innovative or original thoughts, patterns,
products, & solutions
o Being aware of generating alternatives
o Being willing to work at the edge of ones competence & to accept
confusion & uncertainty

How Are Social Studies Concepts & Generalizations Developed?

Chapter 4 Take-Aways

Concepts

Generalizations

Summarize a set of facts that have a

common characteristics & distinguish
any & all examples of the concept
from non-examples
Summarize & group together
observations into categories on the
basis of shared characteristics, or
attributes
A set or class rather than a single
object, person, or event

Describes two or more concepts & the

relationships among them

Enable us to explain processes &

events we experience

Explanation of cause & effect that

allow us to predict future events

Provides more info than a concept

Are big ideas

Formed by finding similarities

between many facts & temporarily
emphasizing those similarities

An idea is expressed in a complete

sentence while a concept is expressed
in a single word or short phrase

Represent a group of objects, people,

events, or symbol of two or more
members

Are stated objectively & impersonally

& require evidence to be gathered to
support them

Include members sharing common

attributes

Include members identified by a name

or a label

*We use concepts & their relationships to form Social Studies generalizations
*To understand a generalization, a student must first develop an understanding of the concepts
used in the generalization, & then repeatedly experience the relationship among these concepts

How Do Students Develop Citizenship in Democratic Societies & Global Societies?

Chapter 5 Take-Aways
Social Studies is the subject that is primarily responsible for teaching the knowledge, skills, &
values needed to understand & participate effectively in the political system & to deal
responsibly with public issues
5 Views of Citizenship Education
1. Knowledge of facts about government & constitutions, as real citizenship
2. Willingness to vote (and to look for information about candidates, their positions on
issues, etc)
3. A basic level of trust in institutions, sense of political efficacy, an ability to be
thoughtfully critical about government policies, & other political attitudes (sometimes
related to participation)
4. Respect for political opinions different from ones own & respect for the rights of ethnic,
racial, or language groups
5. Participation in service learning or community projects
Revised Code of Ethics for the Social Studies Profession
It is the ethical responsibility of social studies professionals to:

Set forth, maintain, model, & safeguard standards of instructional competence suited to
the achievement of the broad goals of the social studies

Provide every student the knowledge, skills, experiences, & attitudes necessary to
function as an effective participant in a democratic system

Foster the understanding & exercise the right guaranteed under the Constitution of the
United States & of the responsibilities implicit in those rights in an increasingly
interdependent world

Cultivate & maintain an instructional environment in which the free contest of ideas is
prized

Adhere to the highest standards of scholarship in the development, production,

distribution, or use of social studies materials

Concern themselves with the conditions of the school & the community with which they
are associated

Students must understand that as citizens in a democracy they must:

Know the structure & procedures by which their government works & the ideals & values
that support its beliefs & actions

Develop & practice civic skills & attitudes to carry out their responsibilities & duties and
citizens (examining concern of others and recognizing that differences & similarities exist
within each society

Active participation is a requirement for democracy to flourish

What is Social Studies Contributions to Global Education?
Chapter 6 Take-Aways

Educators need to make decisions on what is appropriate to examine in the schools curriculum,
when topics should be examined, & what instructional resources to use. Each of these decisions
stimulates debate, requires research to gain answers, & results in decisions that must be carefully
documented & evaluated.
Merry Merryfield (2008) identifies the three assumptions that underlie successful lessons with
long term learning potential:
1. Being open minded: Considering there are other possible perceptions and interpretations
that provide new or different meanings and may be correct.
2. The knowledge base of global education is multidisciplinary: Teachers need to work
together. This means teachers must overcome personal barriers among themselves and
problems associated with the traditional curricula often found with separate school
subjects.
3. Use relevant and authentic topics and procedures.
An Attainable Global Perspective (1976) Robert Harveys 5 dimensions of global education are
identified:
1. Perspective consciousness
2. State of the planet awareness
3. Cross-Cultural Awareness: Making an effort to view events from the vantage points of
others

4. Knowledge of global dynamics: Recognizing the interdependence of people and places

because of dynamic world systems in the physical, cultural, and economic environments.
5. Awareness of human choices: Recognizing that events are shaped by the individual and
collective decisions made by communities and nations.
Three broad K-12 themes for the curriculum:
1. Global challenges, issues, and problems
2. Global cultures and world areas
3. Global connections: The United States and the world
***6 ethical questions that focus on problems affecting people across the world:
1. What should be done to promote equity and fairness within and among societies?
2. What should the balance between the rights to privacy and free and open access to
information and information-based societies?
3. What should be the balance between protecting the environment and meeting human
needs?
4. What should be done to cope with population growth, genetic engineering, and children
in poverty?
5. What should be done to develop shared (universal, global) values while respecting local
values?
6. What should be done to secure and ethically based distribution of power for deciding
policy and action on the above issue?
***Four persistent problems encompass the entire globe & serve as the focus of global
education:
1. Peace and serenity
2. National and international development
3. Environmental problems
4. Human Rights

How Do Teachers Use & Manage Social Studies Instructional Strategies Effectively?
Chapter 7 Take-Aways
Best Practices for Teaching Strategies That Support Learning:

Knowing general procedures for effective teaching & learning.

Using repertoire of social studies best practices.

Grouping students heterogeneously & encouraging peer interactions.

Having adequate social studies content knowledge organized in a meaningful way.

Calling attention to discrepancies or creating confrontational challenges where students

consider multiple perspectives of interpretations of the same event or idea.

Asking students to explain or justify their conclusions and predictions, rather than
accepting a simple answer.

Proposing discrepant observations, unsatisfactory hypotheses, or incorrect conclusions

and challenging students to evaluate them.

Introducing new terms during the lesson development phase by using concrete examples,
a demonstration, or an activity.

Knowing where and how social studies information can be obtained when it is needed.

Matching the assessment to the instructional strategy used.

Strategies Gathered in Class:

learning centers

guided discovery

powerpoints

role playing

simulations

music

technology

inquiry

beginning with a question

guest speaker

teacher lectures

writing

cooperative learning

variety research

research

discussion

demonstration

clarity

small group work

personalize

field trips

structured exploration

games
How Are Powerful & Meaningful Social Studies Units Constructed?
Chapter 8 Take-Aways

We receive many bits and pieces of information every day in isolation, ignore most of them, and
choose to store just a few in our minds. Lessons are organized to encourage students to link ideas
and experiences. These linkages result in meaningful learning that deepens understanding.
Effective teaching is organized best in units built around significant questions that help students
construct key concepts, generalizations, valued, and inquiry skills.

Planning the Appropriate Focus for Social Studies Units:

Descriptive- Focused Units

Thinking Skill- Focused Units

Conceptual & Thinking Skills- Focused Units

Theme Units

Issue & Problem- Solving Units

Developing Integrated Units:

1. Generating Ideas for the Topic of a Unit
2. Researching the Topic
3. Developing Essential or Focus Questions
4. Identifying Special Needs among Students and Making Accommodations
5. Developing Intended Learning Outcomes
6. Categorizing Intended Learning Outcomes
7. Creating an Idea Web
8. Developing a Rationale and Goals
9. Beginning the KWL Chart
10. Developing Learning Objectives
11. Developing an Assessment Plan
12. Developing Lesson Plans
13. Developing Accommodations for Technology
14. Implementing the Unit
15. Evaluating Student Learning
16. Reflecting on the Unit

When the goals for social studies can be matched to those for science, mathematics, physical
education, fine arts, or language arts across several units, individual teachers and teams of
teachers often find that students learn the topic better through the connections made during
integrated units.

How Do Social Studies Teachers Facilitate Students Development as Individuals &

Community Members?
Chap. 9 Take-Aways
Psychology: focuses on understanding and accepting our individuality
Sociology: helps us understand our social nature and the groups formed within our communities,
nation, & world.
As students interact with people representing a variety of cultures, they are likely to overcome
their prejudices, becoming citizens who work for the common good of all.

Teachers should remember that because students thinking processes are immature &
their personal experiences are limited, students think their fears are reasonable. Students
usually grow out of their fears as they mature.

Value- analysis strategies help students think in an organized, logical manner about the following
issues:

Their values

Their reasons for making specific choices

The consequences of having a particular value

The conflicts between their values and other peoples values (Banks & Clegg, 1979)

Teachers provide experiences encourage students development, help them cope with
difficulties they encounter, develop morals and values, and develop prosocial attitudes
conductive to citizenship.
The teacher is a powerful person in a students life and works to ensure a positive influence for
the student as an individual and as a participating citizen in a democracy.

How Can I Involve All Students in Meaningful Social Studies?

Chapter 10 Take-Aways
Powerful social studies means that every student has an equal opportunity to learn social
studies, regardless of culture, gender, or disability. We must step away from the traditional
whole-class approach to teaching social studies and encourage students to use, interact with, and
respect not only their own heritage but also those of their peers.
Multicultural Education: An idea or concept, an educational reform movement, and a process.
Four Reasons for Teaching Social Studies to ALL Students:
1. Social studies activities broaden & enrich personal experiences
2. Special needs learners benefit from guided or selected activities that are based on reality
and have predictable outcomes
3. Social studies activities involve learning about cause-and-effect relationships
4. Social studies develops and redefines thinking and problem-solving skills

Disabilities may limit individuals in some respects but enrich the group as students
respond to and include each other in their work toward the common good of all.

Activities incorporating more than one sense or a different sense from that commonly
used increase access to learning for all. All students may better understand that those who
lack the physical ability to perform some skills are able to use other skills to accomplish a
task. When more modes of presentation are used, everyone is likely to benefit both
cognitively and affectively.

General Instructional Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms: Multisensory Activities, cooperative

group activities, class wide peer tutoring, peer buddy system, reciprocal teaching, reading alone,
lecture-based presentation, media presentations, strategies for using social, studies textbooks,
study guides, semantic feature analysis.

Chapter 11 & 12 Take Aways

Chap. 11) How Do I Engage Students in Examining History?
The study of history is personal and exciting but is often viewed by students as remote and
uninteresting. Students have difficulty giving reasons for studying history because it does not seem to
serve a utilitarian need.

History is a chronological study that interprets and gives meaning to events and applies
systematic methods to discover the truth

History has no beginning and no end. There is always more to learn.

History in an infinite study that celebrates a diversity of viewpoints and emphasizes our
continuity with, and responsibility to, the past and future.

Benefits of Studying History:

Personal benefits derive from helping individuals attain their identity by finding
their own place in the history of the world.

The study of history helps individuals better understand and study other subjects
in the humanities.

Studying history helps unify citizens into communities by creating a national

identity.

Chap. 12) How Do I Engage Students in Interpreting the Earth and Its People Through
Geography?
Literate Citizens are aware of:
1. What is happening in the world
2. Why it is happening
3. How it affects other people throughout the world as well as themselves.
Five Themes of Geography:
1. Location, Positon on the Earths Surface
2. Place, Natural and Cultural Characteristics
3. Relationships within Places, Humans and Environments

4. Movement, Humans Interacting on the Earth

5. Regions, How They Form & Change
The Six Elements of Geography Education
1. The World in Spatial Terms
2. Places and Regions
3. Physical Systems
4. Human Systems
5. Environment and Society
6. The Uses of Geography

How Do I Assist Students in Making Economic Decisions?

Chapter 13 Take-Aways

If kindergarteners have interest in and seek knowledge about money, why do you think older
students and adults lack the knowledge & ability to handle money well?"

Economics is based on the realization that people want more than the resources available
can provide

Economics as a body of knowledge includes the concepts, generalizations, and theories

developed by people to try to extend their scarce natural, human, and capable resources
so that they can fulfill their basic needs and as many of their wants as possible

Microeconomics is the study of individual households, companies, and markets and of

how resources and prices combine to distribute wealth and products

Macroeconomics is the study of the big picture, of the economy as a whole. Provides an
overview of the conditions in an entire nation

The Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all the goods and services produced in
a nation for a year. Enables us to compare production among nations

How Do I Teach Students to Learn Through Multiple Assessments & Evaluation?

Chapter 14 Take-Aways

Assessment and evaluation are positive processes involving the learner and helping teachers
structure learning environments. Their goal is to meet the students needs to reach the goals of
the social studies program.

Assessment is collecting evidence of learning as you journey toward accomplishing your

learning objectives

Evaluation comes after you complete the journey and ascertains how well that journey
met your expectations. It is the process of using information to judge whether a program
is meeting the students need effectively.
o Tells us what students needs are
o How well we have met those needs, and
o What we might reform to better meet students needs in both the
affective & cognitive domains

Formative Evaluation ascertains how well students engage in a lesson or unit & how well
students are accomplishing the objectives toward which they are working

Summative Evaluation students progress is examined at the end of an activity, unit, or

part of the curriculum

Modes of Assessment:

Checklists

Individual portfolios

Classroom Websites

Journals

Quality Circles

Self-Evaluation Reports