Social Studies in the Elementary School

Course Description:

Provides students with an overview of the field of social studies, of selected issues in the field, and of best practice strategies for teaching social studies to young children. Encourages participants to reflect on what social studies knowledge, skills and dispositions are most important? How do students learn these most effectively? Given answers to these, how can we best teach social studies? Includes a field-based experiential component. Taken concurrently with EDCI 362.

American public education was developed, in part, to prepare future generations of Americans to take their place as active, thoughtful democratic citizens. Because our democracy is no longer quite so young, nor quite so fragile as it was several generations ago, many citizens now take our democratic way of life for granted. This is a dangerous trend for "democracy is not a machine that will go of itself, but must be consciously reproduced, one generation instructing the next in the knowledge and skills as well as the civic character and commitments required for its sustenance (Task Force on Civic Education, 1995, p. 3)." Democratic societies cannot exist without democratic citizens, so developing a citizenry grounded in the tenets of a democratic society seems an appropriate and worthy goal of our educational system.

Every widely held rationale for social studies education highlights the preeminent role of the social studies in the preparation of these democratic citizens (Barr, Barth and Shermis, 1977; Engle and Ochoa, 1988; Parker and Jarilomek, 1997). Indeed, the National Council for the Social Studies (1994) has defined the primary purpose of the field as helping "young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world (p. 3)." Barr, Barth and Shermis (1977) concluded that the overriding purpose of the social studies was citizenship education. The Indiana Department of Education, in its Social Studies Proficiencies Guide (1996), argued that the fundamental goal of social studies education should be to develop students' abilities to "make well-informed, well-reasoned decisions and to act responsibly" as citizens (p.3).

Central to this mission of citizenship education is the development in students of what Parker and Jarilomek (1997) called "civic efficacy" or "the readiness and willingness to assume citizenship responsibilities (p. 11)." What then should 'good' democratic citizens be able to do? What do democratic citizens need to know? What dispositions or values should 'good' democratic citizens possess? Engle and Ochoa (1988) argued that good democratic citizens need a basic knowledge drawn from history and the social sciences. Examples of such content knowledge included knowledge about: the history, geography and cultures of the neighborhood, the community, the US and the world; the foundations of American democracy and constitutionalism; the world of work, production and consumption; human institutions such as the family, education and governments; and current events and enduring public issues.

Parker and Jarilomek (1997) argued that certain dispositions are also crucial to democratic citizenship. Among these were: a commitment to the public values of a society; a commitment to basic human rights; a desire to treat others with respect; the valuing of diversity and a reasoned loyalty to one's nation. Finally Engle and Ochoa (1988) argued that, because of the decision-making inherent in democratic societies, successful citizens needed to possess certain intellectual and political skills. Among these are: problem-solving; information gathering; the ability to distinguish fact from opinion; determining the public good and acting to proliferate it; and participating in community, state and national political processes.

These goals for social studies education are lofty indeed and difficulties in attaining them are exacerbated by the perceived lack of time for this content in elementary classrooms. Goodlad (1984) found that, after science, social studies was rated by students as the most difficult and the least interesting among elementary school subjects. Similarly, elementary school teachers spent an average of less that 20 minutes per day (about 1.5 hours per week) teaching social studies.

Because the development of future democratic citizens is so critical to the perpetuation of our democratic, civil society, and because the full implementation of citizenship education will only come with improved student and teacher attitudes toward the social studies, is essential that future teachers be exposed to the tenets of civic efficacy and to the sound pedagogy needed to facilitate the development of such tenets.

In order to achieve these goals, the aim and substance of the proposed course is in concert with the broader goals of citizenship education outlined above. However, because the goals of social studies are necessarily broad (i.e., the construct of 'civic efficacy'--as defined by Parker and Jarilomek--entails a range of elements including content knowledge from the social studies disciplines, inquiry skills, social skills as well as democratic dispositions), it is in the interest of the preservice teacher that a variety of approaches to social studies education be examined. Indeed, is it likely that new elementary teachers in Indiana will be expected to demonstrate that their social studies teaching mirrors the state and national curriculum standards in social studies (each of which are based on both a 'discipline-based paradigm' and an 'expanding environments paradigm') and that they are meeting the goals of social studies education (i.e., developing competent democratic citizens). Embedded in the latter of these expectations is a belief that 'good' democratic citizens need a variety of abilities, some of which entail having certain content knowledge. This broad approach is not incongruous with the nature of the INTASC Principles which state clearly that "the teacher understands the central concepts…and stuctures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches….." Thus, the organizing principle of the course is to expose students to a wide range of approaches, all of which can ultimately contribute to developing children's civic efficacy.

EDCI 361 is part of Block III of the new Elementary Teacher Education Program. EDCI 361 shares the block with EDCI 362: Literacy in the Elementary School I. EDCI 361 is connected to EDCI 362 through: a) a shared core assignment (i.e., the Thematic Unit, outlined later in this document); b) common and linked expectations and assignments for the Theory into Practice component of the course (e.g., informal and formal observations of preservice teachers’ pedagogy; formal lesson plans/reflection papers, reflection journal, outlined later in this document); and c) corresponding weights for analogous course assignments (although modified to match number of credit hours assigned to each course). In addition, these courses share a commitment to developing reflective practitioners who seek to foster children’s intellectual, social, and emotional development.

The following table indicates the INTASC Principles addressed in EDCI 361:

1. To provide pre-service social studies teachers with opportunities to develop awareness of their role as democratic citizens; to help pre-service teachers develop their own definition of democratic citizenship and corresponding rationale for teaching social studies; and to help pre-service teachers identify curricular opportunities to foster civic efficacy in their students. INTASC 1, 4

2. To help pre-service social studies teachers understand the various disciplines that comprise the social studies and the content knowledge that stems from these disciplines; and to help pre-service teachers identify the various ways in which these disciplines view the world. INTASC 1, 7

3. To provide pre-service social studies teachers with opportunities to experience sound pedagogical techniques, grounded in the disciplines of the social studies, for facilitating the development of civic efficacy in their students, including the development of decision-making skills and the adoption of democratic dispositions. INTASC 4, 7

4. To increase pre-service social studies teachers' knowledge and understanding of the ways in which elementary students experience the civic world, both within and outside of school, in a democratic society and of ways in which elementary students can participate in the larger civic society (e.g., service learning, community projects) INTASC 2, 5, 9, 10

5. To increase pre-service social studies teachers' knowledge of state and national curriculum documents in social studies and to help pre-service teachers employ these documents in the development of sound instructional plans. INTASC 1

6. To help pre-service social studies teachers gain experience in sound instructional strategies such as: discrepant event inquiry, integration of children's literature in the social studies, concept attainment, multicultural education and the use of current events in social studies instruction. INTASC 4, 6, 7

7. To help pre-service social studies teachers develop skills needed to review various instructional materials for validity and appropriate pedagogy including social studies textbooks, World Wide Web sites and computer-based technologies. INTASC 6

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1. Diversity. Given the nature of the social studies--both as a discipline and as citizenship education--issues of diversity are integral to this course. Participants will discuss how appreciation for diversity is essential in a democracy and that, in a democracy, the concept majority rule must be followed by minority rights. Participants will be exposed to a wide range of cultural study including an overview of multicultural education in the social studies and the use of cultural artifacts in historical analysis and inquiry. Unlike EDCI 285, however, this cultural study will revolve around opportunities in the social studies curriculum. Indeed, the Indiana Department of Education's Social Studies Proficiency Guide stresses the need for elementary students to understand "cultures of the world in terms of diversity, commonalities and interrelationships (p. 5)." Participants in EDCI 361 will be expected to know this and other Proficiencies as they relate to cultural diversity; both from an historic and a current events perspective. Most, if not all, course topics are grounded in some cultural study. For example, the discussion of geography in 361 revolves around the National Geographic Society's Five Themes of Geography, one of which is human-environment interaction. In class, students might discuss the nature of housing for various cultural groups (Inuit, Native Americans, etc.) and determine the impact of geography (climate, etc.) on house structure.

Students in EDCI 361 will also be exposed to strategies for varying social studies instruction in order to address issues of diversity among elementary students including the selection and adaptation of materials to meet the individual interests, needs, and learning styles of students including ability-level differences that range from struggling to gifted learners. Finally, the university instructors associated with Block III will work with special education and gifted education professionals to review and augment each course syllabus to reflect issues associated with special needs and abilities populations integrate appropriate issues related to special needs populations into each course. University instructors will also work with special educators in elementary settings to ensure that preservice teachers observe social studies instruction created for students with special needs and abilities.

2. Technology. Technology is addressed as a vehicle for teaching and learning in the social studies. As this is a methods course, the focus is on the identification and use of appropriate instructional technology. The course will help participants add to their technological repertoire by exposing them to the uses of the WWW (via course WebPages, Internet assignments, and a 361 WWW workshop), CD-ROM and computer-based technology available in the social studies (via a Technology Resource Center 'scavenger hunt') as well as more mundane forms of instructional technology such as overhead use and visual materials creation (via class presentations and activities). Participants will be required to demonstrate proficiency by integrating appropriate technology in their Theory into Practice assignments and in the shared unit plan assignment for this Block.

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Much of the course focuses on a developmental model--drawn from the Indiana Social Studies Proficiency Guide--known as the expanding environments curriculum. In this social studies curriculum (widely adopted by many states across the country) the focus in kindergarten is on the individual in the social world. In first grade that focus moves out to the family, in second grade to the neighborhood and community and in third grade to communities around the world. In fourth grade, students study the state of Indiana, in fifth grade the United States and in sixth grade, cultures of the Western World. EDCI 361 will provide participants with a variety of experiences across these grade level foci and with opportunities to plan and implement instruction at several different developmental levels.

Students in EDCI 361 will also be exposed to strategies for varying social studies instruction (and assessment) in order to address developmental issues among elementary students. In addition, students will experience both a primary rotation (K-2) and an intermediate rotation (3-5) in their Block III Theory into Practice component.

EDCI 361 is a 3-hour course with a field-based component. EDCI 361 is the vehicle through which pre-service teachers will be introduced to the social studies; its nature, the disciplines that undergird it and appropriate strategies for sharing it with young children. In order to develop these important issues, students will explore social studies teaching and learning through activity-based classroom discussions, classroom-based reflective assignments and field-based Theory-Into-Practice projects.

The format for EDCI 361 is as follows. Each semester 4-5 sections of the course will be offered with approximately 20-25 students in each section. All sections of the course will be coordinated by a faculty member (a rotating responsibility); the coordinator will ensure that there is communication among instructors, and that a similar, high quality experience is available to all preservice teachers across all sections of the course. Our goal is for each section of the course to taught off-campus in an elementary school. This goal is subject to resource availability (e.g., appropriate and available school sites, school-based mentors and university staff). It is proposed that the course be taught on-site at an elementary school because it will allow preservice students to become part of the school community and will facilitate the process of learning about the social studies and how they are taught in the elementary curriculum by allowing students to put into practice, in an actual classroom, the concepts learned in EDCI 361. Thus, the coordinators will also facilitate communication between Purdue personnel and mentor teachers in the schools with respect to the field-based component of the course.

[Assignments marked with an asterisk (*) are required; these have been developed to address current research findings in teacher education and performance based-standards.

Assignments marked with a double asterisk (**) are optional, depending on school sites and circumstances]

EDCI 361 and EDCI 362 will share a three contact-hour per week, non-credit experience (Theory Into Practice, or TIP). This Block III TIP will be allocated across both courses and has been designed to allow preservice teachers the opportunity to work in a variety of elementary classrooms, with children from diverse cultural and social backgrounds operating at various developmental levels. Preservice teachers will work in classrooms for approximately 45 minutes during each of two TIP sessions per class meeting day (1.5 hours per day). Preservice teachers will participate in two rotations, each six weeks in length. Specifically, students will work in a primary classroom (K, 1, or 2) and an intermediate classroom (3, 4, or 5/6). Preservice teachers will be divided into teams of 4-5; each team will be placed in a particular mentor teacher’s classroom. Team members will work together planning and teaching lessons but will also independently design lessons for and teach elementary children.

Teaching Experiences in Elementary Classrooms.* Preservice teachers will work with mentor classroom teachers to determine the specific daily activities they will participate in. It is suggested that university instructors and school-based colleagues will have planned for students to do some of the following during each of these TIP sessions: (a) observe social studies/literacy lessons taught by mentor teachers and talk with teachers about how he/she organizes and plans for social studies/literacy instruction; (b) assist the teacher in social studies/literacy instruction with individual children, small groups and the whole class (e.g., students may work with individual children, help guide a small group investigation or inquiry or help children with social studies activities after instruction has been provided by the classroom teacher); and (c) prepare and teach lessons (preferably drawn from the Thematic Unit) that match the curriculum and activities occurring in the classroom as well as trying out concepts and strategies presented in EDCI 361/EDCI 362 (e.g., social studies concept attainment activities, inquiry teaching, cooperative learning). Our goal is for preservice teachers to work individually with children over time during the rotation, to teach at least one small group session, and to team-teach one whole class social studies lesson with their Purdue colleagues/team. To link the learning across EDCI 361 and 362, preservice teachers will use literacy content knowledge and pedagogical strategies as they teach social studies lessons and social studies content knowledge and strategies as they teach literacy lessons.

Reflection Journal*. At the conclusion of each day’s Theory into Practice experience, students will be asked to write two entries in a journal, allowing them to reflect upon activities they observed or participated in related to literacy and social studies. The literacy entry would include responses to questions such as those that follow: What activities did you and the children participate in today (describe what occurred)? What did you learn from watching closely and talking with students about their literacy knowledge and development? What did you learn about yourself as a teacher? What might you do differently in a subsequent teaching experience? What did you learn by closely observing and reflecting upon the mentor teacher’s pedagogy? How do your observations relate to the course readings and class discussions? Similar questions would be posed related to social studies. To link the learning across EDCI 362 and 361, preservice teachers will be asked to compare and contrast their literacy and social studies responses to the questions listed above and to write a summary of this comparative analysis. This activity will occur at multiple points across the semester and will be assessed by the EDCI 362 instructors. Excerpts from the reflective journal entries will also be read and discussed at the beginning of each university class period or via the electronic listserv. Preservice students will share reflective pieces from their journals and the class will compare and contrast/problem solve what they are learning about the development of children and their pedagogy. Finally, preservice students will partner as "journal buddies," reading and responding to each other’s entries 3-4 times a semester. The instructor will grade the completed journal in a pass/fail manner.

Formal Lessons/Reflection Papers*. Preservice teachers will be asked to design and teach two formal lessons covering content taught in EDCI 361, one during each rotation experience (2 total). Preservice teachers will teach a literacy lesson and then reflect upon what occurred during the lesson and what they might do differently. This critical analysis will be compiled in a reflection paper following their experiences. The lesson plan and reflection paper will be submitted for a grade (see Theory into Practice assignment). Preservice teachers will also create, teach, and reflect upon lessons taught during the literacy phase of the TIP. To link the learning across EDCI 362 and 361, future teachers will be asked to examine what they learned about learners, content, and pedagogy after teaching literacy and social studies lessons. Students will then write a comparative analysis statement and submit this cross content area teaching analysis with the lessons they select to place in their professional portfolio. This write-up will be assessed by the EDCI 362 instructors.

Overall Assessment of Preservice Teachers’ Pedagogical Development During the Two Rotations*. University instructors will work with school-based mentor teachers to assess students’ pedagogical development over the course of the rotation experience. The overall assessment will include three components: (a) informal conversations between the mentor teacher and student following practica experiences, (b) formal and informal observations with feedback from the university mentor, and (c) end-of-rotation feedback from the mentor teacher and university instructor. The formal lesson plans and the reflection journal will be used as secondary data sources for the overall assessment. To link the learning across EDCI 362 and 361, a similar form will be used to assess students performances during the TIP.

Pre- and Post-Rotation Interview**. A small team of Purdue students will schedule a meeting with a school-based mentor teacher prior to beginning their Theory into Practice rotation (either before or after school—at the mentor teacher’s convenience). During this meeting, the team of students will informally interview the teacher to understand the following: his/her philosophy of teaching literacy and social studies; the various developmental levels of students within the class; the daily/weekly schedule of activities and the materials used; assessment measures used to understand and document literacy and social studies learning; and current activities and future plans for students’ literacy and social studies learning. The students and mentor teacher will then design a tentative schedule of activities to ensure that the preservice teachers know what to do each time they visit the classroom and have the opportunities outlined in items (a) through (c) in the previous paragraph. To link the learning across EDCI 362 and 361, future teachers will be asked to examine what they learned about the mentor teacher’s philosophy concerning learners, content, and pedagogy related to literacy and social studies as well as identify similarities and differences in the mentor teacher’s perspectives across content areas. Notes will be taken by each student during the interview; these will form the basis for the first entry in the Reflection Journal assignment.

At the close of the rotation, students will again meet as a team with their mentor teacher. This session will allow the students to reflect with the teacher about what they have learned about individual students’ literacy and social studies development, consider feedback from their mentor on how to improve their pedagogy, collaboratively discuss ideas for the children’s future activities, and revisit themes and questions posed in the first interview session based on what was observed and experienced in the practica. In particular, students will reflect on the mentor teacher’s statements about his/her philosophy of literacy and social studies learning and teaching and what this philosophy looked like in practice. Students will also reflect upon their own philosophy prior to the practica and how/why changes/shifts may have occurred in their thinking based upon recent experiences in classrooms with elementary-level children. Again, students will compare and contrast what they learn about literacy and social studies teaching and learning. Students will take notes during the post interview and use these as they write their final reflective journal entry.

The following theme foci will be developed throughout the course of the semester:

[A single asterisk denotes a required assignment; a double asterisk denotes and optional assignment]

Thematic Unit Project*. Either alone or with a partner, students will prepare a complete set of materials for conducting a two-week or three-week integrated language arts thematic unit that could be used in an elementary school classroom. Emphasis should be placed on explaining the skills and strategies that are taught in each of the activities in the unit, as well as how all of the activities fit together and match your unit’s learning goals to provide children with a meaningful, motivating, and instructionally sound set of learning experiences. The thematic unit will be completed in five steps during the semester. Portions of the unit may be taught during the TIP component if there is a match between a Purdue student’s rotation assignment and the grade level/content of the unit the student is developing.

The thematic unit project is a shared assignment across EDCI 362 and EDCI 361. First, students will choose themes for these units from a pre-approved list of social studies-related topics, identified by both the EDCI 362 and EDCI 361 instructors (see Appendix A for examples of broad topic areas from which themes might be drawn). The unit plan will be a truly "shared" assignment in that most of the required elements of the unit plan will be reviewed and evaluated by both the EDCI 362 and EDCI 361 instructors. The following table describes the required elements of the unit and the evaluation responsibilities of each instructor.

(NOTE: Joint evaluation of each of the steps above will be determined by each team of Block III instructors, prior to each step.)

Core and Optional Social Studies Assignments

[A single asterisk denotes a required assignment; a double asterisk denotes and optional assignment]

• Preparation and participation. Students will work cooperatively with their university instructor and mentor teachers at the elementary school site. Each day of the practica experience students will be expected to participate actively and appropriately in activities designed by the mentor teacher and, on occasion, students will be asked to create and teach social studies lessons. After daily work in classrooms, students will share with mentor teachers what occurred during their interactions with children. Mentor teachers' and university instructors' formal and informal observations of preservice students' work in the practica experience will also be included in the preparation/participation component of the practica experience.

• Reflective journal (Pass/fail--part of students practica preparation and participation). Students will write an entry in a journal after each day in the classroom describing what took place reflecting on what students learned about and from students and about their own pedagogy. Students receive feedback about their teaching from their classroom mentor teacher and their university instructor in an ongoing and cumulative fashion via informal conversations and formal written comments.

• Two Formal Lesson Plans/Reflection Papers. With the guidance of the mentor teacher, students will develop (or co-develop) and teach (or co-teach) a social studies lesson or activity during each of their classroom rotations (2 total). Before they teach the lesson, students will design and write a lesson plan (using the guidelines presented in EDCI 361). After they teach the lesson, students will analyze and reflect upon the lesson and their pedagogy to determine strengths, weaknesses, and potential changes. Students will then write a reflective paper that focuses on: (1) the integrity (or not) of the plan, (2) the effectiveness (or not) of their teaching, (3) the learning outcomes of children's, and (4) what preservice students would do differently next time. The lesson plans (varying page length) and reflection paper no longer than 5 pages) will be submitted together.

Democratic Citizenship Essay.* Democratic citizenship education is the heart of the social studies. Therefore, students will be asked to write a short essay outlining what they believe to be the most important characteristics of "good" democratic citizens. That is, in order for democracies to work, what must the citizens of those democracies know, be able to do and believe?

Inquiry Lesson Plan.* Using the teaching-for-inquiry model developed in class (Beyer, 1971; Dewey, 1933; VanFossen and Shiveley, 1997), students will develop a complete social studies inquiry lesson plan. (This assignment can be the Cumulative Professional Portfolio Assignment, as it follows closely with INTASC Principles 1 and 4.)

Reflective Paper.* Near the end of the semester, each student will write a reflective paper based upon the following theme: "Why Teach Social Studies in the Elementary School?" Students should use their experiences in EDCI 361, work with students and teachers and their knowledge of the social studies curriculum in Indiana in developing their reflections. (This assignment can be the Cumulative Professional Portfolio Assignment, as it follows closely with INTASC Principle 9.)

Current Event Reports.** Each student may be randomly assigned to a "Current Event Team." Each team will be responsible for presenting a brief summary of an appropriate local, state, national or international news item that might be used to teach social studies at the elementary level. Team reports will briefly summarize the current event, provide some "teacher" background information (what else do we need to know?), and indicate how this current event can be used to teach one or more of the proficiencies outlined in the IDE Proficiency Guide or how this current event might help facilitate citizenship education.

Internet Assignments**. Students may be required to complete several assignments using the Internet. These assignments might require the use of e-mail, various search engines and other information resources on the WWW. Students would be responsible for logging on to course homepages for detailed assignments.

Grading/scoring guidelines and/or rubrics will be developed for each assignment. These holistic and analytic scoring tools will be developed jointly by both the 362 and 361 instructors. The goal will be to model appropriate feedback and assessment tools for preservice teachers. Ongoing feedback for the purpose of improving learning is particularly evident in the grading of the thematic unit. Specifically, the unit plan is broken down into four steps; detailed feedback is provided on each step prior to the completion of subsequent steps. Preservice teachers use the feedback to improve the step they've just received comments on (so the completed unit plan is a revised version of all ideas), and to construct subsequent steps in the unit. The instructors of EDCI 361 will also provide on-going dialogue with students on course assignments through e-mail conversations and face-to-face meetings during office hours.

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Me, Myself and I: All About My Unique Self

Living Safely: Rules at Home and School

Everybody Has Needs and Wants

Families Here and There

Where We Live

America's Special Days

What Do People Do All Day?: Working in our Community

Communities Past and Present (Lafayette: Then and Now)

Getting From Here to There: Transportation in Our Community

Community Comparisons: Japanese, Native Americans, etc.

Where in the World is Indiana: A Geographic Introduction to Our State

Student Can't Always Get What Student Want: A Study of Scarcity and Choices

Why Did They Call Them Indians?: A Cultural Comparison of NA Peoples

Indiana Pioneers

Diverse Indiana: Cultures Across Our State

Why Would Brothers Fight?: The Civil War and Indiana

Explorations (Land, Sea, Time, Space, Self)

Citizenship: Rights and Responsibilities

Our Neighbors to the North and South