Chapter 15 Statements

Leader: Beth Franks Support Staff: Nikolette Edge, Stephanie Garicia, Alyssia Harper, Jason Henderson

Nikolette Edge
p. 256- I love that the book states that "critical thinking is a key element of teaching social studies." This seems to me to be the most important thing we can teach in any subject area. p. 260- Use Resources Beyond the Textbook- Using outside resources is imperative in all subject, but social studies seems to be the one that really needs more perspectives in order to get the full story of any historical event. p. 260- Use Primary Sources- Teaching students how to evaluate sources and find them is a skill they can use for the rest of their lives, and is directly linked to ELA standards as well. I have a great crosscurricular resource from a training session I went to for social studies and ELA. p. 263- Table 15.1- I love this unit plan and will see how I can use this in my classroom. I look forward to seeing how the social studies standards will change in TN.

Beth Franks
p. 257 Local-Global: Howard Zimm advocates teaching history not in a chronological order, but going back and forth finding similarities and analogies. This really goes against the nature of history in that it feels logical to study history in the order in which events took place. But I can see the value in linking different events together, regardless of their dates of occurrence. He also supports studying local issues and linking them to the global community so students can see how they are also linked to the global community. p. 260 Use Resources Beyond the Textbook: The history textbook should only be used as a resource or a supplement, not the whole of the curriculum. Textbooks are filled with bias and bringing in other sources will balance out the bias. Students should be exposed to different points of view and be allowed to discuss their views feely. p. 261-262 Thematic Unit: Many students, especially struggling students, respond well to the thematic unit. Since there is continuity in the subject matter, students have more time to grasp the material. Also, the

teacher can differentiate plans more easily. I use thematic units almost exclusively. When the students can focus on the same unit and not worry about new material, they can learn English skills more easily.

Stephanie Garcia
p. 254 "Social studies instruction has typically included history, geography, civics, economics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology." There are so many aspects to social studies. Teachers that teach these subjects have a lot of different aspects to include in their lessons (unless it's one of those by itself). p. 258 Interactive Social Studies. Getting the students involved is one way to motivate them. My most favorite social studies lesson was tied in with reading in the 5th grade. We read "Number the Stars". Then our teacher divided us up into the different classes of people during the Holocaust. We had to behave like the people from that class ALL day. I will forever remember that lesson because the teacher got us involved in what it felt like during that time frame. p. 258-259 Challenge Gently. Sometimes a social studies subject may include pushing students a little further. When you have a group of privileged students, sometimes showing them the "other side" may benefit them in the area of civics. It may push the students to create a call-to-action to curb a particular grievance in their area or even just a call for humility.

Alyssia Harper
P. 257- I do feel that it is extremely important to relate things to today! I feel that this helps students understand why this is important to them for their future rather than just some dates and places that does not seem relative.. P. 259- I really hope to implement a concept diagram into my class. I think that this is a great way for students to keep their thoughts and things that they may notice organized. It also helps them to think critically about what they are learning. P. 261-Using digital resources effectively is the way of the future. I think that this is a great way to captivate your audience and allows students to see these things used in a great way. I also think that this helps bring the things that they are studying to life.

Jason Henderson
p.256--Trying to get students engaged with perspectives in social studies was tricky at first. However, they all know what it is like to be in an unfamiliar situation. I show them a video of people who have been placed in a different culture and watch how they interact with new concepts and ideas. Very few things stick with my students throughout the year, but this video strikes a chord with them because of the connection with being in unfamiliar settings. p.261--Using digital resources offer up huge help. Youtube, Teachertube, and Shmoop are filled with learning communities that create videos that are specifically created for Social Studies curriculum. The kids get a big kick out of the creative expressions and connections that these media have. p.262--Using multiple ways of mastery helps encourage the students to understand that there is more than one way to success. Students learn differently, thus they need to be examined in different ways. We cannot box each student into the same neat packages. A very creative, artistic student can do many amazing things with his/her strengths, but if you make that same student conform to simple note taking and rote memory, then we limit the ability for that student to succeed.