433 Syllabus 1

Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary School, Pre-K-3

Curriculum & Instruction 433
Spring 2013
Ellen E. Fairchild, Ph.D.

515 294-8767 (W)

515 275-2652 (H)
E155B Lagomarcino Hall
ellens.class@gmail.com

Office hours: TR 1-2 p.m. (Tentative pending meeting schedule.) You can always arrange a meeting time via email.

Text: There is no text for this course – more on that later! I will ask you to read selected articles from Blackboard Learn.

Goals for this course:

Students will be able to:
 Evaluate the importance of social studies and its purpose in primary educational environments
 Describe what powerful social studies looks like and identify important elements of such instruction
 Explain and implement the role of inquiry, concepts, Big Ideas and Essential Questions in social studies
curriculum units
 Identify and implement effective instructional strategies for teaching concepts, skills, and attitudes in the
elementary classroom
 Identify and implement effective strategies for assessing social studies learning objectives in the classroom
 Identify and evaluate resources for social studies curriculum
Course Requirements:

Attendance and Participation: You are expected to attend and actively participate in classes. Readings listed in the
schedule should be read before class on the day for which they are listed. The readings will provide the basis for our class
discussions and activities. If you are unable to attend class, please notify me as soon as possible (within 24 hours before
or after class.) Multiple unexcused absences can result in a failing grade for the course.
Assignments: Due dates are listed on the syllabus. All assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade in this
course.
Internet Access: Please make sure that I have the email address you check most often. I will send announcements and
certain assignments/tests via email, so it is essential that you read your email via a home computer or one located here on
campus. There may also be websites that I will periodically ask you to explore.

My Expectations

I believe learning, by its essence, is a dynamic process that occurs best in a collaborative, supportive environment. Each
individual possesses knowledge, experiences, and abilities that provide a vital contribution to the learning environment.
Learning requires being engaged, taking risks, supporting others, and, at times, teaching. To create a learning
environment, I expect each of us, including me, to be involved in these activities.

I expect you to attend class, to prepare for class in advance, and to actively participate in class discussions, activities, and
assignments. You may expect the same from me. You may also expect me to be engaged with you as an active learner, to
give careful consideration to your work, to provide additional assistance or resources as needed, and to respect your
thoughts, opinions, and experiences. I expect you to provide the same to one another. Use of computers and cell phones
for purposes other than classwork is absolutely unacceptable. If found texting, reading email, Facebooking,
internet searching, etc. you will be warned; upon the second warning your grade will drop half a letter grade (i.e A
to A-). I simply do not tolerate this.
 433 Syllabus 2

Departmental Expectations
1) Be there/stay there
a. Attend full class sessions
b. Be on time
2) Be prepared
a. Complete required readings
b. Complete assignments
c. Be ready to engage in class discussion and activities
3) Be engaged
a. Actively participate in class discussions and activities
b. Communicate ideas professionally
c. Consider new ideas, be open-minded
d. Be a risk taker
e. Remain on task
f. Use digital technology relevant to classroom purposes
4) Be respectful
a. Of others and their perspectives
b. Of the instructor
c. Of class content and ideas

Course Policies:

Academic Honesty: Academic honesty and integrity are essential to higher education. You are expected to do your own
work, original for this class, and to be familiar with the University’s policies on academic dishonesty. Academic
dishonesty, including plagiarism (includes things like using information from books, journals, or the World Wide Web
without giving proper credit), unauthorized use of information in taking an examination, or handing in a project as your
own that was based on another person’s project whether from current or previous semesters (even if it is substantially
changed) will result in a failing grade for the course as well as the potential for pursuit through the University judicial
process. For more information regarding the university’s policy on academic dishonesty see
http://www.dso.iastate.edu/ja/academic/faculty.html

Course Accommodations: If you have a disability that requires accommodation in order for you to realize your full
potential in this course, please contact me early in the semester. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities
should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from the Disability Resources office (294-
7220), located in 1076 Student Services Building.

Respect for Diversity: It is my hope that all students will be well served by this course and that the diversity each of us
brings to the class will be viewed as a valuable resource. If you have concerns about the respect for diversity in this class,
or if you experience conflicts with major religious holidays, please bring them to my attention as soon as possible.

Student Complaint Procedures: If you feel that you have been treated unfairly or if you experience a problem related to
this course, please bring it to my attention right away so we can work together to resolve the situation. If you remain
dissatisfied, you may discuss the situation with Dr. Dale Neiderhauser, Director of Undergraduate Education.

Confidentiality: During the course of class discussions, class members or guest speakers may reveal personal or school
district information. The rules of confidentiality are in effect. This means that you are not to discuss any of this type of
information outside of class. If you feel the need to process information shared in class with family members or other
faculty, please do not reveal specifics that will allow what you are sharing to be attributed to a particular class member,
teacher or school district. Likewise, in your assignments, do not identify, by name, a specific teacher, student, or school
district.
 433 Syllabus 3
Semester Assignments:

In-class participation: 100 points

This will be comprised of in-class activities and homework that will
be assigned during class.
(Individual and group)

Midterm 50 points
This will be a take-home final completed and returned during
practicum break. Due date to be determined by class
(Individual)

Webquest (Group) 50 points

Due by the beginning of class, Wednesday, April 3rd

Current Events essay (Individual) 25 points

Due by the beginning of class, Wednesday, April 24th

Final project (Group) 50 points

Due at designated time during Finals Week
Total 275
Rubrics for assignments are located at the end of this syllabus

Grading Scale

A 93-100% C 73-76.9%
A- 90-92.9% C- 70-73.9%
B+ 87-89.9% D+ 67-69.9%
B 83-86.9% D 63-66.9%
B- 80-82.9% D- 60-63.9%
C+ 77-79.9% F Less Than 60%
 433 Syllabus 4
Lecture Schedule:
Instructor reserves the right to amend this schedule throughout the semester

This course focuses on

 Current best-practice, research-based approaches to the teaching and learning of social sciences
 Integration of technology in teaching and student learning in social sciences
 Classroom management as it applies to social science methods

The logistics of this course, with a four-week practicum break, followed by a week-long spring break necessitates the
splitting of the course into two rather distinct sections. During the first 5 weeks of the course I will address the larger
social studies curriculum. The last six weeks of the course will be devoted to the specific content areas typically found in
an elementary social studies curriculum. While you may learn content knowledge because of the class activities and
expectations, social studies content acquisition is not the intent of this course. We will be focusing, instead, on the design
and implementation of a powerful social studies curriculum.

Class discussion and in-class activities will flow organically from the readings and lecture. Because of that, it is difficult
to organize an exact reading schedule. I offer the following schedule to help you stay on track , but know that they may
not fully match what we are talking about in class.

About the text: As you noticed, there is no text required for this course. Over my years of teaching Social Studies
Methods, I have never found a text that does what I want it to do for the Primary Social Studies teacher. And, we have
often combined the 443and 433 courses. This year we get our own section – Yay! To that end, I have developed a course
that does not use a text. Instead, I will ask you to read a series of articles from the NCSS publication, Social Studies and
the Young Learner. They will be located on Blackboard Learn. Therefore, this is a class in transition and as such I will
probably be adding readings (and potentially deleting readings) as the semester goes on. I will connect all the readings
with lecture material. There will be multiple in-class activities as we go through the semester. So, please be patient, read
what I ask you to, and then do the hard work of being responsible for your learning from the standpoint of taking the
readings and applying them to what we are talking about in class. As much as I am able I will make connections, but,
ultimately YOU have to do this for yourself (it is no different when there is a textbook to read.) So..let's get this party
started!

WEEK (Remember - each week contains 2 class periods):

1-2 (3 class periods due to Martin Luther King Holiday)

During weeks one and two, we will review the syllabus and study the tenets of Critical Thinking. We will then establish
how critical thinking fits into the social studies curriculum. We will also begin our discussions of the current status of
social studies in the elementary curriculum.
Readings for weeks 1-2:
In Response to NCLB: A Case for Retaining the Social Studies
Critical Thinking
Service Learning and Thinking
Real World Problems and Thinking
Strategies to Teach Openmindedness
Powerful social studies position paper
 433 Syllabus 5

3-5 (6 class periods)

These weeks are spent looking at how we currently teach social studies and how that is dramatically different from the
way I (or, I would guess even you!) learned it; Big Ideas and Essential Questions now comprise our view of social studies
education. We begin the task of learning how to create a powerful social studies curriculum and determine where units
and their subsequent lessons fit; understanding standards and the Iowa Core are essential to these discussions. As we
learn how to create good social studies units, we will also determine best ways to teach and assess what we are asking our
children to know.
Readings for weeks 3-5:
Navigating Mandates
Coherence
Big Ideas
Assessment
Interdisciplinary

6-10 Practicum break - remember your Midterm is due during this time!
Spring Break

11-16 (12 class periods)

The final weeks of class are devoted to the best practices associated with the content areas comprising elementary social
studies (history, economics, geography, civics). During these weeks we will practice writing multiple lesson plans in
class. Particular emphasis is devoted to historical inquiry and primary sources. Two major assignments are due during
this time…Historical webquest and the current events essay.
Readings for weeks 11-16:
Caring Classroom
Designing class space
Making Comparisons
Using Photography to tell a story
Newspapers
Podcasts
Pairing Folktales with nonfiction
Oral History
Electronic Field Trips
Artifacts
Mystery of History
Thanksgiving
Both Webquest articles ( 2nd and 3rd grades)
Google Earth
Communities
Geography and World Citizenship
If the World Were a Village
Introducing kids to government
Kindergarteners concept of voting
Teaching about symbols
Literature and decision making - elections
Current Events
Reconsidering Wants and Needs
Economics
Money

17 Finals Week – during designated time Final Project due

 433 Syllabus 6

DPI

There is no DPI designated for this course, therefore, there is no artifact associated with this class.

Lesson Plan Format

As we go through the semester you will be writing a variety of lesson plans. I will give you direct instructions for each
lesson plan, but as a rule, a good lesson plan includes the following:

1. Unit Goals: They must be measurable, age appropriate, and connected to standards
2. Lesson Objectives for Each Lesson: Do they directly relate to your unit goals? Show me, in some way, which
unit goal(s) is/are being met (either in total or in part) by each lesson objective. They, too, must be measurable,
age appropriate, and connected to standards.
3. Materials list: What does each child need for this lesson? What do YOU need for this lesson?
4. Procedure: You will need sufficient detail in your procedure so that a substitute could easily teach your lesson.
5. What instructional strategies are you using and why?
6. What are the essential questions that will be asked/answered for the lesson?
7. Evaluation/assessment: I will look particularly for how you are assessing your lesson objectives. Include the
actual recording device/rubric.
8. Resource bibliography