Final Reflection

            Social Studies has always been and continues to be my favorite subject, and this Social Studies methods course was no exception.  I learned so much through taking this course.  The most important bit of information that I learned is that I do not know everything there is to know about Social Studies.  There are so many resources that I can pull from in order to inform my instruction.  The National Council for the Social Studies is one great resource.  They provide materials for teachers as well as national standards for the teaching of Social Studies.  Professional development activities and Social Studies journals are also great resources for teachers to explore.  Teachers can also conduct Internet research to expand their knowledge about certain topics.  I also learned that it is more important to “uncover” Social Studies concepts rather than “cover” them.  Simply seeing how much material you can cover in a year does not guarantee that students are learning, but teaching students how to use their critical thinking and problem solving skills to answer questions does assure student learning.  It is important to allow students to think and discuss in the classroom.  Social Studies instruction should not consist of the teacher standing at the front of the room lecturing, but it should be a journey of discovery.

            I realize that Social Studies is one of the subjects that has been pushed aside in the current push for standardized testing.  I feel that this is the wrong move to make.  Social Studies is just as important as other subjects taught in schools today.  Students have to have a basic knowledge of their history so that they will not repeat the mistakes of past generations.  They also need basic geographic knowledge.  I feel that students need to have a general idea of where countries are located.  There are so many different countries mentioned on the news today, and I feel that students need to have a general idea of their locations.  One way to help bring Social Studies back to the forefront of the classroom is to use integration.  It is so easy to integrate Social Studies in Language Arts.  There are many great pieces of literature that have Social Studies theme.  There are lots of creative art and music projects that students can do that integrate Social Studies.  Integration of this subject is so easy, and it will help provide students with the Social Studies knowledge that they will need. 

            I feel like I have really been able to form my curriculum ideology by taking this class.  I believe that my classroom will be learner centered.  I believe that the focus of class should be on the learner.  The teacher should provide instruction that guides the student to discovering knowledge.  I also feel that active learning is a key part of making Social Studies interesting to students.  Completing projects and participating in discussions is much more effective than teacher lecture.  I also plan to start each day with a morning meeting.  These meetings help set the tone for the day, and the teachers can set goals for the day.

            To conclude, I have learned so much through this Social Studies methods course.  I have learned so much from Dr. Meier, and I plan to take much of this information to my own classroom.  This has been a great semester, and this class has been very beneficial.

Integrating Literature

There are so many great pieces of literature that are Social Studies themed. By reading literary works  students can be transported back to the time and place of famous historical events. They are able to experience the emotions and struggles of the characters and empathize with those characters. This is also a great way to integrate Social Studies and Language Arts . If  there is little time devoted to Social Studies instruction, use literature to teach it. Use a literary work to spark a discussion.  I know that Social Studies is one of the subjects that is being pushed to side in the classroom, and I think that is terrible. In my opinion, Social Studies is just as important as Mathematics and Language Arts. Despite the fact that my Social Studies classes consisted of reading and answering questions, Social Studies was always my favorite subject. I want to try to teach Social Studies everyday, and I feel that integrating Social Studies and Literature is the key to exposing students to Social Studies concepts. 

Living History Museum

I had a blast during the living history museum last week in class.  It was so much fun to hear about so many historical characters. I was introduced to several people who I had not heard of before, and I also learned some new and interesting information about people I had studied. I think this is a great teaching tool, and I plan to use it in my future classroom. This is a great way for students to learn about so many important people from the past, but it also a way for students to develop research skills. The living history museum was my favorite activity of the semester, and it was great to learn so much. I had heard of my character before, but I had no idea about the impact that J.P. Morgan had on the banking industry. This was such an enjoyable experience, and I think that elementary students would greatly enjoy participating in it.

Fact, Question, Response (FQR)

I liked the comprehension strategy that we studied in class last week.  I think that it is very important to teach comprehension strategies to students, especially for content area reading.  Students sometimes find content area reading boring, and they may read it without comprehending the material.  FQR is a great strategy to get students to think about what they are reading and to get them to respond to it.  I know that sometimes when I would read textbooks, I would read it and not remember anything about what I read.  I wish I had known about FQR then so that I could have gotten more out of my reading.  FQR is a wonderful strategy, and I plan to use it in my own classroom.

Social Studies Book Talk

I enjoyed the book talks that we did in class last week. I learned about so many books that would be great to use in my classroom, and I feel that literature is a great way to integrate Social Studies into the Language Arts curriculum.  I also feel that the book talk is a great tool to use in the classroom.  I think that having students read a piece of literature and then promote it to the rest of the class is a great idea.  I think this would interest other students in the books more than the teacher making suggestions.  It seems to me that children take the opinions of their peers more seriously than those of the teacher.  I feel like this would be an excellent way to promote reading for enjoyment and entertainment.

My Social Studies Classroom

I want to use fun and innovative techniques to teach Social Studies.  I plan to use a combination of group work, class discussions, and performance based projects.  I feel like Social Studies is essential for students, and I hope to spark their interest in the subject.  I want my students to learn about the many different types of people.  I want my classroom to be a safe place where students will feel that they are all equal and can express their beliefs without fear of persecution. 

            Diversity is a major part of the Social Studies curriculum, and I definitely want to teach it in a way that fosters positive feelings toward diverse cultures.  I want my students to be ready to be a part of the global community, and the only way that they will be able to participate in that community is to have a knowledge about other cultures.  I am very excited about entering the classroom, and I hope that I will have the opportunity to have diverse students.  I am sure that I will be able to learn from them and increase my knowledge about different cultures.  I know that there is still much that I have to learn about other cultures, but I am willing to research in order to be a culturally knowledgeable educator.        

Story Path

We began story path on Monday in my Social Studies class.  This is a great activity to use in the Elementary classroom.  Students create their own characters and actively participate in problem solving.  I think that is also a great way to integrate subjects.  Students can participate in reading and writing activities while they are working on a Social Studies project.  Story path also incorporates art into the classroom.  Students have to create the landscape where their story path is taking place.  I feel like story path is a way to engage all students.  There is something that all students could find to enjoy about story path.  I hope to be able to use this activity in my classroom to help make my Social Studies classes fun and interesting.