Summary
Contents
With an emphasis on active learning, this supplementary text helps busy elementary and middle school teachers engage all students in the vibrant world of social studies. This inquiry-based book presents hands-on explorations, interaction with primary sources, and critical thinking activities, that provide concrete methods to successfully integrate the language arts into the social studies curriculum.
Key Features
Promotes the development of literacy skills by authentically integrating language arts; Supports differentiated instruction for specific grade levels, English language learners, and students with special needs; Connects to standards in language arts, social studies, and technology
Unit IV: Past and Present
National social studies curriculum standards (National Council for the Social Studies, 1994) emphasize the importance of developing historical perspective. However, many students are currently receiving social studies instruction that focuses simply on basic historical facts such as isolated names and dates without the rich context that surrounds these names, dates, and events (Vogler & Virtue, 2007).
Working with primary sources can provide an authentic view into the past that informational text does not (Morris, 2002). Letters may express genuine emotion and beliefs more accurately than a chapter in a textbook. A photo of a clothing iron made of cast iron does not accurate belie the difficulty of its use the same way handling such an object would. For students, these experiences ...
