EXTRA ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL STUDIES

Explain some of the key features of a social studies teachers edition.

Some of the key features of a Social Studies series teachers edition are as
follows: (Houghton Mifflin series)
Major parts of the book are separated in Units, and each unit starts with
a big idea.
Units start with a preview of important vocabulary words and important
concepts.
Inside the units, there are two types of lessons which are Core Lessons and
Extend Lessons.
Core Lessons include questions to activate students prior knowledge
relating to the content, vocabulary lists, suggested reading skills and
strategies, and a lesson review.
Skill building exercises are added so that students can apply their
knowledge and practice what they have learned
The series includes full unit planners where lessons are abbreviated
It includes a bibliography page for suggested reading activities
(independent, read-alouds, multi-media resources, and other references)
A section entitled, Reaching all learners, which suggests ways to address
students who need extra support, English Language Learners, as well as
ways to challenge gifted students.
It offers practice worksheets and assessment options for each unit.
It suggests opening routines for unit introduction and center activities that
can be used during the unit.
Explain each of the four social studies strands taught in Nevada.
There are four social studies strands taught in Nevadas schools. They are Geography,
History, Civic, and Economics. Geography consists of the study of people, places,
and environments, and how people are affected by the physical features of the
Earth, and how the features of our Earth are affected by people. It involves the
study of maps, navigation tools, and the distribution of populations, resources, land
use, and industries. I used this strand in my unit plan; it contains lessons about
Nevada maps. History is the study of events that have occurred in the past and
Nevada history is studied in the elementary grades. Civics is the study of human
rights, citizenship, our government, and our political system. In the elementary
setting, economics teaches students concepts about the workforce and jobs,
income, currency, businesses, communities, and resources.

Explain why you think social studies should or should not be taught in
elementary grades.
I believe social studies should definitely be included in the elementary curriculum. It is
important because social studies content relates to real life, and students will apply
what they learn in this subject area to real life situations. In my opinion, it is important for
young students to have a foundation of knowledge in social studies before entering
middle school.
If you had the ability to do it, what would you change about the
social studies curriculum in Nevada? Explain your ideas.
If I had the ability to change the social studies curriculum, I would add a strand entitled,
Human Relationships. Because social studies is the study of how humans interact with
each other and in society, I believe it would be beneficial to add content that would
enable students to build strong relationships with others, be a part of a team, be a good
friend, and ways to build excellence in social skills.
Based on what youve learned this semester, explain how your
definition of social studies has changed.
Throughout this semester, I have learned about each specific strand of social studies.
Therefore my definition has changed in that I have a better understanding of what each
strand consists of.
Explain the advantages of collaborating with other teachers.
There are many advantages to collaborating with other teachers. Teachers who
collaborate together can share their lesson ideas, effective and successful activities,
teaching strategies, management techniques, and so much more. I look forward to
collaborating with my colleagues in my future career as a teacher. I believe it will be
very beneficial to me, especially in the first couple years of teaching.
Describe your biggest a-ha moment in EDEL 453.
My biggest a-ha moment came to me when I was completing the third lesson plan. I
realized that it was a better choice for me to come up with my own ideas or use lesson
ideas online through research, rather than using the Houghton Mifflin series. Once I
started writing lesson plans using other online resources and incorporating some of my
own ideas into them as well, I felt more confident in the lessons and the entire process
started to become a bit more natural for me. I really enjoyed the lesson plan format in
this course.