Module 5

The Social Studies Instructional Materials and Resources

Lesson Outcomes:
 Identify the various instructional materials and resources used
in the teaching of social studies
 Recognize the benefits of the various instructional materials
and resources which aid in facilitating social studies lessons
 Identify some of the criteria to be considered in making and
using of instructional materials and resources
Topics
a) Meaning of Instructional Materials and Resources
b) Categories of Instructional Materials and Resources
c) Instructional Materials and Resources
d) Benefits of Using Instructional Materials and Resources
e) Criteria for Evaluating Instructional Materials and Resources
Introduction

Present day social studies teachers are encouraged and in fact required to
use modern teaching aids to teach social studies in order to make classroom
more lively, understandable and comprehensively to all learners. Social
Studies has been conceptualized and taught in a variety of ways. This
module will present some of the instructional materials and resources used
in a social studies classroom. It will also explain its benefits and the criteria
to be considered in employing such materials in the learning process.

Pre-Learning Activity
Encircle the things which have been incorporated during the discussion in
your social studies classroom which you think helps in the teaching and

Books Powerpoint Presentation Role play

Video clips Lecture

Dramatization Laboratory Charts

Observation Puppet show

learning process. Explain briefly how it affects your learning process

Discussion

Meaning of Instructional Materials and Resources

The term instructional materials are used in the context to mean all the
resources within the reach of the teacher and the learner, which are
employed to facilitate teaching and learning. It therefore follows that such
resources may be human and non-human provided they facilitate the
acquisition and evaluation of knowledge, skills, attitudes, moral and value
(Inyang-Abia, 2004).
Instructional materials are indispensable factors in a teaching – learning
process. This is because ordinary words or verbalization has been found to
be inadequate for effective teaching. Instructional materials serve as
channels through which message, information, ideas and knowledge are
disseminated. They can therefore be manipulated, seen, hear, felt or talked
about. They facilitate activities. They are anything or anybody the learner
turns to for help in his learning process (Esu, Enukoha & Umoren; 1998).
Instructional materials are all the objects, things, people and places used to
promote the teaching and learning of social studies. The organized
combination and utilization of materials, facilities, equipment and people
ease the presentation of content for the realization of stated objectives. Jacob
(1999) stated that instructional materials are anything and anybody that can
be used by the teacher and learners before, during and after the lesson to
facilitate the achievement of objectives. In other words, instructional
materials are devices that facilitate the transmission, understanding and
appreciation of concepts, skills, values and attitudes.
The reason is that, the uses of such materials task the various sense organs
of the learners, encouraging their active participation in the instructional
process. When learner are opportune to contribute in the instructional
process through their various senses, understanding is promoted and the
teacher is delivered from making lengthy explanations that further confuse
the learners. Also, the more of the senses contributed in a lesson by
instructional materials the more reality is stimulated. It is in line with this
thought that Ema and Ajayi (2004) stated that instructional materials are all
the tools, which can be used by the teacher to provide help and
encouragement to learners learning activities. Such materials bring together
man and resources in a systematic co-operation to effectively solve
educational problems.

B. Categories of Instructional Materials and Resources

There are two main categories of

Instructional Materials and resources as
proposed by Ofoegbu (2009), they are as
follows:
a. Human resources: which consist of
individuals who provide various services
in the teaching and learning process.
Teachers and resource person are under
this.
b. Non-human resources: which include
physical facilities and printed materials,
and electronic and digital devices, which
serve as tools and devices through which
stimuli can be passed or obtained.
C. Instructional Materials and
Resources Figure 5.1 Instructional
Materials and Resources
Teachers
Teachers are the foremost significant instructional and resource inside the
classroom. The teacher is concerned with the management and utilization of
instructional materials and resources. Without the teacher, there can be no
meaningful transfer of learning for teachers are primarily the initiator of the
teaching and learning class. Their direction and guidance structuralize the
process of a good learning experience to the learners. Thus, their presence
and input give novelty to their part as the most significant instructional and
resource inside the classroom.
Resource Persons
Resource persons can be individuals who are expert in a certain field,
individuals who have experience on the topic presented, or persons in
authority who can give insights on the lesson. Resource persons can be
invited to contribute their knowledge and experience to the learners. They
are powerful device for getting the firsthand idea of the topic and they also
help in getting full attention and focus on the lesson. However, teachers
must be cautious in inviting resource persons in order to get the most of the
important topic covered. Teachers must also give an advance notice of
invitation to the resource person for them to be prepared of what will be
shared later in the discussion in the classroom.
Textbooks
Textbooks are traditional instrument of instruction. In its most rigid form a
textbook represents a series of lessons which demands the teacher's
initiative. In almost every study, pupils are required to move from textbooks
to specialized references for kinds of data such as: Encyclopedias,
Dictionaries, Atlases, Almanacs.
Textbooks are among the most instructional materials readily available for
the use in the classroom for the implementation of Social Studies
curriculum, hence the heavy reliance on textbooks particularly in the
developing countries. Rice (1982) gave some assumptions for rational
textbook selection in Social Studies. These include the fact that:
 There is a consciously designed Social Studies curriculum for school
and the curriculum has specified objectives. Therefore, the school will
want to find a textbook with objective for the Social Studies program.
 Textbooks are often primary means of translating the curriculum into
the local school teaching program. Therefore, the school should seek
to select a book that is compatible with its ongoing teaching program.
 Textbooks often present the major source of the content for a subject.
The order in which the content is presented and the depth and scope
of its treatment in the classroom are essential things to note.
 Textbooks often serve as one of the students' primary resources of
learning. From these statements, it is evident that textbooks will still
continue to remain as essential resources of learning. But care should
be taken to consider the age, readability level and the relevance of the
textbooks to the students' need and interest.
Newspapers
Raymond (1965) observed that "since many Social Studies teachers direct
the attention of their classes frequently to contemporary problems and to
tropical issues which can be woven into the on-going course of study, they
can make significant contribution to enlightened citizenship by examining
newspaper with the student". This simply means that the teacher could use
newspapers and other resources to sensitize students to the need for caution
and to broaden reading habits. This is also to say that newspaper remains
the most current of any printed source available. But unfortunately, only few
teachers border to utilize this resource.
Pictures and Charts
Pictorial presentation is effective particularly for students having reading
difficulties or small vocabularies. Pictures help to illustrate and bring a
sense of reality to what is taught, while charts contain the lesson material
itself. While pictures stimulate interest, create correct impression and bring
lesson to life, charts, on the other hand, are valuable in the presentation of
materials to be taught in their simplest form. When pictures are used, the
teacher should use a variety of them in order to impress his points on the
students. When charts are used to stress some important facts, they should
be clear and large enough to be seen from any part of the classroom.
Maps
The studying, drawing and interpreting of maps are activities essential in the
teaching of Social Studies. Maps indicate economic and physical features,
location of places, political boundaries cultural limitations, occupational
zones etc. The teacher should, therefore, expose the students to the use of
maps so that correct interpretations can be given to the maps used in social
Studies.
Improvised Materials
Improvisation is the act of designing and producing instructional materials
from locally available resources by the teacher and utilizing such materials
to facilitate effective instruction in the classroom. Improvised materials
might include motivation models of an airplane, wall clock, or bird using
cardboard sheets, sticks, carton etc. Other methods of improvisation could
be paper pulp making, clay molding, dry or wet mounting and many others.
Improvised teaching materials facilitate teaching and learning activities in
social studies class. It helps to make the lesson real to the students; it
creates opportunity for the students to participate in the provision of
teaching materials and help develop their skills of creativity and
manipulation.
Models
Tillman (1976) emphasized the use of models in helping the teacher organize
relevant information in the process of teaching. He asserted that "when
information is presented 'in the format of an instructional model, we have a
readymade plan or the kinds of teacher-behavior that brings about desired
student learning. Hence, models and specimens have distinct appeal to
children and attract their close attention better than a chart. The usefulness
of models cannot be over-emphasized because they reduce to handy sizes
things that would otherwise be difficult to study.
Real Object
The category of materials resources that can be valuable in the teaching of
Social Studies is the use of the actual or real object in the classroom. These
things are called realia and can have a powerful impact on students' interest
and motivate them to learn. Example of these items include weapons,
clothes, machines, implements etc. These things bring the real outer world
into the classroom. Real objects are valuable in teaching topics that are
related to culture, agriculture, currencies etc.
Resource Centers
A resource center refers to a place or space where the students and teachers
may find information and instructional materials not available in the
classroom. Among these may be toys, maps and references or library
materials, instructional equipment, real objects or specimen and artifacts.
Some major resources center of educational values to Social Studies are the
library, the immediate environment and museums. The provision of school
library with adequate supply of books should be a priority item for schools.
It is the major resource center for learning activity. The resource offered
include not only books in abundance, but also microfilm, charts, filmstrips,
videotapes and other materials. The library is therefore, set aside to meet the
appetite for learning and to feed the hunger for understanding. Students can
be assigned to read some items in the library to broaden their understanding
of what the teacher has taught in the classroom.
Internet
With the recent development of our country and the world at large, the
internet is one of the best, fastest and up-to-date source of conveying
information be it in a real life picture form or in text form. Social studies
teachers can make use of the internet to search for the most recent
information from all over the world and even make students search for
information themselves from the internet when available at their schools.
This will help enrich the teacher’s knowledge as well as the students’
knowledge of the most recent changes and activities of not only their
environments and country but also the world at large.
Audio-Visual Devices
There is at present varieties of instructional tools known as audiovisual
devices and materials. The application of these instructional tools range
from the use of small cameras by an instructor to show close - ups within
his classroom to an airborne studio broadcasting to many states. Video tape
would be of help in the class role-playing activities. Tape recording has been
found to be valuable in meeting such problems as found in mixed ability
group. The adaptability of tape recorder for passive or active use has its
great advantage. The teacher can record the students' activities i.e.
discussion and this could be played back as many times as possible.
Television is one of the great electronic devices which shape our changing
world. It has been found to be powerful medium which can be used to
improve the quality of instruction, enrich the curriculum and extend the
benefits of such schooling to millions of children who will otherwise be
deprived of opportunities that should have been opened to them.
Chalkboard
The chalkboard or the blackboard is the usual visual aid utilized by the
teacher. The chalkboard is used to write outline or summary, to illustrate
what the teacher intends to teach and to draw sketches, maps and pictures.
The teacher should note that whatever he or she writes on the board should
be clear visible, bold and legible.
D. Some of the Benefits in Using Instructional Materials

 It facilitates the learning process. It assists the teacher to easily

navigate throughout the learning plan while enabling the learners in
absorbing the lesson concepts.
  They help in constructing an organized and patterned lesson allowing
learners in understanding the lesson sequence and arrangement. It
also develops a continuity of thought.
 It presents a concrete and tangible basis for concepts and ideas which
are hardly understood when presented using just lecture methods.
 It easily catches learner’s interests and attention. Concentration will
be more focus on the concept.
 It makes learning more meaningful and real to the learners for it
provides close or actual experience of the lesson’s concept and ideas.
 Varied instructional materials helps learners in making use of their
multiple intelligences as it provides a wide range of different of
instructional materials.
 Learners will maximize the use of their senses in utilizing various
instructional materials.

E. Criteria for Evaluating Instructional Materials and Resources

For the Non-Human resources
 Content
It should be aligned with the curriculum and curriculum standards.
Instructional materials and resources must be updated, current, valid,
and reliable with real world examples. It should also meet interest of
the individual learners from various skills levels. It must enhance
conceptual understanding and engages higher order thinking skills.
 Equity and Accessibility
Instructional materials and resources must be durable, easily stored,
transported and are universally accessible. It should be easily
updated and are adaptable and customizable to match in the context
of the learners and the school.
 Appropriateness
Instructional materials and resources must be appropriate with the
subject matter. It must also be aligned with the needs, interests and
capacity of the learners.
 Presentation
Instructional materials and resources, especially the ones under the
non-human resources, cannot be explained with just the materials
itself therefore teachers should be comprehensive enough in utilizing
the materials during their presentation. The instructional materials
should be organized and aligned with the lesson content.
 Classroom Management
Instructional materials should promote good classroom management.
Teachers should maximize its use so as it does not just allow the good
transfer of learning but also the management and regulation of
learners behavior and actions.
 Cost
Instructional materials must not be expensive. They must be obtained
within the immediate environment so that it should be cost-efficient.
Teachers must be creative and resourceful in the planning and
making of instructional materials.
For Human Resources
 Human resources, especially the resource speakers, must have the
appropriate qualifications in order to meet the standards needed for
that certain topic to be discussed.
 Human resources like resource speakers should only be invited when
the lesson concept could only be discussed and demonstrated by an
outside resource person.
 Human resource should be individuals with first-hand experience
with the lesson topic. They must be well-versed with the concept and
idea of the lesson.
 If possible, human resource must be individuals who were within the
community so as to easily request their assistance.