COMPILATION AND REFLECTION FOR SOCIAL STUDIES

UNIT 1
THE ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM

LESSON 1: What is Social Studies?

“A part of school or college curriculum concerned with the study of social
relationships and the functioning of society and usually made up of courses in
history, government, economics, civics, sociology, geography, and anthropology” By
their definition, social studies involve interactions that form relationships and provide
functions for society that are further explained by the different perspectives of the
specific course. The reporter explained to us during class that the definition of social
studies is, “An interdisciplinary approach to looking at people and social issues
objectively, to better understand why events happen and enable us to make
informed decisions as a citizenry. Social studies is a way of explaining why things
happened in addition to being able to make important decisions by looking at
different people’s opinions on social issues. My ultimate belief lies in a combination
of both ideas. I feel as though social studies is ultimately the study of people, what
they did, what is predicted they will do, their actions in shaping their environment,
their actions towards creating a sense of order, and even their financial actions.

LESSON 2: Social Studies as Integrated Curriculum

An integrated curriculum is described as one that connects different areas of study
by cutting across subject-matter lines and emphasizing unifying concepts.
Integration focuses on making connections for students, allowing them to engage in
relevant, meaningful activities that can be connected to real life knowledge and
experiences. This Integrated Curriculum give way how to improve learners’ skills and
experience the actual place towards learning activity and also it gives me knowledge.

LESSON 3: ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM

An elementary social studies curriculum should provide students with the basic
elements of geography, history, civics and economics. Skills that enhance critical
thinking, socio-emotional development, prosocial skills, interpersonal interactions,
and information literacy are more meaningful and useful when developed within the
context of social studies.” And it’s important to begin the development of those
essential skills early on in elementary social studies.

LESSON 4 : Constructivist Theory in Teaching Social Studies

Constructivism is the theory that says learners construct knowledge rather than just
passively take in information. As people experience the world and reflect upon those
experiences, they build their own representations and incorporate new information
into their pre-existing knowledge. Constructivism promotes social and communication
skills by creating a classroom environment that emphasizes collaboration and
exchange of ideas. Students must learn how to articulate their ideas clearly as well
as to collaborate on tasks effectively by sharing in group projects.

UNIT II : INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING

LESSON 5: Basics of Instructional Planning
The process of instruction planning starts at looking at the outcome you want the
students to learn or do. It is a multiple step process to help make sure every
students’ needs are being met. To complete a product, students need to know
different parts of the unit for them to understand what they are doing. I also learned
that while planning instruction it should include technology, writing, and reading.
Students need to develop on these skills throughout their life and we need to
incorporate it into different aspects of their education to help. I learned that to plan
for instruction, you need to look at collaboration.

LESSON 6 : Things to Consider in Planning Instruction

Good lessons must be planned. Planning helps to make your lessons clear and well-
timed, meaning that students can be active and interested. Effective planning also
includes some built-in flexibility so that teachers can respond to what they find out
about their students' learning as they teach. A critical process for supporting your
growth and development as a professional. At the end of each lesson, you should
reflect on the experience and analyze its effectiveness. This part of the process
consists of two parts: the reflection and the analysis.

LESSON 7 : Instructional Models for Social Studies

An instructional model can unite school leaders, teachers, and students with shared
goals, a shared understanding of how to reach the goals, and a shared vocabulary
for discussing progress. A poorly planned implementation process, however, can
cause rifts that take years to heal. In this paper, we present an introduction to
instructional models and a leadership primer focused on helping school teams
cohere around an initiative that has a high likelihood of benefiting students.